Pont du Centenaire

And before that it was an old Gallic path during Roman times.

The special character of this wild environment was actually discovered for tourism around 1800. In 1849 Eugène Gens wrote “I don’t think there is a more primitive scenery in Belgium, so rough and sharp, so pure, wild and a mountainous landscape approaching”.

Writers in the 19th century were not afraid to make the most grotesque comparisons when it came to the stream la Hoëgne. Exploring the Hoëgne valley has been compared to Livingstone’s discovery of the Victoria Falls.
The fact is, those insanely exaggerated comparison worked, because in the first half of the twentieth century there are a dozen hotels built in the vicinity of the train stations. They all have attracted tourists with the Hoëgne hike as main attraction.

Initially, the valley was difficult to access, a tourist path and bridges were built in the second half of the 19th century. This was mainly the initiative of a Sart-Lez-Spa resident, Léonard Legras.

The water of the stream la Hoëgne is too acidic for fish, even flowers and plants find it difficult to find a home it is mainly mosses that dominate.