Bohan (; ) is a village 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 ...

and a district of

Vresse-sur-Semois Vresse-sur-Semois (, literally ''Vresse on Semois''; ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Alle, Bagimont, Bohan, Chairière, Laforêt, Membre, Mo ...

, located in the province of Namur,

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 ...

. Most of the buildings in the village date from the 18th & 19th centuries. Bohan is located in the Belgian

Ardennes 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 and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...

mountains on the banks of the

Semois The Semois (; ''Simwès'' in Walloon, often under elided form ''Smwès''; ''Semoy'', ''Sesbach'' in German, ''Setzbaach'' in Luxembourgish of Arlon; and known as the ''Semoy'' in France) is a river flowing from the Ardennes uplands of Belgium a ...

river. Bohan is only 2 km from the French border (just across from the town of Charleville) and is surrounded by splendid walks and nature, as well as being close to important second world war sites in the Ardennes. The micro-climatic conditions in Bohan are very mild. Bohan is the former centre of the forgotten

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

agriculture in Belgium, evidence of which can still be seen in the village today. Today Bohan is famous for its specialties like tobacco,

trout Trout (: trout) is a generic common name for numerous species of carnivorous freshwater ray-finned fishes belonging to the genera '' Oncorhynchus'', ''Salmo'' and ''Salvelinus'', all of which are members of the subfamily Salmoninae in the ...

fishing and

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

. The population of Bohan during the year is very small (in the village itself this is around 100) and mainly agricultural; however during the summer the population of the area swells to be several thousand due to this being one of the centres of holidays in Belgium. Destroyed Semois bridge near Bohan 2

The village is made up of a main square (on which there is a church from the 17th century, plus a number of different bars and restaurants, as well as two butchers and a patisserie) and then a couple of side roads. Due to the Semois river on one side and the hills all around, there is not much room for the village to grow any further. In the area are a large number of camping and holiday parks, thanks to the walking, cycling, horse-riding and kayaking opportunities on offer in the area. The whole surrounding area is a nature lovers paradise. The village also has an important Delhaize grocery and general store, as well as a post office, so is very well catered for given its small size. Bohan has two bridges across the Semois river. The first is built in stone and is missing two arches. This bridge was originally started in 1930 and was opened in 1935, formed to carry the tram that went through the village to Membre (another village 3 km up the road). On May 11, 1940 two arches were blown up by the French army, to stop the German advance through the Ardennes. The bridge was repaired in 1941, only to be destroyed again in 1944 by the German army as it retreated from Belgium. The bridge remains today with its missing arches, although the tram tracks themselves have long disappeared. The second bridge was built in the 1950s and today is festooned with European and USA flags to show peace and harmony between the various countries. Bohan is part of the Commune of

External links

* *
Official website Vresse sur Semois
* Vresse sur Semois Wikipedia {{coord , 49.86412, N, 4.8853, E, region:BE_type:city, display=title Former municipalities of Namur (province) Vresse-sur-Semois