A tour of Le Roeulx

Starting point: the Grand Place in Le Roeulx.

(S/E) Head towards the narrowest part of the Grand Place and walk past the buildings of the former Saint-Jacques Hospital. Continue straight on until the first T-junction just before a block of flats.

(1) Turn left onto Rue de la Liberté. At the junction with Rue de la Victoire, continue straight ahead and slightly to the left onto the path that runs alongside the fields. At the end of the path, turn left onto Rue des Huit Bonniers. At the end of the street, turn left onto Rue de Houdeng. At the junction with traffic lights, continue straight on towards the buildings of the Saint-Feuillien brewery.

(2) Cross Rue de Houdeng to pass in front of the brewery. Turn right onto Rue Courte. At the junction, go straight on. At the T-junction, turn left onto Rue Léon Mabille and continue towards Square Mabille. Walk along the right-hand side of the square. At the junction, turn left and then take the first street on the right, Rue Sainte-Gertrude. At the end of the street, at the junction, turn right into Rue de la Station. At the Y-junction, turn right onto Faubourg de Mignault and at the next fork, continue left until you reach the edge of the Bois de la Haye du Roeulx.

(3) Turn left and take the path through the woods. At the crossroads, continue left along the forest track heading towards the Grand Étang. At the crossroads by the Grand Étang, continue straight on until you reach a T-junction.

(4) Turn left and follow the tree-lined avenue. At the crossroads at the edge of the woods, turn right towards the Drève du Petit Château, then turn right onto it. At the junction with Rue des Ecaussines, turn immediately left and continue to the junction with Chaussée de Soignies.

(5) Continue straight on towards Bois Saint-Joseph.

(6) At the junction at the edge of the woods, turn left onto Rue de la Reine. Watch out for traffic. At the T-junction, continue left onto Rue de la Renardise and follow the wall of Château du Roeulx.

(7) At the junction with Chaussée de Mons, turn left onto Place de la Tannée and continue on the left-hand side of the church, which you can admire. Head towards the flowerbed with the two lime trees and continue towards Rue Verte, which climbs to the right towards the castle, ending at Place du Château.

(8) Turn right. At the traffic lights, turn right onto Rue E. Vandervelde and at the next junction, turn left onto Rue Grande to reach the Grand Place (S/E).

(S/E) Grand Place with several notable buildings: the Town Hall, which dates from 1862. You will notice the similarity of the façade to that of the Château des Princes de Croÿ; opposite the Town Hall is the Maison Saint-Nicolas (No. 28), which dates from 1745, and to the right is the Maison du Cornet (No. 30), both of which were formerly inns.

Extending from the Town Hall, at the far left (opposite the Town Hall), is the so-called ‘Spanish’ house (No. 35) and, of course, the fountain in the centre of the square, which symbolises fertility.

St Jacques Hospital and the rose garden of the International New Rose Competition.

Square Léon Mabille, named after the former mayor of Le Roeulx.

(5) The highest point in Le Roeulx, offering a beautiful panoramic view of the surrounding area
St Nicholas’ Church. The first church dates back to 1181. This one dates from 1869. It is in the Neo-Gothic style. Its bell tower rises to a height of 65 metres and houses five bells.

(8) The Castle of the Princes of Croÿ.