Quenast

Quenast (in Walloon Kinåsse ) is a section of the common Belgian of Rebecq located in Walloon region in the Province of the Walloon Brabant.

It was a commune with whole share before the fusion of the communes of 1977.

Two wood are located on the communal territory: the wood of Neppe and the wood of Chenois. The village also consists of some hamlets among which the Coin Lost and the Petit Brussels .

Etymology

Old forms: Canatha (1119), Nahtha (1170), Chanaste (1219), Kenastia 13th century.

Assumptions: way (Latin caminus ) of Naast or way of the furnace (average Dutch nast ).

History

Fact little known, in 1961, the burgomaster of Quenast organized a local Référendum which gave a majority in favor of the Fédéralisme preached by the Walloon union leader André Renard.

It is at the House of the people of Quenast that the film of Thierry Michel was made, Hiver 60 (left in 1982), precisely on the General strike of the winter 1960-1961.

Inheritance and tourism

Careers of Quenast

Famous in the past for its " Paving stones " , famous the careers of porphyry of Quenast constitutes an industrial pole of the entity. Those gathered with the wire of time in a single exploitation which is always in activity currently.

Volcanic Pierre of origin, porphyry was exploited in the area of Quenast as of the 17th century by the inhabitants of the village to their personal use. Various private individuals benefit from the careers of Rebecq and Quenast until 1844, moment when Joseph Zaman starts to repurchase them. A few years later, the " Company Zaman and Cie" (created in 1854) included the most beautiful careers of the area. Joseph Zaman endeavors to industrialize the production and, in 1864, the company becomes the " Public limit company of the porphyry of Quenast" who will include the " New careers of Brabant" and " Careers of the Hermitage of Lessines" before being begun again in 1985 by the " S.A. Gralex".

The careers of Quenast form the greatest career with open sky of Europe. It has a surface of 140 ha. and now reached a depth of approximately 125 meters. This porphyry seam (volcanic stone of origin) extends from Quenast with Lessines under a score of meters of ground; it was exploited as of the 18th century. This very hard rock was traditionally used to make the famous Belgian road paving stones. Since 1946, thanks to the mechanization and the development of new line productions, the production turned to crushed materials: coated for road asphalt, ballast for railroads and especially TGV, flagstones, pipes.

The careers deeply marked the landscape and architecture rebecquois. The Spoil heaps, appelés" buts" , hills timbered with the foot form of which one still nowadays finds working houses with a typical architecture using the local stone.

The Lefebvre brewery

It is into 1876 that is born one from the most famous companies of the entity: the Brewery Lefebvre.

Always in activity, this Brasserie artisanal old woman 130 year old is located in the village of Quenast and was exploited by five generations of the Lefebvre family.

They is today only many breweries - formerly flourishing in Quenast - still in activity.

The church Martin Saint

Built in 1855 by the provincial architect Coulon, this building Néo-classique replaces a Gothic church XIVe century located in the old cemetery. A small cemetery surrounds it on three sides.

Inside, above the High altar Baroque, a table represents the Charity of Saint Martin. The church shelters also remarkable Orgues - oldest of Wallonia - dating from the 16th century and pointing out the Gothic influence.

Other centers of interest

In the middle of the roundabout of the district of the Suburb throne immense a Tortoise which seems left straight of another time. This one represents in fact the skeleton of a tortoise which was discovered a hundred years ago in the careers of Quenast. It would be about a single specimen in Europe and he would date of more than 50 million years.

Faithful reproduction of the original being with the Museum of the Natural science to Brussels, this tortoise is the work of a local artist. It is made out of polyester on a metal reinforcement. Dimensions of the statue are consequent: the height is of 2,50 meters and the width is of 1,20 meter.

A Vélodrome was also built in 2002, but it is only too seldom open.

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