Travel Guide Stavelot

The old small town is famous for its carnival, when the "Blancs moussis" walk the streets. But, in any season, it is one of those discreet places where you spend hours strolling around in love, out of time, listening to the slow and singing talk of an authentic and affable corner of Wallonia. It is also a good starting point to explore the region. Stavelot is one of the oldest cities in Belgium. It was founded in 648 by Saint Remacle, who was in charge of evangelising the region. The twin abbeys of Stavelot-Malmedy had an important spiritual and political influence throughout the Middle Ages. Led by a prince abbot, Stavelot Abbey was the seat of a small autonomous principality attached to the Holy Roman Empire. The French Revolution put an end to the life of this abbey in 1794. In 1815, following the Congress of Vienna, Stavelot and Malmedy were separated: the latter was attached to Prussia, while Stavelot went to the Netherlands. Stavelot is the gateway to the Amblève valley where green tourism believes...