Old Walloon inns: how did people travel and eat in the past?
Before railways and cars, Walloon inns offered meals, beds, news and a stopping place for travellers and their horses.
A stop along the road
Inns stood near crossroads, bridges, markets or staging posts. Travellers found a roof, warmth and relative safety for the night. Horses could be fed, rested or changed when the establishment also served as a coaching inn.
People ate what the house could provide
A menu in the modern sense did not always exist. Soup, bread, cheese, cured meats, eggs or a stew were commonly served, depending on the season and local resources. A shared pot allowed several arrivals to be fed without knowing exactly when they would come.
A place for news
The inn connected local people to the outside world. Coachmen, merchants, soldiers and travellers brought news, rumours and letters. People negotiated, recruited, talked and sometimes conducted business there. A meal was inseparable from this movement of people.
Traces still visible today
Some Walloon buildings recall their past as staging posts through a large gateway, courtyard or former stables. Looking at them helps us understand a time when travelling meant moving slowly, depending on the weather and measuring the road from one inn to the next.
