Thuin

Lore & Background

Thuin's origins trace to Gallo-Roman burial grounds of the 2nd and 3rd centuries. The earliest recorded name, Thudinium Castellum, appears in a 9th-century offering at Lobbes Abbey, referencing a Roman fortification. The village became a possession of Lobbes Abbey and, with the abbey, part of the Bishopric of Liège in 888. Prince-Bishop Notger later built a defensive wall, making Thuin the westernmost of the bishopric's 23 bonnes villes.

Throughout the Middle Ages, Thuin was a frontier battleground. In 1048, Adalbert, Duke of Lorraine was killed at the Battle of Thuin by Godfrey III, Duke of Lower Lorraine. The city was besieged multiple times despite stronger walls built in the 12th and 15th centuries. In 1654, the Spanish army under the Prince of Condé failed to take Thuin, a deliverance attributed to Saint Roch, still commemorated annually. French troops under Louis XIV occupied Thuin from 1675 until the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1678.

During the French Revolutionary Wars, General Marceau expelled the Austrians on May 10, 1794, and Thuin became part of France. The Aulne Abbey was burned. The last major heavy fighting occurred on August 23, 1914, at the onset of World War I, when the French army was nearly surrounded by the German army.

Reader's Guide

Thuin holds historical importance as a fortified frontier city of the Bishopric of Liège and as a site of repeated military conflict between the County of Hainaut and the bishopric. Its 17th-century belfry, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and the hanging gardens on the southern flank of the hill are notable landmarks. The ASVi museum preserves the history of the Belgian Vicinal tramway system, including a museum tramway running through town. The ruins of the 7th-century Aulne Abbey and the Château du Fosteau (14th–15th century) add to the city's heritage. The annual Saint Roch procession, reinstated in 1866 after a cholera epidemic, continues today. Thuin is also the headquarters of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale, the international canine association, giving it global relevance in dog breeding and show standards.

Did You Know?

• Thuin is the headquarters of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (International Canine Association).
• The Belfry of Thuin, dating from the 17th century, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
• The annual Saint Roch procession commemorates the city's deliverance from the Spanish army in 1654 and from a cholera epidemic in 1866.
• The Aulne Abbey, reputedly founded in the 7th century by a repentant robber named Landelin, was burned down in 1794.