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"Made in Belgium :: Books"
"The Best Belgian Autors and Books about Belgium"
Search online for books, book reviews and summary,
novels and romans, discount on magazines subscriptions
Many history books, order and buy online at discount prices.
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"Ardennes : Biography and Books"
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The Ardennes is a plateau region to the south and east of Brussels. It is the first relief after the flatness of Flanders and the polders of the Netherlands. The Ardennes has rolling hills, wooded valleys and ravines with rapid rivers. The region is primarily located in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretches into northern France as well. The name of the Ardennes derived form the ancient Arduenna Silva, a forest in the same area in Roman times.
The Ardennes is divided in three areas: the High Ardennes in north-eastern Belgium, the Famenne Depression in the middle, and the Low Ardennes in south Belgium. The High Ardennes are typified by high hills and steep-sided valleys or ravines carved by fast-flowing rivers. In this area flows the river the Meuse and has the highest hill of the Ardennes, the Signal de Botrange, which is 694 meters high. The Low Ardennes are more open and rolling. The Famenne Depression splits the Ardennes in two. Erosion made depressions in the limestone and the region is well-known for its many caves, as those at Han-sur-Lesse.
The three main cities in the Ardennes are: Liege, an industrial city known for its steel products; Namur, the historic, strategic, fortified city and Tournai, the oldest city in Belgium and considered to be one of the most important cultural sites in the country. The rest of the Ardennes is sparsely populated and agriculture and cattle raising are the main occupations.
The highly strategic position of the Ardennes has made it a battleground for centuries. One of the first armies battering through the region was of Julius Caesar in 53 BC. Later on the French, the Spanish, the Dutch and the Austrians all took turns to fight over the area. As a result there are many interesting castles and fortifications to visit in the Ardennes.
It was also the scene of heavy fighting in both World Wars. Germany made a rapid passage through the Ardennes to attack a relatively lightly defended part of France. The most famous battle was the Battle of the Bulge in 1944-45. The attack was officially known as the Ardennes Offensive and was the last major Nazi offensive against the Allies. The Battle of Bulge has been subject of many books and a film (1965). Nowadays, there are many reminders of the battle visible in the Ardennes. Practically every village in the Ardennes has its own memorials and a tank on the town square.
The Ardennes is also an important tourist destination in Belgium. The region is famous for the stone villages and farmhouses of which many were rebuilt after the destruction of the Battle of the Bulge. The woods, rivers and nature reserves form an attraction to those interested in outdoor activities including hunting, cycling, canoeing and cross country skiing. And one of the most famous towns in the Ardennes is Spa, renowned for its mineral water baths since Roman times. This well-visited town gave name to ‘health resorts’ in the whole world.
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