The Napoleon Route in Wallonia

You are in the French village of Hestrud. Here lies a stele that commemorates the emperor’s passage through the village. It lies at the end of a path, on the banks of the river and states that Napoleon was letting his horse drink at that very spot where he met a young boy. The mentioning of this, seemingly insignificant anecdote on a commemorative plaque placed there in 1993 reveals the strength of Napoleon’s legend. True or not, this insignificant detail of history is bursting with a certain aura, as all along this Napoleon Trail history and myth intertwine and feed each other’s notoriety. Anything that touches on the famous “Hundred (final) Days” of Napoleon’s reign is scrutinised, commented and sometimes fantasised about.

Beaumont lies on a beautiful stone escarpment that overlooks the Hante valley. The area has been inhabited since the Roman era. The strategic placement and position of Beaumont on the border of the old county of Hainaut justified the construction of a fortified compound in the 12th century by Count Baldwin IV. The Tour Salamandre, which stands out in the foreground of the landscape that you will discover, is one of the relics of this ancient compound, even if, in its present state, the tower dates back to the 16th century. As the town changed very little since the Middle Ages, Beaumont very much resembles the town that Napoleon discovered in 14 June 1815.

Unique distillerie belge d'eaux-de-vie et de fruits, la Distillerie de Biercée, créée en 1946, distille, dans le plus strict respect des règles de l'art, l'incomparable Eau de Villée, le P'tit Péket, la Poire Williams N°1 et 17 autres eaux-de-vie et liqueurs de première qualité. Installée dans le superbe cadre de la Ferme de la Cour intégralement restaurée, la Distillerie est visitable dans son intégralité. L'espace dégustation, "la Grange des Belges", accessible au public, propose un vaste choix de produits belges de bouche, dont toutes les eaux-de-vie et liqueurs de la Distillerie de Biercée, mais aussi la Blance à l'Eau de Villée, le Lambik à la Griotte et le Scotch au P'tit Péket servis au fût en exclusivité.

Au sommet d'une ondulation surplombant les prés environnants se profile la silhouette du château du Fosteau. Cette imposante maison forte du XIVème siècle est encore hérissée de quatre tours. Les seigneurs de Semousies, de Sars, puis les seigneurs de Zwenne, de Marotte, de Henry, de Jamblines et d'Aoust développèrent consciencieusement les bâtiments d'habitation autour du donjon central. C'est dans ce bâtiment que se trouve l'une des plus belles salles gothiques de Belgique. De très beaux et sobres jardins français, dessinés en terrasses successives recouvertes de gazon se déroulent jusqu'à l'étang. Le château est classé comme monument et les alentours comme site, depuis 1979. Il existe également une bière du château que l'on peut acheter ou déguster lors des visites guidées. Un petit musée de la pharmacie est à découvrir dans l'une des pièces du château. Un mobilier adapté permet une promenade bucolique ponctuée d'arrêt-repos pour admirer les sculptures parfaitement intégrées au cadre. Faisant partie intégrante du château de Leers-et-Fosteau, ce jardin à la française confère un caractère résidentiel à cette demeure datant du 14ième siècle. Cet espace vert descend en majestueuses terrasses successives jusqu'au paisible étang.

On the morning of 15 June 1815, Napoleon Bonaparte skirted the Ferme de la Cour, in Ragnies. This large operation that depended on the former Benedictine abbey of Lobbes used many old buildings around a courtyard. But the name of this farm came more from its tower resembling a dungeon that housed a court at the end of the Middle Ages. Today, the farm contains the famous Biercée Distillery, the only genuine distillery that uses local fruit. It has gained an international reputation thanks to the high quality of its brandies that would have had their place in the canteens of Napoleon’s armies. A few kilometres from here, over main road in Thuillies, it is said that the armed emperor’s troops hid the imperial treasure in the enigmatic Maison Tchiquette.

Nichée sur une éminence entre la Sambre et la Biesmelle, Thuin surplombe souverainement la vallée. Pittoresque Cité, cette localité est composée d’une Ville Haute avec son éperon rocheux, emblème de fierté pour les habitants, et d’une Ville Basse qui manifeste un intérêt économique indubitable pour sa voie d’eau navigable. Exposés plein sud de la Biesmelle, ses jardins suspendus bénéficient d’un microclimat exceptionnel et se déclinent en terrasses successives.

Saint-André church in Jamioulx was Napoleon’s last known stop before entering Charleroi on 15 June 1815. The present building dates back to 1858 but the grave of the priest Jean Nicolas Jénicot is still visible in the cemetery. It is said here that the Emperor was struck by the intelligence of this priest and that he promised to appoint him Bishop of Tournai. It is important to note that Napoleon considered the Catholic religion to be a body of the French state in itself. He tried to reconcile the anti-clerical revolutionary values and moral and social role played by the church. As such, the Emperor appoints bishops and clergy is paid by the French State. The priests could, in a manner of speaking, be considered state officials.

Saint-Roch chapel, dedicated to Our Lady of Victory, is situated in the locality called "les Trois Arbres" (the Three Trees). The Emperor went there on 15 June 1815 around 9:30pm to inspect several corps. Upon his return to power in March 1815 Napoleon noticed the deplorable state of the finances of the French state and the shortcomings of the army in terms of equipment and supplies. Napoleon poured everything into his war effort during the spring of 1815. Faced with foreign threats and despite difficulties acquiring raw materials, the Decree of 29 March 1815 required all workers exempt from military service to go to work in the Imperial factories mass producing weapons and uniforms. 235,000 rifles were manufactured in a matter of weeks. The effort was so comprehensive that the army which marched before Napoleon on 15 June had all its equipment.

Napoleon moved his headquarters and spent the night of 16 to 17 June in a room on the first floor of the Château de la Paix. 16 June was a day of heavy loss for the Prussians. Depending on the source, more than 20.000 of their men were killed, wounded or missing, as opposed to only 8.000 on the French side. This disparity can be explained by Blücher’s choice of tactics. He had closed ranks to ensure the numerical superiority of his troops. The Prussian columns were so tight that the French artillery had no trouble decimating entire columns. If the cannonballs did not hit the front lines, they were taking out the reserves.

"Go back in time and re-live Napoleon's last victory, at Ligny on 16th June 1815, two days before his defeat at Waterloo. Seven rooms take you on a journey of nearly 200 years into the past. • Historical centre ""Général Gérard"". Audioguide. • Museum, souvenir shop, refreshments. • Large parking. Less than 1km from the station. • Can be combined with other visits."

Napoleon set up his last headquarters at the Ferme du Caillou on the evening of 17 June 1815. The farm now houses a small museum dedicated to the memory of the Emperor’s stay. The park also contains a statue of Napoleon in his legendary attire and French ossuary built in 1813. The day of 17 June was a trying one for all the protagonists of this historical episode. It is said that it rained heavily for nearly 8 hours straight, turning fields into swamps and paths into rivers of mud.