City tour "Limburg, Medieval City"

After the Fountain of the Virgin, the main street narrows and slopes down towards the large lime tree of the bastion of the gateway below. Picturesque buildings line the sides of this unevenly paved alleyway. The large lime tree was planted in 1713 and has witnessed many historic events. From here, you can contemplate the parkland of the Favart estate (formerly the Potter estate) and imagine the old feudal castle. Beneath this esplanade is the entrance to an old casemate. To get to this "prison", you have to descend the "white stones" very carefully, as the slope is so steep.

The feudal castle built by Waleran, Duke of Limbourg, must already have been heavily fortified, because in 1101, it put up more than a month's resistance to the army of the German Emperor Henry IV, who had come to lay siege to it. Situated at the northernmost point of the fortified town, towering more than 80 metres above the Vesdre and Dolhain valleys, Limbourg Castle dominated the surrounding area. It was the stronghold of the stronghold. Five large towers occupied the corners of the castle.In 1504, it was almost completely destroyed by fire. It was rebuilt between 1519 and 1530. The defensive system was modified thanks to advances in the art of fortification and artillery. The ruins accumulated by successive sieges increasingly reduced the importance of the castle in the defence of the stronghold.Some of the besiegers:1578: Alexander Farnese commanded the Spanish army1632: Dutch troops1635: Spanish troops again1675: Louis XIV's army. Before handing the castle back to the Spanish, Louis XIV had the old town mined and destroyed.1703: English and Dutch armies commanded by the Duke of Marlborough1715: Charles VI, Emperor of AustriaDuring this century, the castle remained in a state of ruin and was only used as a site for a few defence batteries. The stronghold was definitively decommissioned in 1781. In 1783, the land covered in ruins of the old castle was purchased by the alderman of the High Court, J. J. Ernst.In the 19th century, Julien d'Andrimont became the owner and had a small romantic castle built, which was unfortunately destroyed by the German army on 28 August 1914. Only the buildings to the left of the gate were spared. After the war, the property passed to the architect Jean Lejaer, who installed a pergola in place of the burnt castle. Guy de Potter, a solicitor, later became the owner. He had the various buildings restored and the park landscaped.

From the 15th century onwards, this entrance consisted of 2 towers linked by a wooden structure. A moat and drawbridge reinforced the defensive system. According to the plan drawn up in 1745 by the military engineer Franque, you still had to pass through 2 gates controlled by a bastion to enter the town.The magnificent model, acquired by the Syndicat d'Initiative in 1978 and on display at the Arvo, gives a precise idea of the layout of the town in 1632.Don't miss the old cemetery, created in 1784, where the town's former burgomasters and notables are buried.

At the far end of the castle outbuildings, at the corner of this large brick tower, a few steps up an old staircase lead to the ancient ramparts. In the 11th century, the walls completely surrounded the small town to protect all the inhabitants from invaders. A sentry walk 5 to 6 metres wide allowed sentries to observe the surrounding area. Mortars and howitzers set up along the ramparts easily swept the whole valley. First of all, we pass the stele of the "Human Rights Route". In 1989, the non-profit organisation "Congrès de Polleur" created this "route", made up of 17 steles, each depicting an article from the Declaration of 1789. It should be noted that the one in Limbourg is not numbered because it lies outside the boundaries of the Marquisate of Franchimont.

These 2 lime trees were planted on the western ramparts. They are known as the "Bragard trees", after the man who probably planted them and who owned the house and garden nearby. It was near this spot that the annual "pig market" was held at a place known as "l'agasse". There are 2 ways to get to Place Saint-Georges from here:From the left, take the alleyway that runs past the former "Auberge de l'étoile d'or", mentioned as early as 1639, and ends at the Arvo.From the right, following the small alleyway that narrows sharply before leading to the square. This is the Cardon lane. At the beginning of the 18th century, General Baron de Rechteren ordered the citizens to plant a large number of lime trees in the town and on the ramparts.

Huge chestnut trees line the sentry walk. At the bottom of the valley, the Vesdre winds its way through Dolhain, bypassing the old town.On the road from Eupen to Verviers, you can see the 268-metre railway viaduct, built in 1842. On the other side of the valley, you can see the bell towers of Bilstain and Andrimont. Further on, towards the horizon, the Herve plateau stretches out. You can make out the site of the road linking Liège to Aachen.► At the top of the path, turn left and walk past the casemates (former 17th-century prisons) before returning to the wonderful Place Saint-Georges, covered in Vesdre pebbles.

This entrance to the town, the only way out from the south, is known as the Porte d'Ardenne. This side of the fortress has always been vulnerable and often invaded.All that remains of the old defences are the deep cuts in which the gates were fixed.The castle that can be seen at the top of the main square is in fact a recent construction, despite its majestic facade with its countless details. Built by Jean Poswick in 1910, it is set at right angles to the square. Still a private house, it is undoubtedly one of the city's jewels.On the other side of the Porte d'Ardenne, near the ramparts, the prisons were built from 1753 onwards. In the Middle Ages, these were located in the castle. Around 1685, two unhealthy cellars were used as prisons: one under the town hall, the other at the lower gate.

