The best family-friendly hikes and walks in Bois De L'Abime

pretty chapel (open) on the roadside

Nature is wonderful,” the songs of the birds, the cries of the amphibians ° all accompany us the vegetation is luxuriant. Grab your boots and this site is waiting for you. Good hike Colette

Erected in memory of the villagers deported in the First World War (8 names), fallen soldiers (2x16 names) and civilians (4 names). At the foot is an A4-sized sign, with short statements, questions or reflections that children from the local free school wrote.

The castle, built on top of a hill, was originally dependent on the Abbey of Stavelot. In 1817, the castle was rebuilt by Dupont de Wéve, mayor of Leignon. Through marriage it came into the possession of Count Adolphe de Gourcy Serainchamps. In 1890 it was purchased as a country residence for the Ghent notary Isidore Eggermont. He had the castle renovated in an exuberant neo-Gothic style according to the plans of the Belgian architect Auguste Van Assche. Brabant neo-Gothic style dominates the facade. Inside the building there are rooms in Napoleon III style, others in neo-Gothic style, some other rooms in art nouveau / art deco. The castle is also known as "le Château des milles fenêtres". During the Second World War the castle was in the hands of the Germans. After the death of Mrs. Eggermont in 1953, the NMBS bought part of the domain and made the castle and outbuildings available to its pensioners. In 1989, the castle came into the hands of a Belgian of Syrian descent, businessman Albert Karaziwan. Recently, the castle of Leignon was bought by an Armenian industrialist. Youth camps are organized in the outbuildings. The part located on Rue du Sacré-Coeur includes a restaurant, a shop and a brewery. A little further on, from the cemetery (next to and behind the church) you also get a (limited) view of the actual castle. Sources: Wikipedia & www.leignon.com

It is said that during the First World War, the innkeeper, Mrs. Eggermont, paid the Germans to prevent them from setting fire to the village. In memory of this event, the Sacred Heart was installed. The plinth reads "Reconnaissance - 1914-1918." The plinth also houses a statue that was once removed during processions. Source: brochure "Le Petit Patrimoine Populaire de Ciney"

The chapel is dedicated to Our Lady of Fatima, a place of pilgrimage in Portugal, where the Blessed Virgin is said to have appeared six times to three shepherd children between May and October 1917.

Special chapel: it is completely surrounded by a hedge, which conceals the building. The chapel was erected in memory of Marie-Renard, a girl from Leignon who was strangled in this forest in 1851, defending herself against rape, which is how we seem to understand the text carved into the pedestal: "A la mémoire de Marie Renard, congréganiste de Leignon, étranglée dans le 15 juin 1851 à l'age de 19 ans. Elle aim mieux mourir que de perdre sa steté. RIP" Source: brochure "Le Petit Patrimoine Popculaire de Ciney"

Small brick chapel dedicated to the Sacred Heart, against the wall of a square farmhouse. The interior shows serious signs of disrepair.