The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
and
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
, extending into
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
and
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
Geologically, the range is a western extension of the
Eifel
The Eifel (; , ) is a low mountain range in western Germany, eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Com ...
; both were raised during the
Givetian age of the Devonian (382.7 to 387.7 million years ago), as were several other named ranges of the same greater range.
The Ardennes proper stretches well into Germany and France (lending its name to the
Ardennes department and the former
Champagne-Ardenne region
In geography, regions, otherwise referred to as areas, zones, lands or territories, are portions of the Earth's surface that are broadly divided by physical characteristics (physical geography), human impact characteristics (human geography), and ...
) and geologically into the Eifel (the eastern extension of the Ardennes Forest into
Bitburg-Prüm
The Eifelkreis Bitburg-Prüm () is a district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is bounded by (from the west and clockwise) Luxembourg, Belgium and the districts of Euskirchen, Vulkaneifel, Bernkastel-Wittlich and Trier-Saarburg.
History ...
, Germany); most of it is in the southeast of
Wallonia
Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...
, the southern and more rural part of Belgium (away from the coastal plain but encompassing more than half of the country's total area). The eastern part of the Ardennes forms the northernmost third of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, also called "
Éislek" (). On the southeast the Eifel region continues into the German state of the
Rhineland-Palatinate
Rhineland-Palatinate ( , ; ; ; ) is a western state of Germany. It covers and has about 4.05 million residents. It is the ninth largest and sixth most populous of the sixteen states. Mainz is the capital and largest city. Other cities are ...
.
The trees and rivers of the Ardennes provided the
charcoal industry assets that enabled the great industrial period of Wallonia in the 18th and 19th centuries, when it was arguably the
second great industrial region of the world. The greater region maintained an industrial eminence into the 20th century, after coal replaced charcoal in
metallurgy
Metallurgy is a domain of materials science and engineering that studies the physical and chemical behavior of metallic elements, their inter-metallic compounds, and their mixtures, which are known as alloys.
Metallurgy encompasses both the ...
. The strategic position of the Ardennes has made it a battleground for European powers for centuries; it was the site of major battles during both World Wars.
Geography

Much of the Ardennes is covered in dense forests, with the hills averaging around in height but rising to over in the boggy moors of the
High Fens region of south-eastern
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. The region is typified by steep-sided valleys carved by swift-flowing rivers, the most prominent of which is the
Meuse
The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of .
History
From 1301, the upper ...
. Its most populous cities are
Verviers in Belgium and
Charleville-Mézières in France, both exceeding 50,000 inhabitants. The Ardennes is otherwise relatively sparsely populated, with few of the towns exceeding 10,000 inhabitants. (Exceptions include Belgium's
Eupen
Eupen (, , ; ; ; former ) is the capital of German-speaking Community of Belgium and is a city and municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Belgium, Belgian Liège Province, province of Liège, from the Germany, German border (Aachen ...
and
Bastogne.)
The
Eifel
The Eifel (; , ) is a low mountain range in western Germany, eastern Belgium and northern Luxembourg. It occupies parts of southwestern North Rhine-Westphalia, northwestern Rhineland-Palatinate and the southern area of the German-speaking Com ...
range in
Germany
Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...
adjoins the Ardennes and is part of the same geological formation, although they are conventionally regarded as being two distinct areas.
High ranging summits
*
Signal de Botrange ,
Liège Province
Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is the easternmost province of the Wallonia region of Belgium.
Liège Province is the only Belgian province that has borders with three countries. It borders (clockwise from the north) the Dutch province of Limburg, the ...
, Belgium - highest point in the Ardennes, highest point in the
Benelux
The Benelux Union (; ; ; ) or Benelux is a politico-economic union, alliance and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighbouring states in Western Europe: Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. The name is a portma ...
countries
*
Weißer Stein ,
Mürringen,
Liège Province
Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is the easternmost province of the Wallonia region of Belgium.
Liège Province is the only Belgian province that has borders with three countries. It borders (clockwise from the north) the Dutch province of Limburg, the ...
, Belgium
*
Baraque Michel , Liège Province, Belgium
*
Baraque de Fraiture, , highest point of the Plateau des Tailles,
Luxembourg Province, Belgium
* Lieu-dit (= hamlet) Galata, , highest point on the Plateau de
Saint-Hubert, Luxembourg Province, Belgium
*
Kneiff, , highest point in the nation of
Luxembourg
Luxembourg, officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, is a landlocked country in Western Europe. It is bordered by Belgium to the west and north, Germany to the east, and France on the south. Its capital and most populous city, Luxembour ...
