Nandrin: Towers, Romanesque Architecture and Valleys

Nandrin can be explored in many different ways: medieval towers and Romanesque architecture sit alongside a museum devoted to rural life and landscapes featuring rocks, valleys and a diverse range of wildlife. If you are travelling with children, architectural styles, rocks and habitats can provide shared topics of conversation. You can shape your stay around cultural and natural history interests, rather than focusing all your activities on the same theme.

Towers, music and places of remembrance

The Tour du donjon dates from the 13th century and was part of a castle that stood from the 14th to the 18th century. Another distinctive building is the square Tour de Nandrin: it is 22 metres tall and has five storeys as well as a partly underground cellar. The two towers offer different points of connection to the history of the area – the Tour du donjon through its link to the castle, and the Tour de Nandrin through its dimensions and vertical layout.

History also becomes personal in Place Ovide Musin: a plaque on the house where he was born commemorates the violinist and composer Ovide Musin. This link to music and biography complements the architectural landmarks with another perspective on local culture.

Romanesque architecture and local history

Since 1933, the Saints-Pierre-et-Paul Church has been part of the exceptional immovable heritage of the Walloon Region in the province of Liège. It is a 12th-century Romanesque church built from Pierre d’Avoine, and is considered the only example of the Cluniac architectural style in Belgium. Its construction period and materials are tied to particular significance in architectural history.

The Priory of Saint-Séverin was founded in 1091. The Saints-Pierre-et-Paul Church was built between 1136 and 1145; its octagonal tower has paired windows set in arched openings. These are windows arranged in pairs within arches. A baptismal font made of Meuse limestone also dates from the 12th century. Lion reliefs and four bearded faces decorate the corners of the font; it rests on a shaft with twelve small columns. These details add a crafted object to the architectural picture.

The Musée de la Vie rurale Condruze offers another cultural perspective. It displays objects and illustrations that portray rural life in the Condroz area of Liège in times gone by. This brings the everyday life of the region into focus alongside its religious and architectural history.

Rock, valleys and wildlife

La Rochette is a distinctive outcrop of puddingstone. This sedimentary rock consists of pebbles held together by a natural sandy cement; the outcrop is also used as a climbing spot. Geology and activity come together here in one specific place – a different nature theme from the wildlife of the valleys.

The valleys of Fond d’Oxhe and Neufmoulin are home to kingfishers, white-throated dippers, black storks and black woodpeckers, among other species, as well as 35 species of day-flying butterflies. You are not guaranteed to see these animals on every visit, but they give an impression of the diversity of these habitats. The Promenade de la Rochette passes through wooded terrain to Les Rochettes in the picturesque valley of Fond d’Oxhe. This adds a specific route through the landscape to the habitats described above.

Choose the right focus for your stay

When looking for a holiday rental in Nandrin, you can start by deciding what you would like to focus on during your stay: should local history, with its towers, church and museum, take centre stage, or would you prefer the landscape, with its rocks, valleys and wildlife? If you are travelling with children, the different themes can also help you include both cultural discoveries and experiences in nature in your plans.

Discover more destinations: Clavier, Ouffet, Pepinster, Marchin, Wanze, Grâce-Hollogne, Dalhem, Amel.

Go to the regional travel overview: Liège.