WESTERN WALLONIA 191Vallée de
la Sambre dRoad Map C3. @ n Maison
du Tourisme Val de Sambre, Place
Albert 1; (071) 595454. http://www.
valdesambre-thudinie.beThe River Sambre is a major
thoroughfare in Hainaut’s old
industrial centre, but it has a
very pretty, countrified stretch
to the west of Charleroi. This
makes an attractive excursion.
The river passes the Abbaye
d’Aulne and Thuin as well as
Lobbes, which is noted for its
fine Romanesque collegiale
church, dating in part to about
AD 825 and dedicated to St
Ursmer (c.644–713). St Ursmer
was the influential abbot of
the monastery of Lobbes, said
to have been founded by his
predecessor St Landelin. It
was destroyed by the French
Revolutionary Army in 1794.southern part of the province.
The town’s main attraction is
the Château des Princes de
Chimay, a medieval castle that
has been the home of the de
Croy family and the princes de
Chimay since the 15th century.
It contains memorabilia of the
family, including those of the
lively and beautiful Spanish-
born Madame Tallien (1773–
1835), Princess de Chimay,
who escaped the guillotine
during the French Revolution
and helped engineer the
down fall of Robespierre. The
castle also has an elaborate
19th-century Rococo theatre.
Chimay’s 13th–16th-century
Collégiale des Sts-Pierre-et-
Paul contains tombs of the
castle’s lords and ladies and a
memorial to the medieval
chronicler Froissart, who was
a canon here. Chimay is also
the name of a Trappist beer,
brewed under the auspices of
monks of the Abbaye Notre-
Dame-de-Scourmont, 10 km
(6 miles) to the south.Environs
L’Aquascope Virelles, 3 km
(2 miles) to the northeast, is a
nature reserve focussing on
Belgium’s largest natural lake.
A popular park and adventure
playground, it is linked to
Chimay by a train in summer.P Château des Princes
de Chimay
Tel (060) 490242. & 8 Easter–
Oct: 10am, 11am, 3pm and 4pm
daily. http://www.chimaypromotion.be
L’Aquascope Virelles
Rue du Lac 42. Tel (060) 211363.
# varies, check website. & 7
0 = http://www.aquascope.beThe opulently furnished theatre at the Château des Princes de Chimaybanks of the Sambre. It is
said to have been founded in
AD 657 by St Landelin in an
act of contrition for his former
life as a notorious brigand. It
rose in wealth and prominence
as a Cistercian monastery
until it was set ablaze by the
French Revolutionary Army in
- Dominating the ruins is
the 13th-century Gothic abbey
church and its contrasting
18th-century Neo-Classical
west front. The complex now
also includes a brewery, the
Brasserie du Val de Sambre.
Lacs de l’Eau
d’Heure a
22 km (14 miles) S of Thuin. Road
Map C3. @ n Centre d’Acceuil de
la Plate Taille; (071) 509292. # daily
(Barrage de la Plate Taille); Mar–Sep:
daily (Relais de Falemprise). &
http://www.lacsdeleaudheure.be
In the 1970s, the River l’Eau
d’Heure was dammed twice
to regulate the flow of water
in Charleroi canal. The main
dams, Barrage de la Plate Taille
and Barrage de l’Eau d’Heure,
and a series of subsidiary dams
form a set of five lakes – the
Lacs de l’Eau d’Heure. These
are now a major resort area
focussing on water sports.
There are also signposted
paths for walkers and barbe-
cue sites for picnickers.
Barrage de la Plate Taille, the
largest dam in Belgium, has a
visitors’ centre and a viewing
tower 107 m (351 ft) high.
Tours in the Crocodile Rouge,
an extraordinary bus that also
goes on water, begin here.
Just 2 km (1 mile) to the east
is the Relais de Falemprise, a
recreational centre that offers
a sand beach, pedalos, restau-
rants, mini-golf, tennis courts,
and facilities for beach volley-
ball and pétanque.
Chimay s
38 km (24 miles) S of Thuin. Road
Map C4. * 10,000. @ n Rue du
Château 14; (060) 513827. http://www.
ville-de-chimay.be
The pretty town of Chimay is
the main centre of the Botte
du Hainaut, the boot-shaped
A view of the River Sambre winding
through the pretty countryside