This article first appeared in
My Travelogue by Bhushavali
UNESCO GLOBAL GEOPARK
The main reason I wanted to visit Beauraing was obviously because it is a part
of the
UNESCO Global Geopark of Famenne Ardennes, the only UNESCO Global Geopark in Belgium. There are 8 municipalities that
comprise this Famenne Ardennes region and one of those is Beauraing.
Geologically it is the La Calestinne region and as you are approaching
Beauraing by train, you'll spot the several slanted rock formations
(anticlines). There are no particular geological formations that I visited
particularly in Beauraing.
HOW TO PRONOUNCE BEAURAING
Just like Charleroi, Beauraing too has a French pronunciation. 'Beau' is
pronounced 'Bo'! 'Rain' is pronounced as if it would rhyme with 'tran(ce)',
'dan(ce)', 'glan(ce)'. Then there's a 'g' to is pronounced very mildly.
Beauraing is pronounced more like 'Boraan(g)', just 2 syllables.
Photo by: Dimitri Vanhouche of Beauraing Tourism
THINGS TO DO IN BEAURAING, BELGIUM
APPARITIONS OF OUR LADY OF BEAURAING / VIRGIN MARY WITH THE GOLDEN HEART
Beauraing is one of the important pilgrimage sites for Catholics all
over Belgium and internationally. Why is Beauraing an important Catholic
religious site? Between Nov 29 1932, and Jan 03 1933, Virgin Mary appeared to
5 children 33 times in different spots! The very spot where they first saw the
apparition of the Virgin Mary is where a statue of the Virgin Mary stands
today, designed exactly as per the description given by those 5 children - a
graceful woman wearing a white robe and white veil that falls on her
shoulders, whose feet vanish into the clouds, and has a crown of light rays
emerging from her head! On one of her apparitions, she opened-up her hands,
showing her golden heart to the children. So she's also being called the
Virgin with the Golden Heart.
Apart from the spot where the Virgin Mary apparitions took place, there
is a votive chapel just beside it. This was designed in 1947 by
architect Claes. The whole place looks very modern & sleek. In front of
both the votive chapel and the statue of the Virgin Mary are several benches
as seating arrangement. The Votive Chapel has been designed like an
amphitheatre to some extent. In front of the Votive Chapel is the
Basilica and Crypt of St.John. All these sites together are
called Sanctuaries of Beauraing.
Opposite the Sanctuaries of Beauraing, across the road, is a small shop called
Pro Maria that sells souvenirs of Our Lady of Beauraing. Just beside is
the small Marian Museum (Musee Marial) that showcases 800+ statues
of the Virgin Mary from across the world. Apart from those, there are also
items of clothing and other personal belongings of the 5 children who saw the
apparitions of the Virgin with the Golden Heart.
Where is Sanctuaries of Beauraing? (on Google Maps): Sanctuaires Notre-Dame de Beauraing
How to reach Sanctuaries of Beauraing? 10 mins walk (900m) from Beauraing railway station
Sanctuaries of Beauraing Opening Hours: Votive Chapel & Apparitions site - 24 x 7; Worship - 2:00PM to 5:00PM
CASTLE SAINTE-MARIE
Park of Castle Sainte-Marie belongs to Pro Maria, but it is open to public and
is free to enter. The castle itself is private property. The beginnings of
this castle are from 13th C CE and by 1567 CE this had a prominence.
However, in 1793 CE the castle was destroyed and later in 1855 CE the Duke of Osuna
restored it to what we see today. Sadly in 1889 CE it was again destroyed by a
fire! In 1913, under the ownership of Mr.Lenelle, the castle was
rebuilt again. This time, only the central residential area was renovated and
restored, and the towers and external walls of the castle were just renovated
and let be.
Today, a portion of the castle operates as a holiday home and can be hired for
a night! A bit before reaching the castle is the Saint-Pierre Chapel.
Just beside the Castle is the viewpoint which lends a stunning view of
the entire town of Beauraing. Here's a statue of the Virgin Mary with the
Golden Heart as well. The wind was blowing fast but Atyudarini really wanted
to eat only here! So that's where we sat and had our picnic lunch. Further
ahead from the viewpoint the path leads to a big
Statue of the Virgin Mary with Golden Heart from where 8 different
paths go into the wild vegetation, forming a star, one of which also leads to
one of the several Golden Heart routes. In the midst of the vegetation
there are also a couple of Giant Sequoias.
Where is Castel Sainte-Marie? (On Google Maps): Castle Sainte-Marie
Where is main entrance of Castle Sainte-Marie? (On Google Maps): Entrance of Castle Park
How to reach Castel Sainte-Marie? 1.2km (15 mins walk) from Beauraing railway station; 700m (10 mins walk) from Sanctuaries de Beauraing.
Golden Heart routes: various routes from 3.6km walking to 20km hiking to 80km cycling
routes via Routes du Coeur d'Or.
