La Louvière: Guide, Hotels, Map & Photos
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EUR 40 - 70 Hotel Le New Matinal
 Situated in the centre of La Louviere, 1km from the station, Matinal offers guest rooms with unique photo art. The hotel has an intimate street terrac… MoreEUR 65 - 130 Hotel Tristar
 Tristar is situated in the centre of La Louviere in the Place Maugretout shopping area and 300 metres from the E42. It has a 24-hour reception and a f… MoreEUR 59 - 99 Hotel La Villa D´Este
 D´este is situated only a 30-minute drive from both Charleroi and Mons and includes a garden with a terrace. It features a 24-hour reception, fr… MoreEUR 56 - 92 Hotel La Louve
 Situated in the centre of La Louvière, this design hotel provides modern guest rooms with free Wi-Fi at competitive prices. The airport is 18 km away… MoreEUR 69 - 127 Hotel Europa
 Hotel Europa is situated close to the highway. The hotel is 5 km from the centre of La Louvièra, 18 km to Mons, 19 km to Airport Charleroi-Brussels S… MoreEUR 70 - 190 AppartHotel Belle Vue
 AppartHotel Belle Vue is less than a 5-minute walk from the city centre of La Louvière. This hotel offers accommodation with elegant décor, free pa… More | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
La Louvière: Guide
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La Louvière is a Belgium|Belgian Municipalities in Belgium|municipality located in the Wallonia|Walloon Provinces of Belgium|province of Hainaut. La Louvière's municipality includes the old communes of Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Saint-Vaast, Trivières, Boussoit, Houdeng-Aimeries, Houdeng-Gœgnies, Maurage, and Strépy-Bracquegnies. La Louvière is the capital of the Centre region, a former coal mining area sandwiched between the Borinage to the West and the Pays Noir to the East.
History
Mythical origins
The legend of a mother wolf nursing a child at La Louvière is reminiscent of the mythical birth of Rome. The true origin of the city, however, dates from the 12th century. At that time, the forested, and presumably wolf-infested, territory of today’s La Louvière was named Menaulu, from the Old French meaning “wolf’s lair”. This land was part of the larger community of Saint-Vaast, which itself belonged to the Aulne Abbey.
By 1284, the name of the territory had been translated into Latin, then back into French language|French to its current name of La Louvière. The lords of Saint-Vaast encouraged prospecting on their land, which led to the first extraction of coal in the year 1390. The abbey’s refusal to provide necessary infrastructure, however, delayed large-scale development until the 18th century.
Birth of La Louvière
In the 19th century, the construction of roads, canals, and railways finally allowed the local coal production to be exported. Investments also poured into the local industry to take advantage of the abundant source of energy. La Louvière quickly surpassed its overlord Saint-Vaast, both in population and economic wealth. Within fifty years, the territory that was not much more than a place name had become one of the most important cities in Wallonia. La Louvière was recognized as an independent city in 1869. Today, La Louvière is still the fifth largest city in Wallonia, after Charleroi, Liège, Namur (city)|Namur, and Mons.
Sights
, in French language|French
This "Travel Guide" section is drawn from the Wikipedia article "La Louvière". We hope you will edit and improve it. It is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License.
There are four hydraulic boat lifts on the old Canal du Centre, which connects the Meuse River to the Scheldt. These double elevators date from around 1900 and were designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1988.
The housing complex that was built for the Bois-du-Luc coal workers during the first half of the 19th century has been restored. One of those houses can be visited, together with a couple of museums retracing the history of the coal mining industry in the Centre region.
La Louvière counts a number of chapels and churches that date from the 13th century|13th to the 16th century.
La Louvière also has one of the best collection of Idel Ianchelevici’s works on display.Folklore
The Carnival of La Louvière is called Laetare, after the Latin verb meaning “to enjoy”. It lasts three days, Sunday to Tuesday, and takes place in the middle of Lent. The Gilles are out on all three days, stomping to the rhythm of their music and distributing oranges to the passers-by. Giant puppets and various other groups also take part in the parades and festivities. Typical of La Louvière’s celebrations is the so-called Brûlage des Bosses (“burning of the humps”), where a puppet dressed as a Gilles is burnt to symbolize the end of carnival and beginning of a new life.Famous inhabitants
Maurice Grevisse, grammarian (1895-1980)
Maurice Baudoux, Canada|Canadian priest (1902-1988)
Pol Bury, sculptor (1922-2005)
Jean Louvet (playwright)|Jean Louvet, playwright (b. 1934)Twin cities
: Saint-Maur-des-Fossés
: Foligno
: Córdoba, Spain|Córdoba
: Bojnice
: KaliszSports
La Louvière had a football (soccer)|football football club|club in Jupiler League named R.A.A. Louviéroise. They won the Belgian Cup in 2003.External links
, in French
, in French, Dutch language|Dutch, and English language|English