landmark
Strépy-Thieu Boat Lift
A colossal 73 m boat elevator on the Canal du Centre, among the tallest in the world, hoisting entire barges in a concrete cathedral visible for miles across Hainaut.
12 km · about 20 min drive
Wallonia, Belgium · Europe
Mons is worth a stop: 5 minutes from Maisières, 36km from Hallerbos.
Mons is a town located in Wallonia, Belgium. With a population of 95,299, it is an important destination in Europe.
On a road trip, Mons sits in Belgium, where you drive on the right. It's in the Europe/Brussels time zone. Below you'll find where to stay, things to do nearby, and everything you need to add Mons to your route.
Mons (French: [mɔ̃s] ; German and Dutch: Bergen, Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbɛrɣə(n)] ; Walloon and Picard: Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium.
Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. The population grew quickly,Read more
trade flourished, and several commercial buildings were erected near the Grand-Place. In 1814, King William I of the Netherlands increased the fortifications, following the fall of the First French Empire. The Industrial Revolution and coal mining made Mons a centre of heavy industry. In 1830, Belgium gained its independence and the decision was made to dismantle the fortifications, allowing the creation of large boulevards and other urban projects. In 1914, Mons was the location of the Battle of Mons. The British were forced to retreat by a numerically superior German force and the town remained occupied by the Germans until its liberation by the Canadian Corps during the final days of the war. There are several memorial placards related to the World War I battles.
Today, the city is an important university town and commercial centre. The main square is the centre of the old city. It is paved in the manner of old cities and is home to many cafes and restaurants, as well as the Town Hall and Belfry. It is forbidden to park in or drive through the centre. Together with the Czech city of Plzeň, Mons was the European Capital of Culture in 2015.
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Discover famous landmarks, scenic roads, and more near Mons.
Mons offers many attractions including tourist sites, museums, parks, and local restaurants. Explore famous landmarks, scenic roads, and natural wonders on our interactive map and plan your visit.
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Mons is located in Wallonia, Belgium, Europe. The coordinates are 50.4541 latitude, 3.9523 longitude.
Mons has a population of approximately 95,299 people, making it a town in Belgium.
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8 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
A colossal 73 m boat elevator on the Canal du Centre, among the tallest in the world, hoisting entire barges in a concrete cathedral visible for miles across Hainaut.
12 km · about 20 min drive
landmark
Four UNESCO-listed 19th-century hydraulic boat lifts near La Louvière, still standing on the old Canal du Centre.
14 km · about 25 min drive
landmark
Belgium's most-visited attraction: a 75-hectare animal park built around a former Cistercian abbey in Hainaut, with full-scale Chinese, Indonesian and Middle Kingdom gardens housing giant pandas, gorillas and elephants.
15 km · about 30 min drive
racetrack
A flat, fast circuit that hosted two Belgian Grands Prix in the 1970s before closing in 1981. Much of the abandoned track survives among industrial development, its wide sweeping curves clearly readable from ground level.
32 km · about 35 min drive
natural wonder
The 'Blue Forest' near Halle carpets itself with millions of wild bluebells under beech trees each spring.
36 km · about 40 min drive
landmark
A grass pyramid topped by a cast-iron lion marks the 1815 battlefield where Napoleon met his final defeat.
41 km · about 45 min drive
ancient ruins
The vast romantic ruins of a 12th-century Cistercian abbey, roofless Gothic arches lost in woodland near Brussels.
44 km · about 50 min drive
museum
Baron Empain's 1934 marble-and-gilt Art Deco mansion on Avenue Franklin Roosevelt, restored by the Boghossian Foundation as an East-West art centre: Brussels' most sumptuous interior after the Horta houses.
50 km · about 55 min drive
April to October
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