Top Historic Sights in Charleroi, Belgium

Explore the historic highlights of Charleroi

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Charleroi Belfry

Charleroi Belfry is part of the City Hall, designed by architect Joseph André in 1936. It is a perfect blend of Classicism and Art Deco. The 70-metre-high belfry can be accessed by climbing 250 stairs and was built using blue and white stone and bricks. It is crowned with a small bronze tower. The last three levels are reserved for the chambers of the 47 bells forming the carillon. Every fifteen minutes it chimes out a f ...
Founded: 1936 | Location: Charleroi, Belgium

Bois du Cazier

The Bois du Cazier was coal mine in Marcinelle, Charleroi. It was the scene of a mining disaster on 8 August 1956, when 263 men including 136 migrant Italian labourers lost their lives. The site today hosts a woodland park, memorial to the miners, the pit head, an industry museum and a glass museum. The museum is an Anchor point on the European Route of Industrial Heritage. A concession to mine was given by royal decree ...
Founded: 1822 | Location: Charleroi, Belgium

Château Bilquin de Cartier

Origins of the Château Bilquin de Cartier can be traced back to the around 1635, when the Honoré family built a castle on the Sambre river bank. The place had formerly been occupied by a seigneurial manor which was destroyed on 21 July 1554. In 1667, the unfinished Spanish fortress of Charleroy was captured by Louis XIV"s troops during the War of Devolution. As the castle in Marchienne was located in neutral terri ...
Founded: 1635 | Location: Charleroi, Belgium

Church of Saint-Sulpice

The Church of Saint Sulpice is a Roman Catholic church in Jumet, a neighborhood Charleroi. It is dedicated to Sulpitius the Pious. The oldest material traces of a religious building on the site date back to the 10th century. Three churches preceding the current construction were identified during excavations carried out in 1967. The current building was built between 1750 and 1753 in a classical style, by an anonymous ar ...
Founded: 1750-1753 | Location: Charleroi, Belgium

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Gruyères Castle

The Castle of Gruyères is one of the most famous in Switzerland. It was built between 1270 and 1282, following the typical square plan of the fortifications in Savoy. It was the property of the Counts of Gruyères until the bankruptcy of the Count Michel in 1554. His creditors the cantons of Fribourg and Bern shared his earldom. From 1555 to 1798 the castle became residence to the bailiffs and then to the prefects sent by Fribourg.

In 1849 the castle was sold to the Bovy and Balland families, who used the castle as their summer residency and restored it. The castle was then bought back by the canton of Fribourg in 1938, made into a museum and opened to the public. Since 1993, a foundation ensures the conservation as well as the highlighting of the building and the art collection.

The castle is the home of three capes of the Order of the Golden Fleece. They were part of the war booty captured by the Swiss Confederates (which included troops from Gruyères) at the Battle of Morat against Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy in 1476. As Charles the Bold was celebrating the anniversary of his father's death, one of the capes is a black velvet sacerdotal vestment with Philip the Good's emblem sewn into it.

A collection of landscapes by 19th century artists Jean-Baptiste-Camille Corot, Barthélemy Menn and others are on display in the castle.

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