Charleroi Travel guide

Charleroi - History

In 1666, the Spanish built a fortress on a headland overlooking the valley of the Sambre. The stronghold was named Charleroy to glorify Charles II, the infant King of Spain. The following year, the fortress was taken by French armies and it was under French occupation that fortifications were completed and extended by Vauban. Louis XIV, who wanted to promote the development of the new town, granted its inhabitants privileges. In 1678, under the treaty of Nijmegen, Charleroi was given back to Spain. A first industrial change based on coal, iron and glass industries brought about a rise in Charleroi’s population. French armies besieged and occupied Charleroi three times in 1693, 1746 and in 1794 , on the eve of the battle of Fleurus which was to seal the fate of Belgium for 20 years. Charleroi was renamed by revolutionary armies " Libre-sur-Sambre ". The Emperor Napoleon stayed two days in Charleroi before the battle of Waterloo and on the eve of his last victory in Ligny, on the 16th of June 1815. The Dutch built a new fortress which was stormed by the inhabitants during the Belgian Revolution of 1830. In 1914, during the First World War, Charleroi was for the last time the theatre of a great battle. More than two thousand years ago, iron ore was already used by the Celts in the area between the Sambre and the Meuse. Though coal-mining began as early as the 13th century, the development of the coal industry was slow until the invention of the fire pump in the 18th century. In the 19th century, Charleroi became the heart of the 'pays noir' (the black country), the country of the coal-mines. This area was (together with the Liθge region) the center of the rapidly industrialized Belgium. The city walls were destroyed in 1867 and new boroughs were founded. The coal miners of the 'pays noir' settled in the nearby villages, which until today, have preserved a relative autonomy and independence from the big city. Nowadays, greater Charleroi has a population of about 200.000 It was in this same century that German glassworkers produced window glass through the cylinder blowing process. At the beginning of the 19th century, the industrial revolution which started in England brought profound changes in traditional metallurgy industry. The use of coke instead of charcoal and the use of steam engines instead of hydraulic energy resulted in the shift of metallurgy centres from the forest regions of Ardennes to the coal-mining sites of Charleroi.

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The two centres of the city are situated around two squares. The oldest one is the Place Charles II. It lies in the upper town. The town hall built in 1936 by Joseph Andre in neo-classicist style has Art Dιco decorations on the inside. The town hall harbours two museums : the Musιe des Beaux Arts (with 19th and 20th century paintings) and the Jules Destrιe museum (a famous Walloon politician who lived from 1863 to 1936). The main church around the square is the Saint-Christopher Basilica, built in Baroque style at the end of the 17th century. The dome of the Basilica and the mosaics in the choir date from 1956. The 'Place du Manθge' is dominated by the 'Palais des Beaux Arts' (palace of fine arts), a concert and theatre hall. Close to the Palace of Justice is another museum worthy of a visit. In the 'Musee du Verre' (Glass museum) the visitor can learn all about the glass industry which was once the pride of Charleroi. Most of the seats of the commercial and financial companies are concentrated in this part. It is also here that the important annual Mardi Gras of the city takes place. The boulevard Joseph Triou is situated on the old bedding of the Sambre river which flows through Charleroi.

The region of Charleroi, economic leader in Wallonia, is ideally located at the heart of Europe. Although small by size, Belgium can be characterized by its pronounced orientation to international trade. Charleroi played a predominant role in the industrialization of Continental Europe. This industrial tradition still constitutes the force of Charleroi. A strength which your business should take opportunity of Major multinational companies such as Caterpillar Inc., Smithkline Beecham, Asea Brown Boveri and Gec Alsthom have taken advantage of Charleroi's unique location for their manufacturing and logistics operations.

Charleroi exhibition centre - has the biggest exhibition centre in Wallonia playing host to trade fairs which attract more than one million visitors every year. Charleroi is a particularly attractive region to invest in, whether you set up new business or expand existing facilities. Incentives packages are among the highest in the European Union, and take the form of cash grants, soft loans, industrial research grants, training grants and tailor made training programmes. Regional investment companies can also provide venture capital to small and medium sized enterprises. Depending upon company turnover, nature of activity, investment capital and number of jobs created, aid may go up to 40% gross of your investment.

The Brussels-Charleroi canal passes through a good part of the province of Brabant and can be navigated by bicycle along its entire length from the centre of Brussels to the city of Charleroi.
On this trip, you would see boats loaded with coal, sand, oil and other commodities, you would pass by three types of canal locks - regular locks, vertical lifts and the inclined railway lift at Ronquieres. You would also pass by some of the basic industries that still exist in Wallonia such as the Forge de Clabecq and the paper mill at Virginale.

Castles
- The Tower of Gosselies (15th century), Gosselies The Cartier Castle (17th-19th centuries), Marchienne-au-Pont The Tower of Serna Castle, Jumet Avenue des Fusillιs, 2 - industrial zone The Castle of Monceau (17th-18th centuries), Monceau-sur-Sambre The Mondron Castle(19th century), Jumet The Tower of Mont-sur-Marchienne (16th century), rue Cardinal Mercier, Mont-sur-Marchienne.

The Museum of Photography
- The museum houses over 60,000 images and 2,500 cameras, and has a regular program of impressive exhibitions. There is over 2,000 square meters devoted to the history of photography, from the pioneers to contemporary artists, by way of pictorials, modernists, surrealists and committed photo journalists. The space also boasts a discovery area, a library, documentation centre and bookshop. The Museum of Photography at Charleroi is recommended for lovers of the photographic image.