アルデンヌ周辺のおすすめシティハイキング＆ウォーキング

It's a shame to leave this beautiful building abandoned, the city of Sedan is really not proud of its heritage ☹️

The city of Sedan at a glance

Near the moat of the Château de Sedan is the Dauphine Fountain. The current fountain, dating from 1787, replaces a first, the original, built in honor of the Grand Dauphin, son of Louis XIV. Water from the fountain comes out through the mouth of a male face. It is made of stone and is topped with a rather neutral pediment. According to the anecdote, on the day of the inauguration, wine was served to the people there instead of water. Source: https://www.monnuage.fr/point-d-interet/fontaine-du-dauphin-a123651

On this bridge the Meuse flows under your feet. Explanation of the course of the river: The Meuse is a river that rises in France on the Plateau of Langres near Pouilly-en-Bassigny, and flows through Belgium and the Netherlands. The river is 950 kilometers long. On the French part of the Meuse, it is canalized, and is called the Canal de la Meuse (Canal de la Meuse, and before 2003 it was called Canal de l'est branche Nord.) It mainly runs as a lateral canal along the Meuse. From Sedan the Meuse itself is navigable. At Givet and Heer Agimont the Meuse enters Belgium. The Meuse in Belgium is canalized with 13 locks and weirs. The Meuse flows over 126.6 kilometers over Belgian territory. South of Maastricht, at Eijsden the Meuse enters the Netherlands. In the Netherlands there are another 7 weirs and 6 locks. The Maas is navigable from the Sluis van Klein Ternaaien to the Borgharen weir. After the weir, the Maas forms the Grensmaas. The Grensmaas is not navigable until Maaseik. After that, the rest of the Maas can be navigated. After 's Hertogenbosch, the Maas changes into the Bergse Maas. A dug canal to disconnect the Maas from the Waal. Source: https://binnenvaartinbeeld.com/nl/maas/maas

Saint Martin has remarkable architecture, the light is particularly well highlighted thanks to the magnificent stained glass windows. The building is particularly large and is located on the edge of a small square which is very pleasant in summer. You can discover magnificent statues there. The entrance is particularly remarkable with its forecourt.

The original stained glass windows disappeared during bombings in 1815, 1870 and 1918. Today the basilica has an exceptional collection of contemporary stained glass windows, created between 1954 and 1979 by René Dürrbach, a friend of Picasso. Over 25 years, this artist has created a colossal set of 68 stained glass windows, unique in Europe, which honor the former 'Black Virgin' and the 'Virgin of Light' by referring to the universal symbols of colors, shapes and numbers, inspired through his collaboration with Henri Giriat. Since 2018, the former sacristy of the church has housed the Trésor d'art sacré des Ardennes, which contains around fifty masterpieces (ancient statues, precious relics, etc.) that were previously inaccessible to the public.

This artwork is a result of a number of organisations working together, and was revealed in October 2011. Michel Goulet, the sculptor from Québec, made these eighteen 'chair-poems' in stainless steel as a link between the Musée Arthur Rimbaud and the Maison d'Ailleurs. Here, there are eighteen extracts from Rimbaud's works, each one followed by an unpublished poem by a contemproary Francophone writer. Vandaag staan deze stoelen er niet meer.

The construction of the Basilica of Notre-Dame-d'Espérance took more than a century between 1499 and 1615. The work was interrupted several times, for example during the siege of Mézières in 1521. The building is listed as a monument and is a masterpiece of the flamboyant gothic. However, the main portal and the tower break with the Gothic style and are built in Renaissance style, recognizable by the round arch and the coffers in the vault. The bell tower was built in the 19th century. The south portal is particularly opulent. King Charles IX and Elisabeth of Austria, grandniece of Charles V, entered through this door in 1570 for their wedding ceremony, even though the construction of the church had not yet been completed. The choice of Méeières had a strong symbolic value: reconciliation could be achieved through this strategic alliance.