Halle has a history that is far out of proportion to its modest size and sleepy demeanor. It’s probably best known for the nearby Hallerbos, a woodland famed for its extravagant springtime carpet of bluebells. The town itself is often an afterthought, despite having a pretty central market square overshadowed by the hulking 14th century St. Martin’s Basilica and the 17th century Staduis.
Although it’s only a short distance from the suburbs of Brussels along the canal to Charleroi, Halle is every inch the small provincial Flemish town. Having a seat at one of the several bars in the Grote Markt, ordering one of the region’s famed Gueuze sour beers, and relaxing in the shadow of St. Martin’s as you watch the world go by, makes a trip worthwhile in and of itself.
The size and magnificence of the Basilica gives a hint of the role of religion in the history of Halle. The town was once – although seemingly no more – a major pilgrimage site. That is almost entirely down to the antics of Our Lady of Halle, a statue of the Black Madonna gifted to the town in 1267 by the Count of Hainaut. It was this statue that began to draw pilgrims and would soon enter into the folklore of the town.
Local legend has it that the Black Madonna saved the town when Philip of Cleves laid siege to Halle in 1489. The Virgin is said to have caught hundreds of cannonballs in her cloak, saving the townsfolk. In an alcove in the church is a collection of stone and iron cannonballs as ‘proof’. The Madonna is on display high above the alter, but a replica is tucked into a side chapel filled with lighted candles.
Our Lady of Halle had already established a miracle making reputation before the siege. It’s claimed she saved 13 people from a shipwreck in 1405, and other alleged miracles includes saving an innocent man from the gallows. Such was her renown that royalty, including Edward I of England (Edward Longshanks from the film Braveheart), came from across Europe to pay their respects.
The pilgrim industry was boosted by the death of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy in Halle in 1404, mostly due to his heirs paying official visits to Halle to honor him. The flow of tens of thousands of pilgrims drawn by the Black Madonna’s heroics – until recently there were special pilgrim trains – has been reduced to a trickle today. These days the pilgrims are more likely to be found in the bars.
Halle is in the heart of lambic country, a flat beer that is later turned into lightly sparkling gueuze beer. It’s not to everyone’s taste, but if you like sour this might just be the beer for you. Belgium’s beer culture was named as an Intangible Cultural Heritage Of Humanity by UNESCO, and lambic is a thousand year old brewing method made with yeast borne on the wind from the Senne Valley. Who am I to argue with UNESCO.
In recent times, lambic beers have been saved from obscurity and seem to be thriving. Traditional breweries have grown and new ones emerged. The beer menu at bar Den Obelix on the Grote Markt offers a variety to try, from local favourite Boon to much more boutique brews. I tried a gueuze from Brouwerij Timmermans near Brussels, and one from Gueuzerie Tilquin, the only lambic brewery in French speaking Wallonia.
For gueuze fans, a trip to Lembeek (along the canal or one stop on the train) to visit the Boon brewery is fun. Other than a couple of museums in Halle there isn’t much else going on. I made my way to the station through Albert Park, named after a former Belgian king. It is notable for two things: a statue of King Leopold II, the Butcher of the Congo, and directly opposite a monument called ‘Homage to the Colonial Pioneers’.
The latter has a statue of a stereotypical African man gazing upwards at a mustachioed white colonial officer. The town council decided to keep the statues but said it would add information about the colonial history of Belgium. This seems to have disappeared, and the town authorities have failed to address the question of why they keep such odious statues in public? Perhaps Our Lady of Halle needs to perform one final miracle.
Beautiful street art.