The old water machine of Mons

Built in 1870 and 1871 following the first diversion of the Trouille, this machine was designed to supply drinking water to the population. The water arrived by gravity from the Spiennes springs to the hydraulic pumps. These then pushed it to a spillway located under the belfry garden, over 40 m higher. The pumps operated thanks to a 4.80 m diameter metal paddle wheel driven by the Trouille. Nearby, a steam engine compensated for the lack of current from the river. Although continually modernized, the machinery was dismantled in the early 1960s during the second diversion of the Trouille, and the site was abandoned in 1974.
From this past, only the main building remains, a large perfectly symmetrical structure, consisting of a central hall of glass and cast iron that once housed the hydraulic machinery (16 m wide, 19 m long, and 14 m high). On either side, two more modest-sized sheds (6.5 m wide and 10 or 14 m long), with brick walls pierced by large windows, housed the boilers and the coal store or workshops.
Restored in the early 1990s, the water machine became the property of the City of Mons in 1996 and hosts exhibitions and cultural events. The building will house the Mons Memorial Museum, a center for the interpretation of military history in Mons, starting in 2015.
Classified as a monument on July 15, 1977, with an added protection zone on February 13, 2001.

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