The best MTB trails around Rouvroy

A place of remembrance for the barbarity of war

My heart's Gaume. All my youth in Gaume.

The Virton Tourist Information Office welcomes you to the heart of the Gaume region and invites you to discover this charming town in the province of Luxembourg. You can find them at the following address: Rue des Grasses Oies, 2b, Virton. Please note: closed on Sundays and Mondays. Open other days from 10:00 AM to 12:30 PM and from 1:30 PM to 5:30 PM.

Under the NATO agreements, the air forces across the Atlantic established strategic bases in Europe, including Marville, in the Meuse department (France). In 1955, Virton, like Florenville and Longuyon in France, welcomed hundreds of Canadian military pilots from the 1st Wing seeking refuge for themselves and their families. The Canadian period was deeply affecting the lives of the residents of Virton, and such strong bonds of friendship were forged that a celebration was organized for their departure on March 11, 1967. The totem from Canada that they presented to Virton and Longuyon in France was a special sign of recognition and gratitude for the excellent way in which the residents had welcomed the Canadians. This gesture has special significance, as totems held a deeper meaning among Native Americans. In 1992, the original totem, which had been severely damaged, was recreated identically by Claude Goffinet and inaugurated on October 30th. (Visit Wallonia)

I preferred the old version of the totem but hey it was falling apart :D

The Ton is a river, running for 31.7 km, in southern Belgium and northeastern France, a right-bank tributary of the Chiers, part of the Meuse watershed. It rises in Châtillon, crosses Gaume (Virton region), in the south of the province of Luxembourg, and flows into the Chiers shortly after Écouviez on the Franco-Belgian border.

At this site, fed by two tributary streams of the Ton, ironworks are believed to have been carried out as early as the 15th century. Column furnaces (internationally renowned and still highly sought after today), chimney backs, and pumps were manufactured here. On some roads in the region and in the surrounding villages, you can still see sewer inspection chamber signs bearing the inscription "Ateliers et fonderie Dominicy Châtillon" (Dominicy Châtillon Workshops and Foundry). These establishments later specialized in the manufacture of agricultural machinery. The factory enjoyed great prosperity during the interwar period. But in 1966, it was forced to close its doors permanently.

It is between Etalle and Virton, very precisely in Croix-Rouge, that you will find the place called "Trou des Fées". Well known to the inhabitants of the region, this unique site is at the center of many legends relating to the history of D’jean dMady but also and especially to that of the fairies of Gaume.