The little town of Malmédy (Latin "malmundarium" = cleansed from evil ones) is in the province of Liège at the confluence of the Warche and Warchenne on the southern slope of the thickly wooded and scenically very charming Hohe Venn. About 90 per cent of the inhabitants are Walloons who speak French or the local Walloon dialect; about 10 per cent are German speakers. The varied history of Malmédy, which is due in no small measure to its situation in the frontier region of Belgium, has for a long time led to economic disadvantage of the area. This could only be improved after the Second World War.
Several new industries arose so that today canneries, a paper factory, and a dairy are the most important industrial concerns of Malmédy. In addition the town developed into an important educational center. The well-tended town and the wooded surroundings have also contributed to the prosperity of the place and tourism is now an important economic factor.
For a long time Malmédy was a source of dispute between France, the Netherlands and the German kingdom, and has changed its national allegiance several times in the last 200 years.
The town developed from an abbey founded in 648 by St Remaclus, the Bishop of Maastricht, and from the ecclesiastical town of Malmédy-Stavelot. Malmédy lived in constant rivalry with neighboring Stavelot for pre-eminence in this independent and self-governing principality. In 1690 French troops almost completely destroyed the town and in 1795 it was incorporated into France. After the defeat of Napoleon I it was annexd in 1815 to Prussia and not until 1925 did it become Belgian. In 1940 the town was occupied by German troops and in 1944 was attacked in error by U.S. bombers when parts were destroyed, although it had by then been occupied by American forces.
"Cwarmê" (carnival) is renowned. For four riotous days known as "Grandes Haguètes" there are large processions and traditional figures such as the "Haguètes" and the "Sotê" appear.
Malmédy is surrounded by beautiful woods and is an excellent place for invigorating walks.
Almost adjoining the town lies the German-Belgium Nature Park with its center at Botrange. A short walk in the direction of Stavelot leads to the Rocher de Falize, an impressive rock pinnacle towering up over the Warche.
About 12km/7.5miles south from Sankt Vith is Burg Reuland; it owes its name to the castle from which the surrounding territory was controlled during the Middle Ages.
To the south of the cathedral in the Ruelle des Capucins can be found the Capuchin church dedicated in 1631; the interior mostly dates from the 17th and 18th centuries.
The townscape of Malmédy is characterized by houses with slates decorating their fronts. The slates are so arranged that on close inspection patterns and even inscriptions can be discerned.
There are good examples in the street called Rue devant les Religieuses, in the Rue de la Tannerie and in the Place de la Fraternité.
The center of Malmédy is the Place de Rome. The most important building in the square is the Maisons de Cavens erected in 1830 as an orphanage. Today it houses the tourist office, the national paper museum (Musée National du Papier) and the carnival museum (Musée du Cwarmê).
Address: Maison de Cavens, Place de Rome 11, B-4960 Malmedy, Belgium
The Pouhon des Iles in the northwest on the far side of the Warche is a mineral spring rich in iron. On the bridge over the Warche which leads to the spring stands the oldest chapel in Malmédy, dedicated in 1544.
Robertville, 10km/6mi northeast of Malmédy, is a popular holiday and leisure center thanks to its reservoir, the Lac de Robertville, its close proximity to the German-Belgium Nature Park as well as to the skiing district of Ovifat. The lake which has an area of 63ha/156 acres contains 8 million cu.m of water (approx. 10 million cu.yd) and was dammed between 1925 and 1919 by a wall 54m/177ft high and 120m/394ft long; it provides electricity and water for Malmédy.
Less than a kilometer from the reservoir rises the mighty and picturesque Burg Reinhardstein, surrounded by a park in the valley of the Warche into which a waterfall plunges down 50m/164ft. The castle was built in 1354 for Wenzel von Luxemburg and was for a long time owned by the dukes of Nassau until it came into the ownership of the ancestor of the Austrian statesman Klemens Wenzel, Prince of Metternich, through the marriage of Anna von Nassau with William von Metternich. In the 19th century the castle fell into disrepair but was restored from 1969 according to the old plans.
The interior of the castle is open to the public; the first room to be seen is the Knight's Hall in which there is remarkable collection of weapons; in the castle chapel are religious works of art dating from the 14th to the 18th century.
Address: Burg Reinhardstein, Chemin du Cheneux 50, B-4950 Ovifat-Robertville, Belgium
Right on the German border, 22km/14miles south of Malmédy, lies Sankt Vith. Founded in the 12th C., it was Prussian from 1815 to 1919 and almost completely destroyed in 1944 by an Allied bombing attack. The only remnant of the old buildings is the Büchelturn dating from 1350.
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Burg Reuland, Belgium
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