Ardennes
For the Ardennes horse, see Ardennes (horse).The
Ardennes (pronounced
ar-DEN) (
Dutch:
Ardennen) is a region of extensive forests and rolling hill country, primarily in
Belgium and
Luxembourg, but stretching into
France (lending its name to the
Ardennes département and the
Champagne-Ardenne région).
Much of the Ardennes is covered in dense forests, with hills averaging around 350-500 m (1148-1640 ft) in height but rising to over 650 m (2132 ft) in the boggy moors of the
Hautes Fagnes (Hohes Venn) region of north-eastern Belgium. The region is typified by steep-sided valleys carved by fast-flowing rivers, the most prominent of which is the
Meuse. Its principal cities,
Liège and
Namur, are both in the Meuse valley. The Ardennes is otherwise relatively sparsely populated.
The
Eifel range in Germany adjoins the Ardennes and is part of the same geological formation, although they are conventionally regarded as being two distinct areas.
|
View of the Meuse in the French Ardennes |
The region took its name from the ancient
Arduenna Silva, a vast forest in
Roman times that stretched from the
Sambre river in Belgium to the
Rhine in Germany. The modern Ardennes covers a much smaller area.
The highly strategic position of the Ardennes has made it a battleground for European powers for centuries. The region repeatedly changed hands during the early modern period, with parts or all of the Belgian Ardennes being incorporated into France, Germany, the
Spanish Netherlands and the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands at various times. In the
20th century the Ardennes was widely thought unsuitable for large-scale military operations due to its difficult terrain and narrow lines of communications. However, in both
World War I and
World War II, Germany successfully gambled on making a rapid passage through the Ardennes to attack a relatively lightly defended part of France. The Ardennes saw three major battles during the world wars – the
Battle of the Ardennes in World War I, and the
Battle of France and
Battle of the Bulge in World War II. Many of the towns of the region were badly damaged during the two world wars.
The rugged terrain of the Ardennes severely limits the scope for
agriculture, with arable and dairy farming in cleared areas the mainstay of the agricultural economy. The region is rich in timber and minerals, and Liège and Namur are both major industrial centres. The extensive forests have an abundant population of
wild game. The scenic beauty of the region and its wide variety of outdoor activities, including
hunting,
cycling,
walking and
canoeing, make it an important
tourist destination.
