Wallonie

The Vierschaar

Wallonie

The Vierschaar

Highlight • Historical Site

The Vierschaar

Hiking

4.9

(42)

Cycling

5.0

(2)

Running

5.0

(1)

Mountain biking

5.0

(1)

Road cycling

5.0

(1)

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Location: Mont-De-L'Enclus, Tournai, Hainaut, Wallonie, Wallonia, Belgium

Tips

July 13, 2025

Hiking

Originally, court proceedings were held outdoors, traditionally under a linden tree (where the goddess Freya was believed to reside and offer protection to the community). Four benches were arranged in a square near this tree, on which a traditionally fixed number (7, 9, 12) of jurors (aldermen, well-born men) sat. The accused would stand in the center between four stretched ropes. Opinions differ on whether the name "vierschaar" (court of justice) derives from the square formed by the ropes or refers to the four benches where justice was administered.

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Dominiek Van Dooren

May 29, 2026

Cycling

Justice was administered here during the time of Charlemagne. A Vierschaar was a place, enclosed by four benches (scharen), where court sessions were held. In front of the Vierschaar stood four beech trees (originally lime trees) that indicated the direction of Berchem, Amougies, Orroir, and Kwaremont. Due to lightning, disease, and war, they disappeared one by one. Now the Vierschaar is a resting place in the forest, right on the language border.
(Agentschap Natuur & Bos)

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🇧🇪 Herwig Aertbeliën

August 25, 2026

Hiking

What was the Vierschaar?
The Vierschaar is an important historical legal site dating back to the Carolingian era (the 8th to 9th centuries). During that period, this was the location …

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