Information

Faites vos démarches en ligne : https://yvoir.guichet-citoyen.be/

Skip to content. | Skip to navigation

Navigation

Navigation
Navigation menu
You are here: Home / Leisure / Tourism / Tourism website / Presentation / The villages / Spontin
Document Actions

Spontin

Introduction

Spontin lies at the very centre of the region of Wallonia.
The village is located in the Bocq valley and has grown up principally on the bank opposite the castle. Spontin Castle

At the present time, the dense housing along the two parallel streets and the hillside consists of homes built largely from limestone, in the 19th and 20th centuries.
There are quarries cut into the sides of the valley to the north and south of the village.
Old 19th-century water mill.

History and Heritage

The site of Spontin was occupied and fortified as early as the Roman period. It was a fiefdom of the prevostship of Poilvache. The land of Spontin was a high estate belonging to the powerful Beaufort family from the early 13th century onwards. This land was ravaged by the struggle between the bishop of Liege and the Duke of Burgundy. In 1577, Spontin was occupied by State troops during the insurrection against Philippe II.

Around 1887, its economy was based on farming, industry and tourism.

Farming developed considerably with crops, which were then abandoned in favour of grasslands.

Industry focused on stone quarrying which grew tremendously in the last century following the creation of the S.A. des Carrières et Scieries de Spontin; more recently, the operation of the thermal springs and the production of sweet syrups have been very successful, but the activity stopped in 2010.

Due to the proximity of the motorway, tourism consists principally of day trips (except for the campsite).

Heritage

Saint George's Parish Church: a limestone masonry building in the Gothic style at the top of a slope, which was restored c. 1880-1885 by the architect Van Assche.

The watermill was built from blue stone and was in operation until 1953. On the ground floor there is the enormous iron-framed paddle wheel with planks, some of which are missing, and next to it all the cogs. On the first floor, there are four millstones which were used to grind wheat flour and flatten barley for cattle. The second floor also contains the rest of the machinery including the spelt huller, making the installation almost complete.

Spontin Castle illustrates the changes in lordly residences from the Middle Ages to the present time. Originally, around the 12th century, Spontin Castle was a square "defensive tower" built on an islet in the Bocq. It was intended to protect the users of the old Roman road from Dinant to Huy. After armed exploits, at the end of the 12th century, the Knight of Spontin, Guillaume known as the "Ardennais", transformed the original building into a 3-storey fortified residence with thicker walls and added 2 small defensive towers with drawbridges. It was not until the 14th century that the building began to look like a traditional castle. In the 16th century, as the fortifications had now become useless (following the invention of gunpowder), the castle was transformed into a stylish residence - windows were added and the present roofs were built on the towers. The two most recent transformations were the construction of a fortified farm along the facade (17th century) and the demolition of some of the rear fortifications. The fortified farm currently houses the tourist facilities which make Spontin one of the prime tourist destinations in Namur.

The fortified enclosure: there were 6 keeps defending the castle against potential enemies in all directions. Four were closer to the castle: Senenne, La Rochette, Bailoy and Durnal; two were further away: Mouffrin and Stier. The latter was the most powerful of all with its manor, water mill, cowshed and outbuildings.

The brass band: in 1895, there was already a musical society in Spontin, known as the "troubadours du Bocq". Around 1965, the Saint Georges bands disbanded due a lack of members.

The Vitteaux – Spontin twinning link: following the terrible years of the Second World War, when Belgian families were welcomed in Vitteaux and the surrounding region, friendly relationships were forged. These formed the basis for the new twinning link. On 26 July 1962, Mr. Muller (Vitteaux) and the Baron de Pierpont (Spontin) signed the charter which unites the two villages.