At the top of the Place Saint-Georges, opposite the school, a kind of stone table still stands.In the 18th century, this table supported a high stone cross.The 26 lime trees planted in 1713 once stood in 3 rows. In 1901, they were "thrown down" by a storm.It was near this spot that the old justice tree stood, known as the "espine tree" or spruce, which has been noted since before the middle of the 16th century near the porch.

A little further down is a large quadrangular pump. Its deep well was dug around 1510 and was the most important in the fortress. The large limestone stone bears the inscription "le 20 8bre 1791", the date of the inauguration of this monument, which replaced an older one. The importance of water in the event of a siege should not be overlooked. All the inhabitants had at their disposal were wells dug into the schist. Near this pump once stood the Limbourg perron (a tall column surmounted by a lion) and the justice tree.

Building 42: this former presbytery has a pink Baelen marble base. The gable runs along the Cardon lane, which leads to the ramparts.Building 36: in the Empire style, this is one of the most remarkable buildings in the square. The entrance is in the Louis XVI style. Wrought iron railings adorn the balcony and windows. Building 26: formerly an inn, it features a small niche above the entrance. Building 22: a shield in the lintel of the entrance door indicates 1687. Some works mention the Auberge de la Croix d'Or at this location. The bibliography by J. Thisquen and A. Buchet shows how house numbers have changed over the centuries: from 22 to 31-33 and finally to 43-45.

This illustrious inn, destroyed by the terrible fire of 1834, was therefore located on the site of nos. 43 and 45. Cosme de Médicis stayed here in 1669 and Emperor Joseph II on 18 July 1781.Building 33: a beautiful listed building restored in the Empire style with an oculus in the pediment. The stone used is Limbourg marble.About the Auberge de la Croix d'Or: In his 1906 book "Histoire de la Ville de Limbourg", J. Thisquen recounts the delicious details of Joseph II's visit and the anecdote about the evening meal on 18 July 1781. He was served red cabbage, which tasted so good to him that onlookers saw him wipe his plate with a crouton of bread.

The ground floor of the former town hall at number 30 houses a model of the town of Limbourg in 1632. Various exhibitions are held upstairs during the summer season. This building was constructed between 1681 and 1687 to replace the old market hall in the middle of the square (where the fountain with the Virgin Mary stands). It was used for meetings of the "States of the Duchy" and until 1703 for the high court and the feudal chamber. The town magistrate also had a room here.The old market hall shown on the model was demolished by the French army in 1675. In its turret was the communal bell "La Ridaine", which was transferred with the old public clock to the church tower. It disappeared in 1794 during the French Revolution. An enormous armorial stone reproducing an ancient town seal bearing the inscription "Sigillum Ville Lemborgensi(s)" is set into the base wall of the façade. This stone comes from the old building. The town's coat of arms can be seen at the top of the façade. Passing under the Arvo, you can see a coat of arms representing the cross of Burgundy with the year 1681.

The old town hall once stood on this site. It was first mentioned in 1446. It was often referred to as the "Halle", but was also known as the "Scepenhuis", the aldermen's house. It was partially destroyed by fire in 1533 and then completely destroyed during the siege by the French in 1675. The stone pump, topped by the statue of the Virgin, still draws its water from the old well at the Town Hall. The current statue was sculpted by Joseph Gérard de Polleur and installed on 29 May 1960. It replaced the previous cast-iron statue by the Liège sculptor De Tombay. The latter had been placed in 1875 to mark the gratitude of the people of Limburg to the Virgin who had saved them from the serious cholera epidemic in 1866, when a large number of inhabitants of the lower town had died.

The church, which replaces a former 12th-century castral chapel, rises up from the eastern wall to form an imposing Gothic vessel. As the strategic role of the church grew, so did its size. Enlarged and altered over the centuries, it was damaged by numerous sieges and the fire of 1834.The monumental tower, built around 1301, was clad in limestone at the end of the 19th century. The Gothic portal features twin pointed-arched doors. It features a kneeling figure and Saint George slaying the dragon. A listed building, the church contains a 15th-century Gothic crypt, a monumental stone tabernacle dating from 1520, and a 16th-century baptismal font. The basement is a veritable cemetery, with more than 295 people buried here. Numerous gravestones of notables and clerics are still visible inside and outside along the south gable.

The high outer wall of the garden near the church is pierced by an old door. This is where the provost's house once stood. The arched lintel reads "DOMINUS - PROVIDEBIT", framing the coat of arms of the "Amezaga" family. Mathias, of Spanish descent, was born in Aachen in 1615 and died in 1666. He was Provost of Limburg in 1652.On the north gable of house no. 15, Place Saint-Georges, stands an ancient gravestone inscribed in Dutch. It is the tombstone of Anne de Hack, daughter of Antoine, Burgomaster of Limbourg. She married Willem van Gallen, commissioner of food and munitions for the States General. She died in Limbourg in 1635. Next door, an old fenced-in well.