Discovering Basse Wanze

Parking at Place de Gottignies 4 in Gottignies (Le Roeulx).

This route is marked with yellow signs. QR codes will give you additional information about where you are via your smartphone. Several shortcuts allow you to reduce the length of the route.

(S/E) Take Rue Saint-Léger, opposite Gottignies Church, join Rue du Vent Val and turn left, continuing to the next crossroads.

(1) At the crossroads with Rue Puits Salomon, turn left until you reach the crossroads with Rue de la Place, or turn right, then pass the Basse farm, leaving Rue de la Casse on your right.

(2) Just after the Basse farm, take the path on the left down to Rue des Fonds. Turn left. Cross the small bridge over the Wanze.

(3) At the crossroads, take the path on the right that runs alongside the river, gradually moving away from it.

(4) At the end of the path, when you reach the motorway, turn right and go under the motorway bridge.
Just after the bridge, take the small path on the right (Rue Sentier du Chien) and continue along the path that runs alongside the Wanze to reach Rue de l'Église. Turn right towards Saint-Lambert Church.

(5) At the foot of the church steps, take the paved path on the left that passes between two houses. Further on, turn left into Rue du Marais. At the crossroads, go around the roundabout and follow Rue du Coron to the right for a few dozen metres. Take the Sentier des Prés path on the right.

(6) At the end of the path, turn right and cross the George Price Memorial esplanade to reach the towpath. Turn left towards the Quinsac bridge. Just before the bridge, turn left onto the path.
Cross Rue des Fours à Chaux and take Chemin Blanc opposite.

(8) Cross Chaussé de Mons and continue on the path that leads to the motorway. Continue to the right along the motorway towards the motorway bridge. Pass under the bridge and immediately after, take the path on the left. At the top of the hill, take the country lane on the right, then turn left to reach Rue de la Biercée. Continue straight ahead.

(9) At the junction with Rue des Fonds, you will find the junction with the Haute Wanze walk. Continue straight ahead. At the junction with Rue du Mont Coupé, continue straight ahead, still on Rue du Mont Coupé.

Shortcut: at the junction with Rue du Mont Coupé, turn left and continue to Place de Gottignies (starting point).

Reduced mobility. Chemin du Gué, located 200 m further on, which descends towards the Wanze, is not accessible to people with reduced mobility or with pushchairs. At this crossroads, turn left to reach Rue des Prêtres (11).

(10) At the crossroads, turn left onto Chemin du Gué. At the end of the road, take the path on the left that descends towards La Wanze.

(11) When you reach Rue du Mont Coupé, turn right and, at the crossroads, turn right onto Rue des Prêtres. At the crossroads with Rue du Vent Val, turn right.

Shortcut: At the bottom of Rue du Mont Coupé, you can turn left to reach Place de Gottignies.

Shortcut: At the crossroads with Rue du Vent Val, you can turn left, and at the crossroads with Rue Saint-Léger, turn left to reach Place de Gottignies.

(12) 100 m before the cemetery, take the path on the left (Rue des Salinques). At the crossroads with Rue de la Grange aux Dîmes, continue straight ahead.

When you reach the paved section of Rue du Bourbier, take the path on the left that runs alongside two meadows to return to Rue du Vent Val. Continue left for 50 metres.

At Calvaire, take the path on the right, which will lead to Rue de la Cure. Continue to the right to arrive at Place de Gottignies (S/E).

(S/E) Saint-Léger Church. This church dates back to the^9th century. From the early^12th century until^{the 18th} century, the altar was managed by the monks of Saint-Denis-en-Brocqueroie. Shortly afterwards, having ceased to depend on the Abbey of Saint-Denis, it was decided to build a new church as we know it today in a style that is half classical, half Renaissance.
Inside, there is a symbolic painting that appears to date from^{the 16th} century: Christ on the cross on a cloth of honour. The three ends of the cross represent hands:
- one makes the sign of blessing,
- another knocks down an idol with an arrow,
- and the last holds a key and seems to be opening the heavens.

Rue du Puits Salomon. Named after Mr Salomon, who owned a well on this street. This well was very important for the village's water supply. Before running water was installed, many homes had their own wells, but there were also public wells (Bavais farm, Chemin Salomon, Grange aux Dîmes, etc.) where residents went to draw water

La Ferme Basse. This farm is located on the site of the former seigneury of Gottignies (+ 1115 to 1786). This fiefdom overlooked one of the meanders of the Wanze.

