Thuin's Hanging Gardens, a terraced town
Cobbled lanes and private terraced gardens form a landscape to explore from public routes and on guided visits.
The slope becomes an inhabited landscape
On the upper town's hillside, the Hanging Gardens give Thuin a distinctive profile. Terraces supported by walls have made slopes usable for vegetable plots and gardens since the Middle Ages. They face the Biesmelle valley and belong to the history of fortifications and housing. The tourist office now describes a complex of 210 terraces. Its interest lies in this collective composition: no single garden tells the landscape's whole story, which is understood through walls, lanes, stairs and views between upper town and valley.
The postys, small passages with much to tell
The Fluide cultural route recalls the local name postys for certain lanes associated with former guard routes. These passages also serve gardens and connect town levels. Another historical thread is vine-growing, continued today by Clos des Zouaves. Walls are therefore not scenery placed on a slope; they enable uses, protect soil and shape a way of living. This blend of necessity and beauty makes the walk appealing.
Choosing your route and arriving by train
Start with Thuin Tourist Office for maps, viewpoints and guided visits providing access to spaces agreed by owners. Cobbles, steps and slopes require suitable shoes and a route chosen for everyone's mobility. Thuin SNCB station is the nearby station. Then walk to the upper town and place du Chapitre by your chosen route; it is a climb, not level access. Check return trains before the walk. The belfry and Fluide artworks can complement the outing under their own access conditions.
Photos and credits
Photo 1 — The Hanging Gardens and upper town of Thuin, September 2018. Jmh2o · CC BY 4.0 · Source.
Photo 2 — Hanging Gardens in Posty Bury, September 2018. Jmh2o · CC BY 4.0 · Source.
Photo 3 — Terraces of Thuin's Hanging Gardens, September 2018. Jmh2o · CC BY 4.0 · Source.
