La roue à aubes

This water wheel is a stylised reminder of the many mills that could previously be found in the town but which have today disappeared. It was designed by two members of the Verviers town council, chief engineer Michel Derchain and urban architect Jean-Pierre Dewaide. The principle is simple: a pump sends the water through a pipe which then drops down onto the buckets on the water wheel. The wheel starts to turn, like the water wheel of a mill. In the past, water wheels were used to power the movement of the textile machines.