Han-sur-Lesse

Han-sur-Lesse (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃syʁˈlɛs]; Walloon: Han-so-Lesse) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Rochefort, located in the province of Namur, Belgium. Han-sur-Lesse was called Ham from 1139, Ham Han Sur Lesche, from 1266, Han Sur Lece from 1465 and Ham sur lez from 1528,[1] by which time it had 14 families. The village then declined, with plague, epidemics and Franco-Spanish wars, but by 1766, there were 62 villagers.[2] In 2021 the population was about 1,000.[3]

Tram outside church in 1987
Han-sur-Lesse

The place is famous for the Grottes de Han-sur-Lesse, a cave complex carved under a hill by the river Lesse, which tourists reach via a preserved remnant of the country's vicinal tramway system. The metre gauge line opened in 1906[4] as a branch off the Rochefort-Han-sur-Lesse-Wellin line,[5] which was open from 1904 to 1957.[4] Between 1988[6] and 1992[7] the village tram terminus was moved from a loop around the church of Saint-Hubert de Han-sur-Lesse to a loop on the other side of Rue Joseph Lamotte.[8]

The church of Saint-Hubert, in the centre of the village, was rebuilt in 1905 in a Gothic revival style by Clément Léonard and Hubert Froment.[9]

References
  1. "FRAIPONT – BANNEUX – REMOUCHAMPS – AYWAILLE" (PDF). Visit Ardenne.
  2. "PRÉ-ACTES DES JOURNÉES D'ARCHÉOLOGIE EN WALLONIE, NAMUR" (PDF). 2016.
  3. "Han-sur-Lesse (Rochefort, Namur Province (Sub-Municipalities), Belgium) - Population Statistics". www.citypopulation.de. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  4. "Tram lines in Belgium (NMVB)". www.kusee.nl. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  5. "Chemin de fer Belges, Horaire des Trains" (PDF). 15 May 1931. p. 550.
  6. "Han sur Lesse 1988: SNCV 5585 sur la ligne 29 / NMVB 5585 op lijn 29". www.facebook.com. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  7. Le voyage "spécial remorque" aux Grottes de Han (Belgique) du16 avril 1992, retrieved 2022-02-17
  8. "5 Rue des Sarrasins, Rochefort, Wallonia". Google Maps. Jul 2009. Retrieved 2022-02-17.
  9. "Horaires". Eglise info (in French). Retrieved 2022-02-17.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Han-sur-Lesse.

50°7′34″N 5°11′16″E


This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.