27.6 km

Touring cyclist

Medium

Join the MAC'S by taking the former railway lines, which have become green routes at the heart of the former collieries.

Follow the steep fall from the Grand Place to join the suburbs surrounding the ancient city. Your wheels will lead you to the heart of the Borinage. The old railway lines which once transported coal have become wonderful escape routes in an urban landscape marked by its industrial past. From Cuesmes ride along line 98 as far as Flénu where a signal box leading to... Read more
Join the MAC'S by taking the former railway lines, which have become green routes at the heart of the former collieries.

Follow the steep fall from the Grand Place to join the suburbs surrounding the ancient city. Your wheels will lead you to the heart of the Borinage. The old railway lines which once transported coal have become wonderful escape routes in an urban landscape marked by its industrial past. From Cuesmes ride along line 98 as far as Flénu where a signal box leading to Quiévrain was once located. Ride alongside the Pâturages station where a young man put down his bag in 1878. Van Gogh stayed in the Borinage almost two years to find artistic expression. Continue along this line, which at the time was full of noise and smoke from the continued cartage of trains carrying coal from the mining sites. You are finally in the Grand-Hornu, testifying to the start of the Industrial Revolution. It is an exceptional structure designated as a UnEsCo World Heritage site which includes the MAC Musée des Arts Contemporains and the CID Centre d’Innovation et de Design, one of the poles of artistic creation in Belgium.

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Difference in height

210.32 m
Documentation
- GPX Trace
- KML File
GPX / KML files allow you to export the trail of your hike to your GPS (or other navigation tool)

Points of interest

1 Mont de l’Héribu slag heap

2 Line 98

3 The former Pâturages station

4 The MAC'S

5 Line 98c

6 Van Gogh’s house

1 Mont de l’Héribu slag heap

Symbolic of the Borinage’s mining landscapes, the slag heaps are now losing their starkness by attaining an
unusual level of biodiversity. The Héribu slag heap has become a light green mountain. The grasshopper and the
swallowtail (see photo) love tanning their wings on these suitably exposed black slopes.

2 Line 98

The green route continues beyond Colfontaine towards Dour and stops at Quiévrain.

3 The former Pâturages station

Located on the RAVeL, it housed Vincent Van Gogh for a few weeks before he took refuge at Wasmes.

4 The MAC'S

This prestigious heritage site was created on the Grand-Hornu site, a former mining site classified as a UNESCO world heritage site.

Site of The Grand Hornu/MACS/CID

MUSEUM

Boussu

5 Line 98c

Magnificent RAVeL where, just after the Grand-Hornu, artistic works created by Blanc Murmure for Tomber Volontiers dans le Panneau are presented, a winning Mons 2015 project.