Belvedere chemin de biarre

CUSTINES, formerly called Condé, from the Latin Condate (confluence), has 2 confluences, the most famous being that of the Meurthe and Moselle rivers, which gives its name to the department, and a more discreet one, the Mauchère, which joins the Moselle at the "new" bridge.

LA GUEULE D'ENFER
La Gueule d'Enfer is the name given to the confluence of the Meurthe and Moselle rivers. Its name comes from a legend: a cruel lord of the Château de Frouard was about to have a young maiden hanged in the village square after she refused his advances. Suddenly, he was struck dead by the gaze of a stone Christ erected in the square. His body was dumped at the confluence of the two rivers, henceforth known as Bouche d'enfer or Gueule d'enfer, after the nickname of this sad sire, whose full red beard reminded us of the entrance to hell when he opened his mouth.

THE MAUCHERE VALLEY
Rising from the heights of Montenoy, the Mauchère, a small stream some 10 km long, tranquil in summer, sometimes violent in winter, follows the course of the valley, watering Montenoy, Faulx, Malleloy and Custines, where it flows into the Moselle.
This stream was once very dear to the people of the Val des Faulx, as several mills were built along its course, notably at Faulx and in the commune of Custines, near the Collège Louis Marin. This valley, which was already active in the Stone Age, was rich in wood, particularly long, wiry beech.

The soil in this valley is ferruginous, and there are several veins of minette (iron ore): two mines were in operation until the Second World War.
The Pompey-Nomeny railroad, built around 1880, crossed the Moselle on a combined road-rail bridge that was located slightly upstream of today's road bridge. This bridge has now disappeared, as has the Custines railway station that followed it.

The line was used until the early 1980s.
This former railroad line has now been transformed into a pedestrian zone. This path offers walkers a stroll through the countryside and a chance to discover the villages it passes through.

THE A31 FREEWAY
Despite the town council's disapproval in July 1960, the route was confirmed at the expense of the Clévant housing estates, which would be partly destroyed. The Frouard-Custines-Belleville section was inaugurated in 1969.