Promenade of the Tree of the 4 Brothers

This short walk takes you to the "Arbre des 4 frères" (tree of the 4 brothers), which derives its name from its shape. At the entrance of the forest, a memorial stone has been erected in memory of the forest's owner, Arthur Massart, who bequeathed his 200 hectares of forest to the municipality upon his death. A bit of history: around 1860, after the death of the Marquis de Pange and his wife, the heirs sold the Fagne to the "Société Lamarche." The aim of this enterprise was to exploit almost all the land and then set up a large center for growing grain crops. During the exploitation, the chief forest ranger stumbled upon a magnificent oak with four separate symmetrical trunks. In 1870, this oak stood alone as the last remaining tree amidst vast grain fields. However, after just a few years, the project proved to be a failure. The Société Lamarche went bankrupt. The Fagne was divided and sold. The least productive land was replanted, and the rest was designated as pastureland. The oak "L'arbre des 4 frères" is the last witness of the original Fagne.