Ardennes

• 1. Devonian Stone And Rising Earth

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  The Ardennes range emerged from the earth between 382.7 and 387.7 million years ago during the Givetian age of the Devonian period. This geological event created a western extension of the Eifel mountain system that now spans Belgium, Luxembourg, Germany, and France. A specific outcropping in the town of Givet serves as the defining stratotype for this entire geological epoch. Scientists measure the uplift of these ancient mountains through old river terraces that rose over the last few hundred thousand years due to a mantle plume beneath the crust. The largest amount of this recent uplift concentrates where the Ardennes connect with the Eifel region in eastern Germany. Coal deposits lie within the low interior of these former mountains alongside iron, zinc, and other metals found in the sub-soil. These minerals explain much of the geography and history of Wallonia, the southern part of Belgium. The region contains rocks of various ages including Frasnian, Famennian, Tournaisian, Visean, Dinantian, and Namurian stages defined by sites located throughout the area.

• 2. Charcoal Furnaces And Steel Cities

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  Before the nineteenth century industrialization, the first furnaces in four Belgian provinces used charcoal made from harvesting the dense Ardennes forest. This industry thrived in the extreme south of present-day Luxembourg Province known as Gaume until 1839 when it became part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. The greatest part of the Walloon steel industry using coal was built around mines near Liège, Charleroi, La Louvière, and the Borinage. Wallonia became the second industrial power area of the world after Great Britain based on its territory and population proportions. The rugged terrain and harsh climate limit agriculture so arable and dairy farming form the mainstay of the local economy instead. Timber remains abundant while wild game populations thrive within the extensive forests that cover most of the region. Liège and Namur stand today as major industrial centers despite the shift away from charcoal production. The scenic beauty and outdoor activities like hunting, cycling, walking, and canoeing make the area a popular tourist destination for visitors from neighboring countries.

• 3. Valleys That Divided Empires

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  The strategic position of the Ardennes has made it a battleground for European powers for many centuries. Steep-sided valleys carved by swift-flowing rivers like the Meuse create difficult terrain that limits large-scale military operations. Allied generals in World War II believed the region was impenetrable to massed vehicular traffic and especially armored tanks. This belief left the area effectively all but undefended during the early stages of the conflict. German forces exploited this perception to launch surprise attacks through the forest which concealed their armored divisions. The forest's great size allowed armies to move unseen until they reached the open plains beyond. Many towns suffered severe damage during the two world wars fought across these rolling hills and ridges. The highest elevation reaches 746.9 meters above sea level at Hohe Acht in Germany. Signal de Botrange in Belgium stands as the highest point in the Benelux countries at over 600 meters.

• 4. Battles In The Dark Woods

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  Germany successfully gambled on making a rapid passage through the Ardennes to attack a relatively lightly defended part of France during both World Wars. The Battle of the Ardennes took place in August 1914 while the Battle of France occurred in 1940. A later engagement known as the Battle of the Bulge happened between December 1944 and 1945. Nazi strategists selected the forest as the primary route for mechanized forces in the Invasion of France in 1939 and 1940. Erich von Manstein commanded German forces that carried out the plan in just two days instead of the fifteen days French commanders expected. Heinz Guderian led armoured divisions that crossed the Meuse river at Dinant and Sedan in May 1940. This crucial step pushed the army toward Paris before France fell on the 25th of June 1940. Allied forces eventually blocked the German advance on the river Meuse at Dinant after a fierce battle in the winter of 1944.

• 5. Shifting Lines On Maps

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  Much of the Ardennes formed part of the Duchy which became the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg in 1815 within the Holy Roman Empire. Revolutionary France annexed the entire area together with all other territories west of the Rhine river in 1793. The Congress of Vienna restored the previous geographical situation in 1815 with most of the Ardennes becoming part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg again. After the revolution of 1830 established the Kingdom of Belgium political disputes arose between Belgium, Luxembourg, and the Netherlands over the region's future. Great Britain, Prussia, and France also involved themselves in these negotiations regarding sovereignty. In 1839 the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg ceded the westernmost 63% of its territory to the new Kingdom of Belgium. This land now forms the Luxembourg Province of Belgium while the northernmost third remains Éislek within the Grand Duchy itself. The eastern part continues into the German state of Rhineland-Palatinate as the Eifel region extends further eastward.

• 6. Ancient Names And Viking Raids

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  The region takes its name from the vast ancient forest known as Arduenna Silva during the Roman Period. Arduenna probably derives from a Gaulish cognate of the Brythonic word ardu meaning high or steep combined with Celtic elements suggesting fair heights. Numerous place names in Britain including the Forest of Arden share this derivation from the same linguistic roots. A song about Charlemagne called Quatre Fils Aymon mentions many rivers and villages throughout Wallonia dating back to the twelfth century. Legend says Bayard Rock in Dinant holds a magic horse that jumped across the Meuse river carrying four sons fleeing Charlemagne. On their pillaging raids in 881 and 882 Vikings used old Roman roads to attack abbeys of Malmedy and Stavelot. They destroyed Prüm Abbey located in the Eifel region during these attacks according to Regino of Prüm's chronicle written in ad a. 882.