Top 17 Natural Monuments around Jurbise

Michel Raulier: The Nail Tree of Stambruges Tree worship in our region is very ancient. Proof of this is the discovery in Blicquy, in the place called "Ville d'Anderlecht," of a set of 120 posts up to 90 cm in diameter. These may have served as supports for offerings, as evidenced by the numerous iron pins found in the filling holes. This could correspond to an artificial sacred grove housing deities, similar to Lucan's description of petrified forests in Pharsalia. In the past, trees, with their longevity and majestic shape, aroused a sense of sacredness in the minds of our ancestors. They were also believed to be capable of helping people solve their problems, particularly health problems. Many customs exist: walking around the tree, driving nails to fix the ailment, and tying cloths or fabrics to bind it. These trees were often Christianized by the installation of religious images or a chapel nearby. One example among others is that of Notre Dame de Foy. In Foy, near Dinant, a woodcutter discovered a 15th-century statuette in the heart of a very ancient oak tree in 1609. Long forgotten, the figurine bearing the image of the Virgin had been placed in a niche carved into the trunk. Over time, the wood completely covered it and erased its memory. In Stambruges, there is one of these remarkable trees, and beside it is a chapel, called "the chapel of Erconpuch" or, by another name, "the chapel of Arc-au-Puche," dedicated to the Virgin Our Lady of Arc-au-Puits, formerly called the Virgin of the Woods.

The Mer de Sable nature reserve is a 22-hectare protected area, renowned for its peat moors and young birch forests. Formerly a pond that dried up in the 19th century, the site is home to exceptional flora, including heather and carnivorous plants such as the sundew. The reserve, classified as a major heritage site in Wallonia, offers marked trails for hiking and observing local biodiversity.

Special, that sandy area and a nice place to eat (there is also a restaurant)

It is at the confluence of the Trouille and the Nouvelles river that this waterfall bridge was born. Originally there was a mill, which was turned into a tannery after the First World War. Today it is a bucolic place surrounded by nature.

This is a summit climb. Especially on the adventurous side. There are ropes there to hoist you up. The other side is a nice wide walking path. In my opinion, the most beautiful slag heap on the GR 412.

The Crachet slag heap is a Site of Great Biological Interest (SGIB). It is also part of the Natura 2000 network to protect its exceptional fauna and flora. Located a stone's throw from the SPARKOH science museum! (former PASS), the slag heap is a fabulous educational tool which regularly welcomes school visits but also families looking for calm and nature. Thanks to its marked and well-equipped paths with stairs, small bridges, duckboards and ropes, its ascent is easy despite a difference in altitude of around 70 m. Relatively wooded, the Crachet sometimes gives way to magnificent grassy wastelands and a few ponds which encourage the development of great biodiversity. Its summit, located at an altitude of 140 m, offers a beautiful panoramic view of the Borinage slag heap range as well as the SPARKOH! site, built by the architect Jean Nouvel. In this place, the ground is adorned with red and black. Smoke can even be observed in certain places because the heap is still burning more than 60 years after the closure of the site. coal mining. https://www.destinationterrils.eu/nl/terril-du-crachet

The bridge/waterfall was built at the confluence of the Trouille and the Rivière de Nouvelles. In the early, late 12th century, there was an old domanial mill on the site, the Moulin-au-Bois. Imagine that there was a dike on the site of the current street, a large fish pond on the site of the pasture, and that there were three mill wheels instead of one. This is what the site used to look like. In 1823 the mill was sold by the city of Bergen and after the First World War it was converted into a tannery. The only remnant of the mill that is still visible today is part of the wall along the street, just before the bridge. Still, the waterfall remains one of Hyon's most symbolic places.

In the forest of Stambruges is 'la Fontaine bouillante', the bubbling spring where, according to legend, a mistress of the Prince De Ligne drowned with her coach and the crew of the coach tries to surface. In reality, it is spring water bubbling up through a crack in the earth. https://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bos_van_Stambruges