COMMUNAL PARK OF SAINT-PIERRE
Practically, it is one huge park along with Parc Saint-Marie. Just on papers
and ownership, these are separated. A small path from Parc de Castel
Saint-Marie leads to Communal Parc de Saint-Pierre. This is definitely the
most picturesque spot in Beauraing. This is a 27ha parc filled with many
water-bodies and hiking paths. There is also a small playground, animal park
and arboretum here.
We didn't follow a particular hiking path but went along the water-bodies
going from one mini-waterfalls to another. Atyudarini decided she wanted to
hike up an altitude(!) and went up from beside a waterfall to over it! I was a
bit scared, but she wasn't and I'm glad we did it! It has taken some
inspirations from the Japanese gardens to some extent. There is a small
barbeque area as well and Atyudarini thought it is a wooden tent! There are a
couple of wooden bridges as well. The whole place was just so picturesque and
serene! Walking about here is the perfect way to wrap up a day in
Beauraing.
Where is Parc Saint-Pierre? (on Google Maps): Communal Parc Saint-Pierre
How to reach Parc Saint-Pierre? Located next door to Castle Sainte-Marie
Parc Saint-Pierre Opening Hours: 24x7
Map of Parc Saint-Pierre: Available at Tourism Office for €0.50
CYCLING IN BELGIUM - BEAURAING TO VONÊCHE via VIADUC DE THANVILLE
There is a bus that operates between Beauraing and Vonêche but that runs just
3 times a day. So it is absolutely pointless to wait for that bus unless
you're having a relaxed weekend trip and can spend 3 hrs in Vonêche. If you're
there on a day trip, depending on this bus is not possible. The only other
option is to hire an e-bike.
There are 2 routes to reach Vonêche from Beauraing - along the highway or
through the countryside. Though I say highway, it is also very picturesque and
has relatively very less traffic. The main reason I took the highway is
because, I wanted to see the Viaduc de Thanville.
The Viaduct of Thanville was built in 1889-99 to connect Dinant and Athus and
it still stands today and carries the railway line over it, though today only
goods trains run on this! This century-old viaduct was completed in a record
time of just 10 years. In today's context, 10 years may seem a lot, but 100
years ago, this is an impressive construction to complete in just 10 years!
This is 300m long and the pillars vary from 7m to 100m tall.
Distance from Beauraing to Vonêche: 8.5km (in either of the routes)
Where is Viaduct of Thanville (On Google Maps)? Viaduc de Thanville
Bike rentals at Beauraing Tourism:
- E-bike (country/mountain/gravel) rental in Beauraing price - €35 for 2 hours
- Total number of E-bikes (country/mountain/gravel) available at Beauraing Tourism Office - 13
- E-bike (city) rental in Beauraing price - €20 for 2 hours
- Total number of E-bikes (city) available at Beauraing Tourism Office - 5
- E-bike rental in Beauraing refundable security deposit - €100
- Mountain bike rental in Beauraing price - €10 for 4 hours
- Total number of Mountain bikes available at Beauraing Tourism Office - 10
- Reservation - via OTBeauraing Website
- Location of Beauraing Tourism Office - Google maps
THINGS TO DO IN VONÊCHE, BELGIUM
VONÊCHE - BEAUTIFUL, PICTURESQUE VILLAGES OF BELGIUM
Just like
Ny near Durbuy, Vonêche is also one of the most beautiful villages of Wallonia, Belgium.
Just like Ny, Vonêche is also a tiny village with just 7 streets!
Vonêche is the birthplace of European Crystals! In fact, the
founder of the famous Val Saint-Lambert Crystals in Liege was from Voneche!
Also Read: Val Saint Lambert Crystal Discovery
HISTORY OF VONÊCHE CRYSTALS: The first-ever glass factory was set up here in Vonêche in 1778
and then the first-ever crystal factory was set up in 1802
by Aimé-Gabriel d'Artigues. The workshops were located as an annexe to
the Vonêche Castle.
By the end of 18th C, the Vonêche glassworks were making only plain glass
windows with a single decorative piece. As Napoleon Bonaparte came to power
(at this time, Vonêche was under France. Belgium hadn't born yet), he
supported them immensely in order to counter the worldwide monopoly of
glassworks by Britain and suddenly they grew exponentially! They started
making luxury glasswares & chandeliers and had royal clientele worldwide!
After the fall of Napoleon, they fell too and half of the work was moved to
Barracat Crystal Factory in France which he later sold. However soon Barracat
became more powerful and to counter it, Val Saint-Lambert was formed by the
trustees of Vonêche Crystal Factory and soon afterwards it was shut down!
