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8 Route 7. HAL. From London
of art and part of its library through a destructive fire in 1900, is shown
on written application to the Prince.
Blaton is the junction for the lines to Leuze (p. 7), to Péruwelz-Tournai
(see p. 6), and to Saint-Ghislain-Mons (p. 79), and of branch-lines to Quevau-
camps and to Bernissart.
From ATs To St. GHISLAIN (pp. 79, 216), 14 M., railway in ca. 50 minutes.
Beyond Ath are several small stations at which the express does not
stop. From (440 M.) Bassily a branch-line diverges to Renaix (p.79).
116 M. Enghien, Flem. Edingen or Einghen (4190 ft.; Hotel du
Pare, at the station, R.41/o, D. 2fr.), the next important place,
a town with 3900 inhab., many of whom are occupied in lace-making
(‘point de Paris’), is the junction of the line from Ghent to Braine-
le-Comte and Charleroi (R. 18). The fine old *Park of the Duc
d’Arenberg formerly contained the ancestral chateau of the Ducs
d@’Enghien, which was destroyed during the French Revolution. The
ivy-clad old chapel, with its carved oaken door, contains a well-
preserved triptych, ascribed to Jan Coninxloo. Adjacent is a Capuchin
Convent, the church of which contains the beautiful alabaster *Tomb
of Guillaume de Croy, Archbishop of Toledo(d. 1521), richly adorned
with figures and ornaments in the style of the early Italian Renais-
sance, transferred hither in 1843 from the Celestine abbey of Héverlé,
near Louvain.
From EnNGuIEN To Courrral, 41!/2 M., railway in 21/4 hrs. (fares 6 fr. 40,
4 fr. 30, 2 fr. 55.c.). Principal stations: 51/2 M. Bassily (see above); 12M.
Lessines (p. 7); 23!/2 M. Renaix (p. 79); 32 M. Avelghem (p. 81); Al'/2 M.
Courtrai (p. 79).
Steam Tramways to (121/2 M.) Lens (p. 7) via (8 M.) Thoricourt; to
(4121/2 M.) Soignies (p. 213); and to (20 M.) Brussels (Place Rouppe) vid Leer-
beek (p. 9).
The train quits the province of Hainault and enters Brabant.
119 M. Bierk or Bierghes; 124 M. Saintes; 122 M. Beert-Bellinghen.
125 M. Hal (1415 ft.; Hét. St. Martin, near the market-place),
situated on the Senne and the canal of Charleroi, with 14,300 inhab.,
is celebrated throughout Belgium as a resort of pilgrims. From the
station (departure side) we turn to the left and after a few paces
we cross the canal, to the right, and follow the Rue de la Station,
passing the Avenue du Pare (on the right), to the (8 min.) Grand’
Place, in the middle of which is a statue, by Godebski, to A. Fr.
Servais (d. 1866), the violoncellist, a native of Hal. To the right
is the Hétel de Ville, built in 1616, a slender three-storied build-
ing of brick and stone, with a lofty roof. To the left is the church
of * Notre Dame (formerly St. Martin), a pure Gothic edifice, begun
in 1341 and consecrated in 1409. The *High Altar is a fine Re-
naissance work in alabaster, execnted by Jan Mone in 1533, with
reliefs representing the seyen Sacraments, statuettes of the four
Evangelists and the four great Fathers of the Church, and a figure
of St. Martin sharing his cloak with a beggar. The miracle-working
image of the Virgin has been in Hal since 1267. The Gothic bronze
font, the lectern, and a late-Gothic tabernaculum are also note- |