To add a zest in your tour to Belgium you should definitely visit Wéris. Wéris is listed as one of the most beautiful villages in the Wallonian region. This place is full of legendary tales and beliefs of ancient men. It holds the beautiful landscape and many amazing hiking trails, views will allure you have an unforgettable experience here. This charming village is supremely famous for its megaliths and other prehistoric monuments history buffs could never miss a place like this!
Know more:
Address to reach the town :Place Arsène Soreil 7, 6940 Wéris
The quiet and charming village of Wéris is a part of the community of Durbuy, located in the border area between Famenne, Condroz, and Ardennes.
Stroll down to plan your trip to Wéris:
- Megaliths
Wéris is an incredible village with magnificent Megaliths. Many of us might not be aware of the term Megaliths, megalith is a large stone that forms prehistoric monuments. Wéris is a village full of the past traces and a place full of prehistoric relics. Wéris is known as the center for menhirs and dolmen in Belgium. These were erected by the Neolithic inhabitants some 4500 years ago by the so-called puddingstone that can be found locally. This puddingstone is actually a composite of smaller stones and clay that has been pressed together by pressure in the earth’s crust. To discover: the dolmen of Wéris, the menhir Danthine, the dolmen of Oppagne, the menhirs of Oppagne, the menhir of Morville, the Haina rock and the Devil’s bed you should surely take a 18 km hike in wéris.
- LA PIERRE HAINA
Address: 6940 Wéris.La Pierre Haina is a tunnel monument with the ancient belief as a bung that closes the entrance to hell itself! the local Wérisiens believed that the Devil wanted a break from Hell. So he’d crawl up a tunnel, push aside the big stone – La Pierre Haina – and wander at large in the countryside to do his evil deeds. As a solution against this problem, local Wérisiens painted the stone White as the devil won’t dare to touch the stone painted with the, of purity and goodness.
La Pierre Haina is full of legendary tales.
- LE LIT DU DIABLE
Address: 6940 Durbuy.Le Lit Du Diable is the second stone to visit: the Devil’s Bed. This rock slab is where the Devil took his rest after doing his devilish pranks to rest anyways. It’s a place with the beautiful landscape and magnificent views of the Ardennes forest which you might not wish to miss out
- THE DOLMEN AND MENHIRS OF OPPAGNE
A dolmen is a type of single-chamber megalithic tomb, usually consisting of two or more vertical megaliths supporting a large flat horizontal stone making a “table” like structure, whereas menhir is a standing stone. The archeologist has collected the human bones inside this dolmen and confirmed that at least ten individuals of different ages were buried here. They discovered scrapers, hammer stones and arrowheads. The original use of these menhirs is not known for certain. They could have been a part of a sun-worshiping cult, or highly visible boundary stones.
- Saint-Walburga church.
The Romanesque church of St. Walburga in Wéris dates back to the 11th century. It is one of the oldest churches in the region. The square tower is the oldest part. The church was constructed with puddingstone, limestone and sandstone. The old tower is a place where the lords of the various live once. The church has undergone many restorations and reconstruction in this period of time.
Mansion de Megaliths is a small Museum incorporated in a house having the relics found during excavations, interesting remains and artefacts to help us to get an idea on how life was five millennia years ago. It’s really amusing to find how the prehistoric man must have lived and built such good sized monuments which are still left with us. They provide a good tour guide and also show us an informative video of excavation. The site is interesting and worth a visit.