Top 6 Natural Monuments around Gussignies

like a little trip to the moon...

The Bois d'Angre, located in Honnelles, is a forest renowned for the Caillou-qui-Bique, a 370 million year old pudding rock. This forest is home to rich biodiversity with oaks, ash trees and various rare species. A place of legends and hikes, the Angre woods is a precious natural site in Wallonia, managed by Natagora and other organizations to preserve its unique fauna and flora.

This rock formation is very special in the forest!

Puits N° 1 de la SA du Charbonnage de la Grande Machine à Feu de Dour In 1891 an explosion took place here in the underground. 21 miners lost their lives. Around that time, coke ovens were also built near the mine. The shafts had a depth of 970 meters. In 1913, the company had 1067 employees divided between the N°1 and the mine "Frédéric" (N°2). During that year, 148070 tons of coal was extracted. Frédéric closed on January 6, 1932. The N°1 closed on November 30, 1954. A company is located on the mine site. A few small buildings survived. The slag heap is still partly (flattened) present. In May 2021, it was decided to demarcate three zones. A first (terril) will become a nature reserve, a second zone will become an athletics track with grandstands (Dour Sports) and a third zone will be filled with solar panels, as is the case in neighboring Vedette. https://www.belgischesteenkoolmijnen.be/borinage/grande-machine-%C3%A0-feu/

Behind the wall, the old pit of the Great Fire Engine.

Behind the wall, the old pit of the Great Fire Engine

A legend has been perpetuated for generations on this 25 meter high stone planted on a ridge (in patois we say that it rocks). A little step back in time... Saint-Ghislain completes the construction of its abbey. The devil decides that he will take advantage of the inauguration day to destroy the abbey and its occupants, by throwing an enormous stone found in the Pyrenees at the community. An angel warns Saint-Ghislain of the imminent danger weighing on the abbey. He gathers as many pairs of worn shoes as possible, which he slips into a huge bag and takes to the road to meet the evil one. Coming across a poor fellow in rags with holes in his shoes at this place, the devil, quite exhausted by the heavy load, questions him: “Is the abbey of Saint-Ghislain still far away? ". - “I’m coming from there, if it’s far!” » replies the old man while emptying his bag, filled with threadbare shoes, in front of the devil. Discouraged and disappointed, Satan preferred to give up, dropping his heavy stone on the ground and walking away blaspheming, fooled by the subterfuge. An hour and a half. N.B.: some historians say that this is the legend of Saint Remacle, during the construction of Stavelot Abbey. You are therefore free to substitute Remacle for Saint-Ghislain since this substitution does not modify the spirit of the story. In both cases, the devil is defeated. Cfr de informatiesteen ter hoogte van Le Chalet de Garde.

The Bois d'Angre or Bois du Caillou-qui-bique is a Belgian forest located in Angre in the commune of Honnelles in the Walloon region, on a private plot. It is particularly known for its "poudingue" (hard rock sediment), 370 million years old, 25 meters high, whose shape is reminiscent of a human face. He is also said to have inspired the poet Émile Verhaeren. https://fr.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bois_d%27Angre