third region is the so-called and very small Brussels Capital Region, which is officially bilingual but where French predominates. Finally, there are German-speaking communities in the part of Wallonia known as the Cantons de l’Est – an area ceded to Belgium from Germany by the Treaty of Versailles after World War I, including the towns of Malmedy, Sankt Vith and Eupen. Outside the main cities it is uncommon to find much English spoken, although larger hotels are an exception.
Geology
Stunning stalactite, Grotte de Lorette at Rochefort (Walk 27)
Many areas of the Ardennes consist of karst, porous limestone, often tunnelled by streams and dissolved by rain and any acidic components it may contain. This has created large cavern systems that often contain lakes, underground streams and extraordinary formations of stalagmites and stalactites – which have become major tourist attractions throughout the area. Perhaps the most famous is the one at Han-sur-Lesse which, together with its close neighbour the Grotte de Lorette at Rochefort, attracts vast numbers of visitors, particularly at peak holiday times (see Walk 27).
The Hautes Fagnes is an elevated marsh and bog-covered area in the northeast of Belgium. It’s beyond the scope of this book to discuss at length the origins of this incredible ecosystem and its almost lunar appearance when seen from the air, but its many circular depressions known as lithalsas, originally thought to be the result of human activity over 2000 years ago, are now accepted as a natural phenomenon caused by a geological process about 12,000 years ago at the end of the last glaciation. They are very unusual in Belgium – or anywhere else at this latitude – and are best seen on Malchamps Fagne, south of Spa (see Walk 14).
World War II and the Ardennes
A Sherman tank outside the military museum in Diekirch (Sentier du Nord, Stage 6)
All was peaceful; farmers in the fields along the road were ploughing for the winter fallow, and some were taking in the winter harvest, cattle were grazing lazily…
So wrote Robert E Merriam in December 1944, just before the Battle of the Bulge (in The Battle of the Ardennes, Souvenir Press, 1958). No account of the Ardennes would be complete without some discussion of the events of December 1944 and January 1945.
German forces attacked through the Ardennes in World War I and again during the 1940 invasion of France. But the wholesale destruction of villages and towns in parts of the Ardennes belonged almost exclusively to the time of the German offensive of December 1944, and the operation named Unternehmen Wacht am Rhein (Operation Guard on the Rhine, suggesting a defensive posture and used to mislead Allied intelligence) – a name that was changed just before the start date of 16 December to Unternehmen Herbstnebel (Operation Autumn Mist). To most British and US readers it is known as the Battle of the Bulge.
At that point of the war the Ardennes was considered a backwater by Allied commanders at all levels; a place to rest exhausted US combat units and to provide untried US recruits with a relatively gentle introduction to the Western Front. After all, Germany was on its last legs, with apparently insufficient troops for further offensive operations; Allied air support was overwhelming and the thickly forested and hilly Ardennes was considered an outrageously unlikely place for an attack. Historically this was poor thinking: in 1914, and again in 1940, the German army had attacked through the ‘impenetrable’ Ardennes.
The aim of the German counteroffensive was to drive a wedge between the largely British forces to the north and US forces to the south, cross the river Meuse at Huy and Andenne and ultimately capture the pivotal port of Antwerp. This might also have had the effect of encircling and capturing large numbers of Allied troops. However, besides delaying the inevitable and regaining the initiative for a while, it was totally implausible to expect that the operation would radically change the outcome of the war. In the event, even with temporary local manpower and tank superiority – as well as complete surprise – the attack never achieved its objectives. Partly this was due, in some places, to truly heroic resistance by elements of the US forces, on whom the might of the attack fell, but it was also down to significant resupply problems (notably of fuel for the armour), the Allied air superiority that came with improving weather and the awful condition of the snow-covered tracks and roads for non-tracked vehicles.
RAF war grave and remains of a Lockheed Hudson near Maulusmühle (Sentier du Nord, Stage 2)
By mid-January the German forces were retiring in disarray, almost back to their start points. The Ardennes had been fought over twice in about four weeks and the devastation, as well as loss of life both civilian and military, was considerable. So in most cases the villages and towns you see today are post-war in origin, although in many cases restored in an attractive and faithful manner.
Many places – notably La Roche-en-Ardenne, Bastogne and Diekirch (in Luxembourg) – have well-developed and informative military museums dedicated to the events of the winter campaign of 1944–45, and all over the region there are tanks, smaller museums and other memorabilia to supplement the all-too inevitable and poignant war memorials. La Gleize is a good example with a museum that is very focussed on the events leading up to the pitched battle in and around the village – the furthest penetration of the Kampfgruppe commanded by Lt Col Joachim Peiper, part of the 1st SS Panzer Division.
Plants and wildlife
Purple marshlocks (Comarum palustre) with a small pearl-bordered fritillary
The Ardennes is rightly famous for its forests. The majority are deciduous, primarily of beech and oak with a sprinkling of birch. Inevitably there are spruce plantations too, although the largest concentration of these is in the Hautes Fagnes area where there are also oak, alder, hazel and large numbers of birch. Those of a botanical persuasion will find the Hautes Fagnes area particularly rewarding with its specialised marsh and bog plants. Plants to look out for are bog asphodel (Narthecium ossifragum), moss orchid (Dactylorhiza maculata), bogbean (Menyanthes trifoliata) and, in particular, round-leaved sundew (Drosera rotundiflora) – the tiny carnivorous plant that enhances its diet with captured insects.
Although there are wild boar, red deer, fallow deer and pine marten in the forests of the region they are rarely seen by tourists. Occasional reports of wild lynx have not been substantiated, although it is possible that escapees and released animals exist. Roe deer are more common and red squirrels ubiquitous.
Birdlife is splendid. In spring the beech and oak woods are full of birdsong – mostly the same species as seen in the UK, although it is a delight to hear wood warblers singing every 50m. However, there are some ‘specials’ including grey-headed, black and middle-spotted woodpeckers; Tengmalm’s owl and, up on the Hautes Fagnes, giant eagle owl, a few black grouse and nutcrackers.
Food and drink
Orval Abbey Trappist beer sign with the abbey emblem (Walk 7)
Belgium is generally famous for its food. Unfortunately, technical details of waffles and chocolate and recommendations of eating establishments are beyond the scope of this guide. However, given that Walk 7 includes a visit to a monastery where beer is brewed, a specific note on Trappist beers is warranted.
The Trappist order originated from the Cistercian monastery of La Trappe in Normandy. Although the brewing of beer in monasteries has existed in Europe over many centuries, there are strict criteria governing the use of the label ‘Trappist beer’. Indeed it is confined to just eight monasteries in Europe, six of which are in Belgium, two of these (Rochefort and Orval) being in the Ardennes. The two most important criteria for qualification are that the brewing must be undertaken within the walls of the monastery,