{"id":3698,"date":"2019-01-19T18:33:45","date_gmt":"2019-01-19T16:33:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.charleroi-metropole.be\/?p=3698"},"modified":"2019-01-28T19:19:12","modified_gmt":"2019-01-28T17:19:12","slug":"in-the-footsteps-of-the-monks-of-the-abbaye-daulne","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/in-the-footsteps-of-the-monks-of-the-abbaye-daulne\/","title":{"rendered":"In the footsteps of the monks of the Abbaye d\u2019Aulne"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Abbaye d’Aulne, Thuin<\/h2>\n
\n

In the heart of the borough of Thuin, explore the impressive ruins of the Abbaye d’Aulne<\/a>, where the past and the wild coexist in harmony: a moment of serenity in a haven of peace.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

This place, nicknamed \u2018the valley of peace\u2019, was not chosen at random by the Cistercian monks in the twelfth century. The Sambre, the woodland and its geographic position close to Charleroi determined the site of the abbey and its outbuildings.<\/p>\n

\"ruines-pass\u00e9-abbaye-aulne\"
The ruins of the Abbaye d\u2019Aulne bear witness to a rich and important past<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Looking for a grand past<\/h2>\n

Today, the structure of most of the buildings is still visible. On the site, you can explore the church, cloisters, tower, orchard, inner courtyard or even the garage, in ruins or still standing.<\/p>\n

The irrigation techniques are impressive: \u2018You can explore more than 2.9 km of water network. \u00a0That is unique in Europe\u2019<\/em>, explains Swamini Decuir, guide at Thuin Tourist Office. \u2018The monks established an irrigation system which was very sophisticated at the time: one circuit for drinking water, another for waste water and another for rainwater. \u00a0There are 3 drains that lead to the Sambre\u2019<\/em>, she says. Water played a major role on the site. Close to the abbey, 6 ponds provided the monks with fish for their personal consumption.<\/p>\n

You can discover a water network measuring 2.9 km, unique in Europe<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

You can tour the ruins with or without a guide. A notice below each wall tells the history of the ruins.<\/p>\n

\"abbaye-aulne-nature-v\u00e9g\u00e9tation\"
The site of the Abbaye d\u2019Aulne is covered a significant amount of vegetation which gives the place its character<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Multiple excuses to explore the place<\/h2>\n

Although the ruins are impressive, they stand out primarily thanks to their timeless aspect.\u00a0\u2018I find the place inspiring\u2026 I have the impression of being somewhere else in Belgium\u2019<\/em>, says a passing visitor.<\/p>\n

The place has also inspired a producer from Antwerp, Kristoff Leue, to film an episode of the series Mister Right. Its Chinese director, Xiao Feng Yao, filmed in the entrance, cloisters and old church. The audience for this series, which is very popular in China, exceeds 380 million viewers.<\/p>\n

Thuin Tourist Office has invested in a game for exploring the abbey. It developed a fun application around the history of the place, \u2018The Mysteries of the Abbey\u2019. It also suggests activities in an ancient games module or blind tasting of the abbey\u2019s beers, amongst other things.<\/p>\n

\"abbaye-aulne-ruine-produits-terroir\"<\/p>\n

Tours of the abbey ruins generally end with tasting regional produce<\/p>\n

Perfectly located for a day with family or friends<\/h2>\n

The ruins welcome many visitors in family groups or in the context of events. \u2018In 2018, approximately 10,000 visitors visited the site, \u2154 individuals and \u2153 on an organised tour. We hope to increase this number each year\u2019<\/em>, explains Swamini Decuir. In the future, the Region of Wallonia, owner of the site, intends to invest in expanding the walking trail and moving the mill to the interpretive centre.<\/p>\n

Visitors can end their day with a pleasant timeless trip to one of the eating establishments. The brasserie\u00a0la Guinguette<\/a>, for example, opposite the lock, offers regional specialities. The restaurant, Les Caves de l’Abbaye d’Aulne<\/a>, located in the cellars of the abbey, is a wonderful extension of an exploration of the old stone buildings.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"Ruines-abbaye-Aulne-charleroi-velo-ravel\"
The ruins of the Abbaye d\u2019Aulne are easily accessible by bike.Only 12 km from Charleroi via the RAVeL<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

A number of city residents visit the abbey by bike from Charleroi. \u00a0The trail, from the city centre to the abbey, follows the Ravel along the Sambre and is no more than 12 km. \u2018We hired electric bikes at Charleroi railway station, it\u2019s convenient\u2019<\/em>, explains Pauline, at a team building event at the Abbaye d\u2019Aulne. \u2018We allowed 30 minutes to get here, it\u2019s ideal\u2019<\/em>.<\/p>\n

The ruins are also accessible by train or car.<\/p>\n

In the coming years, various projects, such as the installation of a spa, should be developed close to the abbey.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Contact\u00a0:<\/strong>
\nAbbaye d’Aulne
\nRue \u00c9mile Vandervelde 277
\n6534 Thuin
\n+32 (0)71 55 49 28
\nwwww.abbayedaulne.be<\/a><\/p>\n

\u00a9Video\/Reed & J\u00e9r\u00f4me Gobin<\/small><\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

The Brillo cooperative at Charleroi railway station. Everything for cyclists.<\/h2>\n

Created in 2004, the\u00a0coop\u00e9rative Brillo<\/a> offers various services for cyclists. It rents out both electric and traditional bikes, and repairs and sells recycled bikes. \u2018We have recently launched a campaign \u2018a \u00a0bike for life\u2019. \u00a0As a parent, you buy your child their first bike for 65 euros. When the bike is too small for them, we exchange it for free. \u00a0The contract ends when your child gets their first adult-sized bike\u2019,<\/em> explains Malcom, employee at Brillo. The idea is to increase sales of recycled bikes. \u00a0Two people work in the cooperative.<\/p>\n

***<\/p>\n

Mania T-shirt, 100% Charleroi design<\/h2>\n

Nicolas Gea created the brand\u00a0Tshirt Mania<\/a>\u00a0in 2011. He sells customised clothing, mainly to do with the Charleroi culture. \u00a0He sells his products in an online shop and at various creative events and markets. \u00a0After making himself known thanks to various points of sale, at l\u2019Eden for example, he established his shop on rue de Dampremy. \u00a0It is the first shop to sell official souvenirs of the city of Charleroi. \u00a0Three people work in the start-up.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The Abbaye d’Aulne, Thuin In the heart of the borough of Thuin, explore the impressive ruins of the Abbaye d’Aulne, where the past and the wild coexist in harmony: a moment of serenity in a haven of peace. This place, nicknamed \u2018the valley of peace\u2019, was not chosen at random by the Cistercian monks in […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1641,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[168],"tags":[283,380,331,292,338,293,34,156,112,155,123,43,115,44,31,116],"class_list":["post-3698","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture-and-heritage","tag-autres-en-16","tag-autres-en-46","tag-autres-en-28","tag-autres-en-19","tag-autres-en-31","tag-autres-en-20","tag-bar","tag-bike","tag-children","tag-event","tag-history","tag-nature","tag-region","tag-religion","tag-restaurant","tag-tour"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3698"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3698"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3698\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4204,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/3698\/revisions\/4204"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1641"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3698"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=3698"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cm-site.fidelodev.be\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3698"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}