Towns / Villages Sart at Jalhay - Points of interest

Description

It all began in 915, when the Bishop of Liège authorised clearing (essartages) in our deciduous forest. People from Theux came to clear the trees. At the time, there was only one road: the Vecquée, and there was already a hospital at Cockaifagne.
The fagne reigned over the entire high plateau. Between 950 and 1130, Sart separated from Theux. In the 12th century, Stavelot evangelised our land (Saint Lambert). Within the Marquisate of Franchimont, Sart was second only to Theux in importance, ahead of Verviers, Jalhay and Spa. Our "Place du Marché" dates back to the weekly market authorised by the Prince Bishop in 1554. Our staircase, which was granted by the Liège authorities in 1458, symbolises the freedoms of which the principality was proud. It was in 1573 that Jalhay and Spa separated from Sart. Our "Old Oak", the oldest living citizen, could tell the story of the village and its legends, such as "le Trou des Sottais", "le Pavé du Diable", "la Table des Makrales", "la Bête de Staneux" or "l'Étable du Loup"... Iron fate, iron heads, iron soil, that's Sart The Sartois, like all the inhabitants of the Haut Plateau, have had to work hard over the centuries in a hostile land, under a hostile sky. Just think! Our forefathers ploughed the wooded land to make it suitable for cultivation, clearing it, rotating the crops (rye, oats, potatoes) and then leaving it fallow. They lived mainly off the products of the forest and the countryside (wood, charcoal, oak bark, etc.).
They extracted iron from the country, working it first on the plateau (energy, the wind), then on the Hoëgne and the Wayai. In the 15th century, there were 17 foundries and 2 hammers operating along the Wayai, powered by water. The only fuel needed for this industry was charcoal. Woodcutters and charcoal-makers worked hard! In 1468, following a failed coup by 600 Franchimontois, Charles the Bold destroyed the entire village and its metal industry. It was a disaster for our farmers, but everything rose from the ashes: thatched cottages, industry, stoops... The 17th and 18th centuries saw the decline of our metallurgy industry (ore was scarce and mining was not very profitable). The water from the two Fagnard rivers was used almost exclusively to power the numerous grain mills. From the 16th to the 18th centuries, Sart and Jalhay suffered enormously from the passage of foreign military troops, especially Austrian and French. Major arson attacks ravaged the town:
1615, the church and 42 houses! 1651, the Petit Sart and the main street! Only the Lespire house, dating from 1616, has been spared and is the pride of the village, along with the church and its fortified tower, the porch, the old oak tree, the fountain, the old farms, the Bronfort house, the Maison du Maquis and the Château du Petit Sart. Sart: "Nos r'prindans rècène" Since 1976, the Comité Culturel de Sart-Jalhay has been organising the Fêtes des Vieux Métiers in the pedestrianised village of Sart. This is not a trade fair, but a celebration of authenticity. The simple gestures of local people, traditional music, period food and drink in a quality setting. Today, Sart (the former commune) has a population of 1,860 and more than twenty farms. The town's resources lie mainly in forestry and tourism. - For more information: www.tourismejalhaysart.be

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