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Belgium |
Eat and sleep
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Useful ideas
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Personal notes
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Other opinions
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In my third visit to Belgium the objective, differently from all other occasions, was not Brussels but Mons. All the cheap hotels in Mons were full for the dancing event where we should participate, so I booked a hotel in La Louvière and rented a car. That allowed mw to travel a bit in the region, visiting also Charleroi and Trazegnies. Not outstanding, but interesting |
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The tower
The tower of Gosselies is the only remaining part of a castle from the 15Th century. Recently restored. It is open to the public, but... not on Mondays, our day there. Bad luck for us. 
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The church Dedicated to St John Baptist, the church, close to the tower, shows vestiges of an old construction, from the 16th century, together with parts from the 19th. |
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UNESCO Heritage
Trying to discover the most interesting points to see in La Louvière, I was surprised by a UNESCO Heritage complex of four hidraulic lifts. It's better to give space to UNESCO to justify their choice:"The four hydraulic boat-lifts on this short stretch of the historic Canal du Centre are industrial monuments of the highest quality. Together with the canal itself and its associated structures, they constitute a remarkably well-preserved and complete example of a late-19th-century industrial landscape. Of the eight hydraulic boat-lifts built at the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th century, the only ones in the world which still exist in their original working condition are these four lifts on the Canal du Centre." |
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The Castle
Some places mean nothing, until you read their history, and the hard work done to keep them. This castle is a good example - just read what I collected in its page:"Trazegnies was a powerful and independent seigniory located at the borders of the Duchy of Brabant, County of Hainaut and Principality of Liege. Trazegnies was also the birthplace of one of the most famous Families of Europe : several lords of Trazegnies took part in crusades.One of them became High Constable of France under the reign of Louis IX, another one married by proxy of Emperor Charles Quint, princess Isabelle of Portugal. Jean III became Knight of the Golden Fleece and some of them were granted high functions by the governors of the Netherlands. The Family of Trazegnies possessed a castel which was worthy of the name. There are only Roman vaults left from the fortress built by Gilles the first, they are a rare testimony from the XIth century. The fortified Castle was destroyed and burnt in 1554 by the troops of the King of France Henry II. |
The castle was rebuilt at the end of the 16th century but the lower part of the small entry castle is a remnant from the 13th century. In the beginning of the 17th century Gillion-Othon of Trazegnies (picture) had a splendid main building erected which is the jewel of the present castle and a single example in Belgium of the Louis XIII style architecture. When the last marquis Alexandre died, his niece inherited the property which later was bought by a company of coal-scuttle which parceled out it before selling it to private individuals who,left it finally to the State in 1913 . In 1926 , the castle, given up, fell in ruins and one spoke to shave it after having photographed it. Then, at the instigation of the architect Marcel Simon, the Society of "The Friend of the Trazegnies castle" was created. Its aim was the restoration, the preservation, the upkeep and the developing of the monument and its park. You may read more in Chateau de Trazegnies