Wéris
Fagne Famenne

Along the edge of the Fagne-Famenne region, in a landscape of fields and meadows, just beneath the wooded ridge, the slate bell tower of the romanesque church of St. Walburgaa announces the presence of the village.

Province: Luxembourg 
City: Durbuy

Before you escape into the surrounding countryside to discover the boulders and the legends they inspired, within Wallonia's most prestigious megalithic site (the bed of the Devil, the Pierre Haina and Pas-Bayard) be shure to stroll arround the irregular streets and footpaths. The lover of beautiful old stones will quickly enchanted by this rural village. The heritage houses and farms, who's walls are timbered or made of limestone and sandstone, together with the common oven and the small chapels will take you back in time. 

A visit to the House Megalith will usefully complement your stroll and give you an opportunity to enjoy a cold Dolmenius...

© Photographies: 4 Christian Collet / 1-2,8-17 Mark Rossignol / 3 François Delfosse / 5-7 PBVW

Links

 

Informations

Office du Tourisme de Durbuy
Grand’Rue 24
6940 Barvaux
086/21 98 68
www.bdd.tourisme.durbuy.be

Maison du Tourisme du Pays d'Ourthe & Lesse
Grand'Rue, 16
6940 Barvaux-sur-Ourthe
Tél. : + 32 (0)86 21 35 00
www.famenneardenne.be

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Fagne Famenne

Paysage

The Fagne-Famenne is shaped as a broad depression, grooved by abundant secondairy streams. Stretching between the plateau of Condroz and the forests of the Ardenne, this landscape offers a relatively smooth terrain, structured by wooded stripes, alternating with meadows, punctuated with villages. A particular area, called "Calestienne", rings the shaly depression of the Fagne (west from the Meuse) and of the Famenne (east from the Meuse), thus assuring a visible transition along the Ardenne's plateau. This thin limestone ledge is ligned with long hills, called "tiennes".

In this natural context, people mostly established themselves on the meridional part of the region. Choosing the contact zones between the limestone plateau and the shaly depression, villages have been established close to the springs, taking advantage of the morning sunshine whilst protected from winds, and near the fields. The Fagne-Famenne settelments display an agrair structure matching the openfield model, with predominating meadows. The location for grouwing crops, meadows or woods are dictated by the quality ofthe terrain: The shaly valley bottoms, with their wet and poor grounds, welcome meadows and orchards, where remnants of hedges remain, in the form of non-trimmed bushes. The ledges of the limestone plateau, full of nutritive elements, are occupied by non-enclosed plowings, while the steep slopes and the "tiennes", with their shalow soils, are suitible for woods and extensive grasing areas. Once grazed by sheep, these calcareous grasslands hide a natural habitat full of an exceptionnal biodiversity. In the Famenne, most villages show a high density of houses, with buildings very close to one another. Frequently set on a slope, villages seem to descend from the ridges, though carefully avoiding the bottom of the depression. On the Fagne side, scatered farmhouses are freqeuently found between villages.

Sources : CPDT - FRW

Traditional countryside habitat

In Famenne as in Fagne, rural buildings belong to the "block" farmhouse type, including all functions under one roof: living room or rooms, the stable and barn. Showing the geologic diversity, traditional houses display a wide range of materials and textures. Though limestone, painted or not, is preponderant, the careful observer will detect the presence of shale, sandstone or even red brick. Finally, here and there, some timber framed masonry remains, witnesses of ancien construction traditions.

Older Fagne's buildings are characterised by a large attic structure underneath the roof.

Sources : CPDT - FRW

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