(3) Rue des Fonds and the Wanze. Today, it is difficult to imagine that this was once the most important road in this charming village. You are actually travelling along the old road that connected Mons to Le Roeulx. The bed of the Wanze river occupies the lowest part of the road. The Wanze crosses the village from one side to the other before flowing into the Haine at Ville-sur-Haine.

(4) The Chapel of Our Lady of Creuse. The first chapel was built in the^16th century. The misadventure of a young shepherd is said to be the reason for its construction. During a period of drought, the trickle of water that sprang from the ground was not enough to feed the cattle. A shepherd plunged his crook into the mud and encountered resistance. He pulled out a statuette of the Virgin Mary, which he gave to the village priest. The next day, to everyone's surprise, the statuette had left the church altar, where it had been placed, and was found not far from the spring. This happened three times. It was clear that the Virgin Mary wanted to be worshipped in a special way, so a pedestal was built to hold the statuette.
In 1820, a cowherd knocked over the pedestal. He immediately fell ill with a malignant fever from which he could not recover. It was decided to erect the first chapel. It was blessed on Ascension Day.
After falling into disrepair, it was rebuilt in 1912. The latest construction dates from 1991 and was inaugurated on 8 December in the presence of many dignitaries. The building has two fountains where many believers regularly come to collect water, as tradition attributes miraculous properties to it.

(5) Saint-Lambert Church. The parish once belonged to the Abbey of Saint-Denis-en-Broqueroie. The monks built the choir and altar of the church of Ville-sur-Haine in 1672. Located on high ground, this building has weathered many storms. It had to be rebuilt in 1767. The bell tower was last restored in 2003.
In November 2008, new stained glass windows were inaugurated. The stained glass windows in the nave symbolise the eight Beatitudes in Saint Matthew. Above the entrance porch, you can admire 'Jacob's Ladder' and above the tabernacle, the risen and glorious Christ

(6) George Price Memorial. On 11 November 1918, a few minutes before 11 a.m. and the end of the war, the German armies retreated to the heights of Ville-sur-Haine. A Canadian regiment, normally stationed in Mons, reached the Canal du Centre. A certain George Price, from the^28th Infantry Battalion, originally from Nova Scotia, crossed the drawbridge and reached the first house. The Germans had hidden in neighbouring houses and along a path near the north side of the canal. It was from this path that a sniper fired the last rounds of ammunition of the "Great War" and shot Georges Price in the chest. A local man bravely tried to lift the Canadian soldier. A woman came out of her house and received from his hands a fabric flower he had in his pocket, now stained with his blood. George Price died a few moments later before their eyes. In the minutes that followed, the end of the war was announced. George Price was truly unlucky

(7) Rue des Fours à Chaux. Formerly "Rue d'Houdeng", it was renamed "Rue des Fours à Chaux" when the municipalities merged. Already in the 19th century, several lime kilns were in operation in various parts of the municipality, but lime production seems to date back much earlier than that. The first kiln was located opposite the current George Price monument. In 1895, a new kiln was built, and another was built in 1906. The First World War brought an end to this activity.
The Chapel at Tombeaux. This chapel overlooks a burial mound on Rue des Fours à Chaux. This monument was erected by Richilde of Hainaut after the battle of 1072 on the very spot where many of her soldiers were buried.

(8) La Brûlote. In 1467, this place was called "à brûlote" because flammable gas produced by the presence of coal seeped out of cracks in the ground. Another meaning is due to the nature of the soil, which is rich in flint (burning stones).
The little castle. In 1880, a huge stone was discovered in the garden of Monoyer Castle: a 2.4-metre-high menhir. Lying at the bottom of a pit, it had been knocked down around the time of Charlemagne. At that time, all traces of pagan religion were being removed.

(11) Gottignies beach. The famous "beach" of Gottignies was located on the site of the property at No. 8 Rue des Prêtres. Created in 1934 on the initiative of a garage owner from Jolimont, swimming pools, "gloriettes" (open-air cafés, as they would have been called across the border in Belgium), a velodrome, a kiosk and a slide adorned this site covering more than one hectare. On Ascension Day in 1935, no fewer than 1,500 visitors were counted! Unfortunately, four years later, a serious accident put an end to the adventure.

Rue de la Grange aux Dîmes. The name of this street presupposes the former existence of a building on this site where the clergy collected "tithes". Opposite this old road stands the village's calvary. Made of brick and blue stone, it was the^fourth station during the procession on 15 August. It dates from the first half of^{the 19th} century.