Sambre
| Sambre | |
|---|---|
 The Sambre in the centre of Namur. |
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| Origin | Picardie |
| Mouth | Meuse 50°27′43″N 4°52′15″E / 50.46194°N 4.87083°ECoordinates: 50°27′43″N 4°52′15″E / 50.46194°N 4.87083°E |
| Basin countries | Belgium, France |
| Length | 193 km |
| Source elevation | 199 m |
| Basin area | 2,740 km² |
The Sambre is a river in northern France and Wallonia, left tributary of the Meuse River. The ancient Romans called the river Sabis.
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Course [edit]
The source of the Sambre is near Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache, in the Aisne department. It passes through the Franco-Belgian coal basin, formerly an important industrial district. Its Belgian portion was at the western end of the sillon industriel, which was Wallonia's industrial backbone. It is canalized along much of its length and flows into the Meuse River at Namur, Belgium. The Sambre is connected with the Oise River by the Sambre-Oise Canal.
The Sambre flows through the following departments of France, provinces of Belgium and towns:
- Aisne (F): Barzy-en-Thiérache
- Nord (F): Landrecies, Aulnoye-Aymeries, Hautmont, Maubeuge
- Hainaut (B): Thuin, Montigny-le-Tilleul, Charleroi
- Namur: Floreffe, Namur
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The Sambre at Aulne
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The Sambre at Flawinne (Namur)
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The Sambre at Ham-sur-Sambre
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The Sambre at Moustier-sur-Sambre
Events [edit]
- The mother of Rene Magritte, a famous surrealism painter killed herself by drowning in this river.
Battles [edit]
The nineteenth-century theory that the Sambre was the location of Julius Caesar's battle against a Belgic confederation (57 BC), has been discarded long time ago,[1] but is still repeated.
Heavy fighting occurred along the river during World War I, especially at the siege of Namur in 1914 (Battle of Charleroi) and in the last month of the war (Battle of the Sambre (1918)).
References [edit]
- ^ Pierre Turquin ("La Bataille de la Selle (du Sabis) en l' An 57 avant J.-C." in Les Études Classiques 23/2 (1955), 113-156) has proved beyond reasonable doubt that the battle was fought at the River Selle, west of modern Saulzoir.
External links [edit]
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Sambre |
- The Sambre at the Sandre database
