Three components characterizing the Famenne-Ardenne UNESCO Global Geopark are clearly visible in the landscape: Famenne, to the north, is a large depression with a schistose substratum. The Ardennes, to the South, form a vast plateau mainly composed of sandstone rocks. Between the two, the Calestienne presents a calcareous bedrock, rich in karst phenomena. The karst of this region is emblematic and its geological evolution, with disappearing and reappearing rivers, sinkholes and remarkable caves, has helped fashion the Geopark’s omnipresent human activity. Limestone water is, moreover, essential in the brewing of the famous and typical ‘Rochefort Trappist’ beer.
Cave of Hotton, Hotton: This extraordinary natural heritage is the only cave to be fully listed as a protected site, and was even awarded two stars in the Michelin guide.(Famenne-Ardennes, Belgium)
© Geopark Famenne-Ardenne
