In this article, we have listed the 5 most beautiful places to visit in Charleroi Belgium. Both bourgeois and industrial, quirky and good-natured, bohemian and trendy, just like the locals. It’s the cradle of the unusual where old industries become showcases for artists, where empty walls become gigantic canvases for street artists, where heaps are climbed, and where green areas invite you to hike.
Adding to this incredible metamorphosis that the city is going through, it becomes necessary to linger in Charleroi and take a walk there. For more travel articles about Belgium check this category and for all articles about Europe check this list. During your visit you can discover some of the top places to visit in Charleroi Belgium.
1. Museum of Photography of Charleroi
The Museum of Photography, located in Mont-sur-Marchienne, in the Charleroi region, is the largest museum in Europe dedicated to photography. Housed in an old religious building, the museum brings together a collection of more than 80,000 photographs, including more than 800 photos on permanent display and 3 million negatives.
More than 13,000 titles and 4,000 folders dedicated to photography can be consulted free of charge in the library of the Photography Museum.
2. Cazier wood Charleroi
Important witness to the industrial past of Wallonia, the Bois du Cazier is today a place of memory which illustrates the condition and immigration of workers.
During the Industrial Revolution, the country of Charleroi was the center of the country’s economic activity, and the Bois du Cazier, one of the main coal mines in Belgium. Closed in 1967, the site has since been reclaimed and is listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
3. Brussels-Charleroi Canal
The canal, or rather the canals (Willebroeck canal and Charleroi canal), have profoundly marked the landscape and the spatial structure of Brussels, influencing its urban development, socio-economic context and enriching its industrial architectural heritage.
4. St. Christopher’s Church
The chapel commissioned by Louis XIV for the garrison and dedicated to Saint Louis was transformed in 1722 and returned to the cult of Saint-Christophe. In 1957, the church underwent a spectacular restoration led by the architect Joseph André.This church is one of the best places to visit in Charleroi (Belgium).
The direction of orientation of the building was changed and, in the new nave, a grandiose mosaic was made, according to Jean Ransy’s cartoons, by specialists from Venice.
5. Belfry of Charleroi
Come and admire the belfry of the city of Charleroi, a monument listed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The belfry is part of the Town Hall of Charleroi, designed by the architect Joseph André in 1936.
It happily combines Classicism and Art Deco. 70 meters high and accessible by 250 steps, it is built of blue and white stone and brick. It is crowned by a bronze steeple. This is one of the top places to visit in Charleroi.
5 Beautiful Places to visit in Charleroi Belgium
- Museum of Photography of Charleroi
- Cazier wood
- Brussels-Charleroi Canal
- St. Christopher’s Church
- Belfry of Charleroi