(Grand Duchy of Luxembourg)
*
Buurgplaatz, , Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
*
Napoléonsgaard, , near
Rambrouch, Grand Duchy of Luxembourg
*
Croix Scaille , on the border of the provinces of
Namur
Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration.
Namur stands at the confl ...
, Belgium, and
Champagne
Champagne (; ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, which demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
, France
Geology
The Ardennes are the remnants of a
mountain range
A mountain range or hill range is a series of mountains or hills arranged in a line and connected by high ground. A mountain system or mountain belt is a group of mountain ranges with similarity in form, structure, and alignment that have aris ...
formed during the
Hercynian orogeny; in France similar formations are the
Armorican Massif
The Armorican Massif (, ) is a geologic massif that covers a large area in the northwest of France, including Brittany, the western part of Normandy and the Pays de la Loire. It is important because it is connected to Dover on the British side o ...
, the
Massif Central, and the
Vosges. The low interior of such former mountains often contains coal, plus iron, zinc and other metals in the sub-soil. This geologic fact explains the greatest part of the geography of Wallonia and its history. In the North and West of the Ardennes lie the valleys of the
Sambre and
Meuse
The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of .
History
From 1301, the upper ...
rivers, forming an arc (
Sillon industriel) going across the most industrial provinces of
Wallonia
Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...
, for example
Hainaut Province
Hainaut ( , also , ; ; ; ; ), historically also known as Heynault in English, is the westernmost province of Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium.
To its south lies the French department of Nord, while within Belgium it borders ...
, along the river
Haine (the etymology of Hainaut); the
Borinage, the ''Centre'' and
Charleroi
Charleroi (, , ; ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the largest city in both Hainaut and Wallonia. The city is situated in the valley of the Sambre, in the south-west of Belgium, not ...
along the river Sambre;
Liège Province
Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is the easternmost province of the Wallonia region of Belgium.
Liège Province is the only Belgian province that has borders with three countries. It borders (clockwise from the north) the Dutch province of Limburg, the ...
along the river Meuse.
The region the Ardennes are part of has been uplifted further in the last few hundred thousand years by a
mantle plume
A mantle plume is a proposed mechanism of convection within the Earth's mantle, hypothesized to explain anomalous volcanism. Because the plume head partially melts on reaching shallow depths, a plume is often invoked as the cause of volcanic ho ...
, as measured from the present elevation of old river terraces, with the largest amount of uplift concentrated in the east, where the Ardennes connect with the Eifel, where the same mantle plume is also responsible for volcanic activity.
This geological region is important in the history of Wallonia because this former mountain is at the origin of the economy, the history, and the geography of Wallonia. "Wallonia presents a wide range of rocks of various ages. Some geological stages internationally recognized were defined from rock sites located in Wallonia: e.g.,
Frasnian (
Frasnes-lez-Couvin),
Famennian (
Famenne),
Tournaisian
The Tournaisian is in the ICS geologic timescale the lowest stage or oldest age of the Mississippian, the oldest subsystem of the Carboniferous. The Tournaisian age lasted from Ma to Ma. It is preceded by the Famennian (the uppermost st ...
(
Tournai
Tournai ( , ; ; ; , sometimes Anglicisation (linguistics), anglicised in older sources as "Tournay") is a city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, Province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies by ...
),
Visean (
Visé),
Dinantian (
Dinant), and
Namurian (
Namur
Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration.
Namur stands at the confl ...
)". Except for the Tournaisian, all these rocks are within the Ardennes geological area.
Economy
The Ardennes includes the greatest part of Belgium's
Luxembourg Province (not to be confused with the neighbouring Grand Duchy of Luxembourg), the south of
Namur Province, and
Liège Province
Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is the easternmost province of the Wallonia region of Belgium.
Liège Province is the only Belgian province that has borders with three countries. It borders (clockwise from the north) the Dutch province of Limburg, the ...
, plus a very small part of
Hainaut Province
Hainaut ( , also , ; ; ; ; ), historically also known as Heynault in English, is the westernmost province of Wallonia, the French-speaking region of Belgium.
To its south lies the French department of Nord, while within Belgium it borders ...
, as well as the northernmost third of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, called "
Éislek" () and the main part of the French
Ardennes department.
