In 1977, when the communes merged, Beauraing was chosen as the chief town. The city of Beauraing as well as the following villages and hamlets are part of this municipality: Baronville, Dion, Felenne, Feschaux, Focant-Gozin, Froidfontaine, Honnay-Revogne, Javingue-Sevry, Martouzin-Neuville, Pondrôme, Vonêche, Wancennes, Wiesme and Winenne. The territory of Beauraing covers 174.55 km2, which is the 7th largest municipality in Belgium, and has 9,000 inhabitants.
The lime kiln
The purpose of the Beauraing kilns was to burn limestone in order to obtain lime. At the time, this material was used for plastering, disinfecting stables and in the steel industry. The lime kilns in Beauraing are mentioned as early as the 16th century, but it was in 1857, at the request of the Duke of Osuna, that the industrialisation of lime kilns began. To operate them, coal was imported from Charleroi, until 1958, when production ended.
Anecdote : Today, the buildings house a fruit and vegetable shop called “Le four à Chaux”.Â
In total, there were 8 official tanneries, in addition to the small workshops of saddlers, shoemakers,… who tanned to ensure their trade. The tanneries located in our regions required water, raw materials, oak bark and hides. They were located in the outskirts of towns and villages because of their strong nuisance.
Shortly after the Second World War, the tanneries experienced major difficulties due to international competition.
Good to know: At number 22 of the Faubourg St-Martin, a tall chimney can still be clearly seen, which was used to draw the steam engines of the Deltombe, then Nicaisse, then Longly and finally Blondiaux tannery. In 2003, the Pôle beaurinois bought the premises and implemented a major conversion programme (2004-2005) with the support of Europe and Wallonia.
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