The picturesque village of Grune
The village of Grune lies on a hilltop overlooking the Wamme and Wassoie River valleys. A boundary stone from 1759, south of the village, close to the highest point of the village, at 563meters, known as the Fontaine au Stock indicates the border of the forests of Nassogne, Freyr, Grune, Bande and Sainte-Gertrude (which explains the five capital letters engraved in the stone).
On your left, is a wide view of the Valley of the Wassoie. With the Saint-Hubert forest as a backdrop, the village of Grune overlooks the valleys of the Wamme and the Hédrée.
Many of the older buildings, mostly from the 19th or early 20th century, are built either with sandstone that was extracted from a quarry in the Bois de Grune (the Grune wood), half-timber work and cob, or in some cases, with the bricks that were baked in the old Harsin brick factory. Paradoxically, brick was at the time considered as a 'noble' material (some of the façades are made out of brick, while the back of the houses and the gables are in Belgian bluestone...).
The history of the village is intimately linked to the history of its castle, the castle of Grune which used to be the seat of a high seigneury that was under the jurisdiction of the feudal court of the La Roche County. Henri de Wellin, Lord of Grune, Crupet and Masbourg, is the first Lord ever mentioned in a 1290 document.
At the end of the 16th century, a fire broke out in the castle, very nearly burning the whole building down. The castle also suffered during the First World War when it was bombed by the Americans and was almost entirely burnt down. The restoration works started in 1946.
Nearby the castle there is a beautiful lane of linden trees (private property). This remarkable, listed lane is a little over 0.6 miles long and has 318 linden trees that were planted circa 1900.
Top tips :
- The Ry d'Oeure nature reserve.
With a picnic area with 2 picnic tables, a barbecue and seating for 16. There used to be a public wash-house alongside the Ry d'Oeure, where the rest area is now. The vast stone basins have been moved to the place known as 'la Pépinette' in Nassogne.
- The panorama called 'Point de Vue des Goffes'.
From this viewpoint, you look out over : the Godefroid villa, in the north, the Chefneufays castle, in the north-east, the village of Bande and the Roy church tower in the east.
- The Grune mill, dating from1786 (in the Rue du Moustier and oppiste the Godefroid villa)
