224 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp271–3 and pp297–9
Stavelot y
10 km (6 miles) SW of Malmedy.
Road Map E3. * 6,670. £ @
n Abbaye de Stavelot, Place St
Remacle 32; (080) 862706. http://www.
stavelot.beFounded in the 7th century as
an abbey, Stavelot is an attrac-
tive town whose old centre is
a cluster of little streets and
squares lined with 17th-century
half-timbered houses. Here,
the Église St-Sébastien houses
a masterpiece of Mosan art –
the 13th-century reli quary of
St Remaclus, founder of the
abbey at Stavelot. The striking
deep-red Abbaye de Stavelot
dates from the 18th century,
but was refurbished in 2002
and now contains three muse-
ums. The Musée du Circuit de
Spa-Francorchamps, with its
collection of cars, motorcycles
and memorabilia, documents
the history (from 1896) of the
Grand Prix motor-racing track
at Francorchamps, which
lies about 10 km (6 miles) to
the north. There is also the
Musée de la Principauté de
Stavelot-Malmèdy and the
Musée Guillaume Apollinaire,
dedicated to this French poet
(1880–1918) who wrote
eloquently about the Ardennes.
Stavelot is also known for its
carni val, the Laetare (see p35).E Abbaye de Stavelot
# 10am–6pm daily. ¢ Sun and
Mon of carnival weekend. & -
= http://www.abbayedestavelot.beChâteau de
Reinhardstein e
Chemin du Cheneux 50, Ovitat;
17 km (15 miles) SE of Spa. Road
Map F3. Tel (080) 446868. # Jul–
Aug. ¢ Mon, Wed, Fri. & 8 Jul &
Aug: 2:30–4pm Mon–Fri, 11:15am–
4pm Sat & Sun; rest of year: weekends
only. http://www.reinhardstein.net
The 14th-century fortress of
Reinhardstein was built by the
lords of Waimes and owned by
their descendants, the German
Metternich family.The château
was attacked by the French
Revolutionary Army in 1795,
after which it fell into ruin. In
1969, historian and collector
Jean Overloop it rebuilt to
standards of admirable authen-
ticity. Today, tours take visitors
through stone-walled rooms
containing furniture, tapes-
tries, sculpture and armour.
Malmedy r
13 km (8 miles) SE of Spa.
Road Map F3. * 11,830. £ @
n Place Albert 1er, 29a; (080)
The mainly French-speaking
town of Malmedy is one of the
main towns of the Cantons de
l’Est (Oostkantons in Dutch) –
a borderland district that has
been swapped back and forth
with Germany. Until its con-
quest in 1795 by the French
Revolutionary Army, Malmedy
was ruled by prince-abbots as
part of the twin Principality of
Stavelot-Malmedy, which was
based on two 7th-century
abbeys. The town became rich
through pro duction of cloth,
gunpowder, leather-tanning
Castle of
Burg-Reuland t38 km (24 miles) SE of Malmedy.
Road Map F3. @ # 9am–6pm
daily. 0 http://www.burg-reuland.beLocated in the south of the
Cantons de l’Est, the pretty
slate-roofed vil lage of Burg-
Reuland is home to one of the
most impressive sets of castle
ruins in Belgium. The Romans
built a fort on this site and the
Franks made it a royal castle:
Charlemagne is said to have
stayed in it. However, the ruins
seen today date from the 10th
to 16th centuries. The round
corner tower and high curtain
walls were built by the counts
of Reuland, vassals of the Holy
Roman Empire. Decline set inThe village of Burg-Reuland, dominated by the ruins of its lofty castleafter the castle was sacked by
Louis XIV of France in 1689;
it was dismantled after 1804.and paper. Today, it is a base
for walkers heading to Haute
Fagnes. Its main attraction is
the 18th-century Cathédrale
Sts-Pierre-Paul-et-Quirinn, set
in the main square, Place
Albert 1er. Malmedy is most
famous for its 4-day pre-Lenten
carnival, Cwarmê (see p35).Racing exhibits at the Musée du Circuit de Spa-Francorchamps, Stavelot