Before the 19th century industrialization, the first furnaces in these four Belgian provinces (all in the
Wallonia
Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...
region) and in the French Ardennes used charcoal for fuel, made from harvesting the Ardennes forest. This industry was also in the extreme south of present-day Luxembourg Province (which until 1839 was part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg), in the region called
Gaume. The most important part of the Walloon steel industry, using coal, was built around the coal mines, mainly in the region around the cities of
Liège
Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
, Charleroi,
La Louvière, the
Borinage, and further in the
Walloon Brabant (in
Tubize). Wallonia became the second industrial power area of the world (after Great Britain) in proportion to its territory and to its population (see further).
The rugged terrain and the harsh climate of the Ardennes limits the scope for
agriculture
Agriculture encompasses crop and livestock production, aquaculture, and forestry for food and non-food products. Agriculture was a key factor in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created ...
; arable and dairy farming in cleared areas form the mainstay of the agricultural economy. The region is rich in timber and minerals, and Liège and the city of
Namur
Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration.
Namur stands at the confl ...
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 a popular tourist destination.
Etymology
The region takes its name from the vast ancient forest known as ''Arduenna Silva'' in the
Roman Period. ''Arduenna'' probably derives from a
Gaulish
Gaulish is an extinct Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, ...
cognate of the
Brythonic word ''ardu-'' as in the ("high") and the
Latin
Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...
''arduus'' ("high", "steep"). The second element is less certain, but may be related to the Celtic element ''*windo-'' as in the Welsh ''wyn''/''wen'' ("fair", "blessed"), which tentatively suggests an original meaning of "forest of blessed/fair heights".
The Ardennes probably shares this derivation with the numerous ''Arden'' place names in Britain, including the
Forest of Arden.
History

The modern Ardennes region covers a greatly diminished area from the forest recorded in Roman times.
A song about Charlemagne, the
Old French
Old French (, , ; ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France approximately between the late 8th 12th-century
-4; we might wonder whether there's a point at which it's appropriate to talk of the beginnings of French, that is, when it wa ...
'', mentions many of Wallonia's rivers, villages and other places. In
, the magic bay horse which, according to legend, jumped from the top of the rock to the other bank of the Meuse.
On their
, the Vikings">Viking raids into the Rhineland#Raids in the winter of 881/882">pillaging raids in the years 881 and 882, the Vikings used the old Roman roads in the Ardennes, attacking the abbeys of Malmedy and Stavelot and destroying Prüm Abbey in the
.
The strategic position of the Ardennes has made it a battleground for European powers for many centuries. Much of the Ardennes formed part of the Duchy (since 1815, the Grand Duchy) of Luxembourg, a member state of the Holy Roman Empire, which changed hands numerous times between the powerful dynasties of Europe. In 1793 revolutionary France annexed the entire area, together with all other territories west of the
. In 1815, the
, restored the previous geographical situation, with most of the Ardennes becoming part of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. After the
, which resulted in the establishment of the Kingdom of Belgium, the political future of the Ardennes became a matter of much dispute between Belgium, Luxembourg and the Netherlands, as well as involving the contemporary
. As a result, in 1839, the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg ceded the westernmost 63% of its territory (being also the main part of the Ardennes) to the new
.
In the 20th century, leading military strategists generally considered the Ardennes to be unsuitable for large-scale military operations, due to its difficult terrain and narrow communication lines. However, in
, Germany successfully gambled on making a rapid passage through the Ardennes to attack a relatively lightly defended part of France. The Ardennes became the site of three major battles during the world wars: the
(1944–1945) in World War II. Many of the towns of the region suffered severe damage during the two world wars.
Allied generals in
believed that the region was impenetrable to massed vehicular traffic and especially armoured tanks, so the area was effectively "all but undefended" during the war. The German Army twice used this region to invade northern France and southern Belgium, via Luxembourg in the
. The forest's great size could conceal the
s, and because the French did not suspect that the Germans would make such a risky move, they did not consider a breakthrough there, or imagine that it would take at least 15 days for an army to pass through the forest. German forces, primarily under the command of
, carried out the plan in two days, and managed to slip numerous divisions past the
to attack France from the north, and rout the French forces. In May 1940 the German army crossed the
. Under the command of
. This was a crucial step in the push towards Paris, and
.
At the other end of the war, the Ardennes area came to prominence again during the
. The German Army, which had been forced to retreat for some time, launched a surprise attack in December 1944 in an attempt to recapture
and to drive a wedge between the advancing British and American forces in northern France. After a fierce battle the
forces blocked the German advance on the river Meuse at Dinant.
In the postwar period, the Ardennes has become a weekend retreat that is popular among Belgians as well as people from neighbouring countries. The tourist industry offers an extensive and varied range of activities and types of accommodation.
* Gerrard, John, ''Mountain Environments: An Examination of the Physical Geography of Mountains'', MIT Press, 1990