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More discreet than the imposing Sambre, the small river Biesmelle nevertheless contributed to the development of a major economic sector in Thuin’s history: the tanneries. Indeed, it was ideal for the installation of bark mills (used to grind oak bark to tan hides) and tanneries, where the hides had to be rinsed after maceration in the tanning pits. There was an abundance of oak trees and cattle. All the conditions were present to contribute to the development of a sector which included some dozen tanneries at its peak under the Ancien Régime.
Tanners lived in the Ville Haute and their place of work lay at the foot of the hanging gardens. A sober and moving trace of this past can be found in one of the parish registers: “In August 1657, Anne Julien, widow Hallez died suddenly upon her return from her tannery (…)”. Hence, they were continuously going between the two to such an extent that they left their indelible mark on the street names.
If you take the Chemin des Moulins and the Ruelle des Tanneurs today, you will be walking in their footsteps…
