190 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION

Binche i

16 km (10 miles) SE of Mons.
Road Map C3. * 32,000. £
@ n Grande Place Binche; (064)

336727. _ Carnival (Feb or Mar).
        http://www.binche.be

Set amid the old industrial
heartlands between Mons and
Charleroi, Binche is celebrated
for its extraordinary, colourful
and elaborate pre-Lenten
Carnival, the most famous
of Belgium’s carnivals. This
event takes place mainly in
the Grand Place, which is
overlooked by a 16th-century
Gothic town hall. Those who
are unable to visit Binche
during the carnival can expe-
rience it to an extent at the
town’s prestigious Musée
International du Carnaval et
du Masque. Occupying an
18th-century building that
was formerly an Augustinian
col lege, the museum takes
a glo bal look at festivities,
masks and carnivals, with
special focus on the carnivals
of Wallonia and Binche.
The town’s long history is
underscored by the restored
remains of its extensive walls.
Built between the 12th and
14th centuries, they stretch
continuously across a distance
of 2 km (1.5 miles) and
include 25 towers.

E Musée International du

Carnaval et du Masque

Rue St-Moustier 10, Binche.

Tel (064) 335741. # 9:30am–5pm

Tue–Fri, 10:30am–5pm Sat–Sun.

¢ Ash Wednesday, 1 Nov. &

http://www.museedumasque.be

THE CARNIVAL AT BINCHE

Rooted in a long and obscure history, the Carnival at Binche

begins as a gradual build-up of festivities over a series of

Sundays preceding Lent. This explodes into a frenzy of

fancy-dress processions, folk music and street dancing over

three days, with the climax on Shrove Tuesday. This is the

day of the gilles (clowns) – all native men of Binche dressed

in the dun-coloured motley of court jesters, heavily padded

and rotund, and decorated with heraldic symbols, ribbons

and bells. They wear clogs on their feet, and bandaged to

their heads are sinister pink masks with moustaches and

wire-rimmed green glasses. In the afternoon they put on

colossal ostrich-feather headdresses – a reference to Inca cos-

tumes at the time of the Spanish conquests during the reign

of Emperor Charles V – and parade about tossing oranges

at the onlookers. The day ends in dancing and fireworks.

Binche’s quirkily costumed gilles at the annual Carnival

Thuin o

14 km (9 miles) SE of Binche. Road

Map C3. * 14,500. £ @

n Maison du Tourisme Val de

Sambre, Place Albert 1; (071) 595454.

_ Marche Militaire St Roch (May)

http://www.thuin.be

Located close to the French

border, Thuin was at the west-

ern end of the Principality of

Liège, whose ribbon of terri-

tory stretched right across

the central band of Belgium

during the Middle Ages. The

upper town was reinforced by

Prince-Bishop Notger in the

10th century, but of this work,

only the tower, Tour Notger,

can be seen today. There are

also remnants of 15th-century

ramparts – Remparts du Midi.

The military significance of

Thuin is further remembered

in traditional spantôle biscuits,

shaped and named after a

French cannon captured in

1654. The Place du Chapitre
      at the town centre has the
      free-standing 17th-century
      belfry, Beffroi de Thuin. This
      has an interactive exhibition
      and also offers enchanting
      views over the River Sambre,
      lined with barges.

Posters outside Musée International
du Carnaval et du Masque in Binche

Environs

At Ragnies, 3 km (2 miles) to

the south, is the Distillerie de

Biercée, famed for flavoured

spirits such as Eau de Villée

and Poire Williams. At Leers-

et-Fosteau, 5 km (3 miles)

south west of Thuin, is the

Château du Fosteau, which

exhibits antique furniture.

P Beffroi de Thuin

Place du Chapitre. Tel (071)

595454. 
        

        Tue–Sun (Easter

        
        

        holidays, Jul, Aug: daily). & 9
        E Distillerie de Biercée
        Ferme de la Cour, Rue de la
        Roquette 36. Tel (071) 500050.

        
        

        Mar–mid-Dec. & 8 - =

        
        

        http://www.distilleriedebiercee.com
        P Château du Fosteau
        Rue du Marquis 1. Tel (071)

        
        


595455. 
        

        Thu–Mon. & 8

        
        

        http://www.chateaufosteau.be

        
        

Abbaye d’Aulne p

Rue Vandervelde 275, Thuin. Road

Map C3. Tel (071) 595454. @ #

Apr–Oct: Wed–Sun; Jul–Aug: daily. &

9 - = http://www.valdesambre.be

The extensive ruins of the

Abbey d’Aulne create a pic-

turesque ensemble along the

For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp268–9 and pp294–5