The "villas mosanes"

Another chapter in the Wépion history was to unfold itself along the left bank of the Meuse, a place wherepeople lived, passed through and which attracted tourists, with the arrival of the famous “villas mosanes” (Meuse villas). From 1880 onwards, bankers, engineers and chief magistrates from Brussels or Charleroi discovered the charms of the banks of the Meuse and built superb houses in which to spend their holidays. These proud residences, set in fine gardens, share characteristic features: the variety of materials employed, monumental entrances, large windows and outdoor galleries opening on to the countryside, complicated roofing with, especially, the presence of a lofty tower (round or square), the symbol of wealth and power.