EASTERN WALLONIA 221

River Vesdre passing under a flag-decked bridge at Chaudfontaine

Chaudfontaine 5

8 km (5 miles) SE of Liège. Road
Map E3. * 21,000. c n Ave
des Thermes 78 bis; (04) 3615630.
http://www.thermesetcoteaux.be

Sitting prettily on a curve of
River Vesdre, Chaudfontaine
is the site of the only natural
hot springs in Belgium. It first
developed its therapeutic
activities in 1676, when a
local landowner installed
rudimentary baths and
proclaimed the water’s
medical benefits. Today,
the main treatment
centre is the luxurious
Château des Thermes,
a restored 18th-century
residence set in a
wooded park. At the
interactive Source O
Rama museum, multimedia
techniques provide an
edu cational exploration of
cold-water and thermal spas.

 Château des Thermes

Rue Hauster 9. Tel (04) 3678067.

# daily. & 7 0 = http://www.

chateaudesthermes.be

E Source O Rama

Avenue des Thermes 78(b).

Tel (04) 3642020. # Tue–Sun;

school hols. & 7 = http://www.

sourceorama.com

Eupen 7

21 km (13 miles) E of Blegny.

Road Map F2. Tel (03) 84635082.

* 17,500. £ @ n Marktplatz 7;

(087) 553450. http://www.eupen-info.be

The capital of Belgium’s

German-speaking community,

Eupen is part of the border-

land Cantons de l’Est given

to Belgium by the Treaty of

Versailles after World War I.

From the town’s pleasant

streets, a massive carnival

erupts to mark the start of

Lent each year (see p35).

The Stadtmuseum (Town

Museum), set in a late 17th-

century cloth-merchant’s

house, tells Eupen’s story,

alongside local historic craft

products such as cloth, pot-

tery, gold work and furniture.

On the northern edge of town,

the chocolate manufacturers

Jacques & Callebaut have a

Musée du Chocolat, present-

ing the history of chocolate

and how it is made.

E Stadtmuseum

Gospert 52. Tel (087) 740005.

# 9:30am–noon and 1–4pm Tue–

Fri, 2–5pm Sat, 10am–noon and

2–5pm Sun. ¢ during Carnival. &

http://www.eupener-stadtmuseum.org

E Musée du Chocolat

Rue de l’Industrie 16. Tel (087)

592967. 
        

        9am–5pm Mon–Fri.

        
        

        ¢ during Carnival. & =
        http://www.chocojacques.be

        
        

Blegny-Mine 6

Rue Lambert Marlet 23, Blegny;
11 km (7 miles) NE of Liège.
Road Map E3. Tel (04) 3874333.
@ # mid-Feb–Easter & mid-Sep–
Nov: weekends and public hols;
Easter–early Sep: daily. & 8 9
7 0 - = http://www.blegnymine.be

The last coal mine in the
Province of Liège was forced
to close in 1980, but parts of

it have been meticulously

kept in working order and

opened to the public. After

an introductory film, visitors

don helmets and jackets to

go down a shaft in a lift cage.

This reaches a depth of 60 m

(197 ft) – a mere one-tenth

of the full depth of this mine.

Guided by a former miner,

the tour offers a taste of the

noise, danger and harsh

work ing conditions that the

so-called gueules

noires (black

faces) had

to endure at

the coal-face.

The Musée

de la Mine

provides more of

this history. For a

rural contrast, a little

tourist road train

takes visitors on a 50-minute

jaunt through the local

orchards and meadows.

The tourist train

at Blegny’s Musée

de la Mine

BELGIAN SPAS

Chaudfontaine is one of two main spa towns of Belgium –

the other one being Spa itself (see p222). At Chaudfontaine,

the water is naturally hot, while at Spa it is cold. It was Spa,

however, that first attracted visitors convinced of the medical

benefits of mineral-rich waters.

They began arriving in 1550

and soon established the town

as a destination for nobility and

royalty. Waters of both towns

are still believed to help suffer-

ers of various maladies, includ-

ing rheumatism, gout and heart

and circulatory disorders. Until

the 1860s, visitors tended to

drink the waters. Today, the

centres offer a full range of

treatments, from bathing in

pools, saunas and Jacuzzis, to

steam rooms, mud baths and

beauty therapies. Both towns

also produce bottled mineral

water bearing their name.

Façade of the Pouhon Pierre-le-

Grand spring building at Spa