THINGS TO DO IN VONÊCHE: Today
there is nothing here that reminds of the crystals except the
Vonêche castle, which is still private property and can be visited only
from outside. There is also a church and a
house of a Belgian spy during World War I. The houses are frozen in
time in 19-20th C and look so picturesque complete with old tractors &
household flour mills & more. It is so charming and lazy. A stay here
would really help to unwind from crazy city life! As we walked about the
village, a dog joined us and we had no clue where its owners were, but that's
the beauty of village life!
OTHER THINGS TO DO NEAR BEAURAING, BELGIUM
Instead of visiting Vonêche, another option would be to head to
Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne (if you're there on a weekend trip, both
could be done as well). It is located 12km away, towards
Han-sur-lesse & Rochefort which can only be reached by bike. Very close to
it is Comogne Farm (Ferme de la Comogne). I haven't been in this
direction yet!
HOW TO REACH BEAURAING
On Google Maps:
Beauraing
How to reach Beauraing from Brussels by car: 115km via Namur
on A4 & N911
How to reach Beauraing from Brussels by train: Train from Brussels to Namur or Dinant and change to another train
towards Libramont (L line) which stops at Beauraing. The total time taken
for the journey incl. transfer time is about 2 hours.
Beauraing has a railway station and is served by SNCB-NMBS trains. Here are
some ways to get cheap Belgian Train tickets.
BEAURAING ITINERARY - ONE DAY TRIP TO BEAURAING
- Morning - Quick trip to Vonêche (or) Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne
- Afternoon - Sanctuaries of Beauraing
- Evening - Walk around Parc Sainte-Marie & Parc Sainte-Pierre
BEAURAING ITINERARY - WEEKEND (TWO DAYS) TRIP TO BEAURAING
- Day 1 - Vonêche, Sanctuaries of Beauraing, Walk around Parc Sainte-Marie & Parc Sainte-Pierre
- Day 2 - Château de Lavaux-Sainte-Anne and Ferme de la Comogne (Comogne Farm)
VONÊCHE & BEAURAING HOTELS
There is the hotel l'Auberge for budget accommodation in Beauraing. The best
place to stay in Beauraing, the best hotel in Beauraing is of course the
Castle Saint-Marie. Of the very few buildings in Vonêche, there is also a
holiday home called Le Cristal! Since I visited Beauraing & Vonêche as a
day trip from Brussels, I do not have personal experience in any of these hotels.
Where is Hotel Castel Saint-Marie, Beauraing (on Google Maps):
Castel Sainte-Marie
What are the daily room rates of Hotel Castel Saint-Marie, Beauraing:
€50 for a single room & €75 for a double room plus €8.5 pp for
breakfast.
Reservation of Hotel Castel Saint-Marie, Beauraing: via the
offical website of Castel Sainte-Marie
Where is Le Cristal holiday home (gite) at Vonêche (on Google
Maps):
Le Cristal
What are the daily rates of Le Cristal holiday home (gite) of
Vonêche:
€220 onwards (entire house - can accommodate 6 -7 persons).
Reservation of Le Cristal Gite Vonêche: via the
offical website of Gite Vonêche
Although I am not religious, I really like to visit pilgrimage sites (no matter what religion) for the atmosphere. So I would definitely enjoy a visit to the Sanctuaries of Beauraing. Even if there a no must-see sightseeing spots the area seems great for aimless wanderings.
ReplyDeleteOh, I've heard of this apparition story when I was in elementary level. You are lucky to have visited the place. In my culture, we have this belief that if it is our first time to visit a holy place, we can make a wish and it will come true. I'd like to stay at the Comogne Farm. The place looks so quaint!
ReplyDeleteVisit the UNESCO Geopark of Farmenne Ardennes would be a great reason to plan a visit to Beauraing. But I can see there are also other things to see in the town. I would love to just wander as you did from one mini waterfall to the next. I can imagine how serene it would be. I love the idea of renting an eBike and doing the ride through the countryside. Linda (LD Holland)
ReplyDeleteThis is interesting. I have never heard about the APPARITIONS OF OUR LADY OF BEAURAING and would love to visit where it happened. Thank you for sharing. Will keep this in mind should we have a chance to visit Belgium again.
ReplyDeleteThanks for taking us along to Beauraing (and for teaching us how to spell it)...I hate reading a full blog saying the name wrong in my head, lol. Looks like you and your daughter had a blast!
ReplyDeleteYour blog has so much information about Belgium! I love discovering new places in this country, like the beautiful Beauraing, and the beautiful Park of Castle Sainte-Marie. Too bad you can only visit the park and not the castle as well.
ReplyDeleteWhat a beautiful place Beauraing is, no wonder it is part of the UNESCO park. There is so much to see. I love visiting religious places and also would love to walk around the place and see the spectacular buildings. I did not know Belgium had so many amazing places, I will need to visit the country again and spend time there.
ReplyDeleteIt would be a dream to rent Saint-Pierre Chapel for a night! I image the parc was part of the castle grounds long ago. I can image couples strolling past the waterfalls in their fancy clothing. What a great spot!
ReplyDelete