베르빅-수드 최고의 워킹 & 하이킹 경로

Forest in France when you cross the lock bridge

The crossing to a forest where you can still walk.

Memorial originally erected for the Wervik military and civilian victims of the First World War. The memorial, designed by Jules Bernaerts, was initially erected on the corner of the church square at the Sint-Medardus Church, at the intersection of Koestraat and Magdalenastraat. The memorial was unveiled on May 13, 1923, during a "Great Military and Patriotic Celebration." After the Second World War, the names of the 12 soldiers from Wervik who fell in 1940 were inscribed on a plaque. The names of six resistance fighters who lost their lives during that war were also inscribed on the plaque. In 1965, the memorial was moved and adapted (the background wall was demolished, the French text was removed, etc.) and a second time in January 1970, to its current location. The statue is two meters high and exceptionally detailed. It depicts a Belgian soldier from the war year of 1918. He is wearing the "cap coat" of the "khaki uniform," the uniform introduced in the Belgian army from 1915 onwards. He is not wearing a headdress, but his head is bandaged. The Belgian "Adrian" helmet hangs on his left hip: the front with the lion's head facing upward. The helmet is deeply scratched at the left front by a bullet. In his left hand, he carries laurel branches as a symbol of honor and victory. The statue shows that this was a hard-fought victory. In his right hand, he holds a rifle. Source: Inventory of Immovable Heritage

In 1920, a new branch of the Leie was excavated in Menen and fitted with locks. In 1990, engineers diverted the course of the Leie again, creating a small island between the old and new riverbeds. It lies on French territory and is now a pleasant park. You can reach it via the bridge over the locks. (See the highlight "Old Leie Branch") The locks' age is evident in their construction materials: not concrete, but individual stones. The 1920 work was intended to make the Leie navigable for boats up to 300 tons – by comparison, the river is now suitable for vessels up to 1,350 tons. The complex has been a protected monument since 2005. Source: toerisme-leiestreek.be

The Lys River forms the natural border between Belgium and France for a considerable length: from Waasten-Warneton (Belgium) / Deûlemon (France) to here in Menen (Belgium) / Halluin (France). Here, the Lys River crosses France for the last few hundred meters, and the border lies slightly further north than the current Lys River. Here, the Old Lys River is the border. Between the Lys River and this Old Lys River arm lies a small but valuable green area, characterized by both the reed beds on the banks and the relatively dense woods (with occasional clearings). You can navigate this area, with more hiking trails than are visible on the Komoot map.

Besides connecting two banks and two countries, the bridge also appears to form a dividing line between two worlds: on the western side, the industrial character of the 180-meter-long quay of the container terminal and the recycling company Galloo France; on the eastern side, primarily green and residential areas.

Beautifully constructed combination of a bridge over the Leie and the Oude Leie on the one hand and a meeting place on the other.

The trees on the other side are on French soil. Here this piece of the Old Leie is really the border