Wéris, what is it and where can I find it ?

One of The Most Beautiful Villages of Wallonia

Wéris is a village in the borough of Durbuy in the Province of Luxembourg in Belgium. The village boasts a rich agricultural heritage and is renowned for the megaliths from prehistoric times; comprising dolmens, known as gallery graves and menhirs, or standing stones.

The village is situated in a verdant environment within easy reach of the prehistoric remains as well as pleasant walks and panoramas in the surroundings.

In the village itself, the museum, called The House of Megaliths, describes the megaliths and the peoples who constructed them and provides information about all local amenities. There is a cafeteria and little shop selling books, maps, and souvenirs of your visit.

So, Wéris is well worth adding to your itinerary. It is featured in the listing of the non-profit affiliation called ‘Les Plus Beaux Villages de Wallonie’ – The Most Beautiful Villages of Wallonia.

The Romanesque church of St. Walburga in Wéris dates back to the 11th century making it, along with the church in Tohogne, one of the oldest churches in the region. The square tower is the oldest part. The church underwent various alterations in the 16th and 18th centuries and was completely restored in the 20th century.

Opposite the entrance to the church is the ‘Tour’ or tower. In the Middle Ages it was the residence of the lord, the landowner of Wéris. Its walls some 1.6 metres thick, were built of local stone. Originally the tower was somewhat higher than it is today and it was probably during the 19th century that several floors were removed.
A magnificent centuries-old lime tree provides a canopy over the war memorial to the fallen of the First and Second World Wars.

Next to the terrace of the House of Megaliths is a half-timbered building from the 19th century; this is a ‘fournil’ – a communal bread oven restored in 2001.

In the village square - Place Arsène Soreil – is a beautiful cast-iron pump dating back to the beginning of the 20th century. This pump provided spring water to the villagers and water was also piped directly to several dwellings in the village. It was only in 1929 that Wéris was connected to the mains water supply and the connection to the electricity supply was made in 1933. Most of the farm buildings date from the 19th century and the walls consist of limestone and sandstone or are of half-timbered constructions.

In the street – ‘Rue des Combattants’ – at number 16, is the oldest farm building of Wéris. Around 1684, the owner of the blast-furnaces in the nearby Aisne Valley a certain J.J. Marchant constructed this fortified farm. Today it is a hotel cum restaurant called ‘Hotel Cor de Chasse’ – the Hunting Horn Hotel.