Charleroi — The Gueules Noires Charter

Your investigation begins on Place Charles II, created in 1666 during the founding of Charleroi by Charles II of Spain. This 12,000 m² square, formerly a place of public executions until the 19th century, is surrounded by 18th-century mansions. The Charleroi City Hall, built between 1666 and 1672 by Jean-Baptiste Soisne on the site of the former Saint-Christophe church, with its UNESCO-listed belfry in 1999 and its 40-meter tower housing an 18th-century clock, is the first milestone of your mission. It is here, the seat of municipal power since the city's founding, that the first laws governing miners' work were enacted. Look for the symbols engraved on the classical baroque facade.

Continue towards the Maison du Peuple de Charleroi, an Art Nouveau building constructed in 1899 by Joseph Boveroul at the corner of Rue de la Buisset. This place, once Belgium's largest performance hall with 2,500 seats, was an essential trade union center for the Belgian Workers' Party (POB) and the miners' labor movements. Although destroyed by fire in 1967 and its facade rebuilt in 1970, its spirit remains. The walls of this Maison du Peuple resonated with the speeches of Paul Pastur, a socialist political figure, and Jules Destrée, a Walloon lawyer and politician, whose ideas shaped the city and Hainaut.

Your journey then leads you to the Paul Pastur University of Labor. Founded in 1902 by Paul Pastur himself as a technical school for workers' children, its buildings were designed by architect Victor Horta in 1903-1905, in an Art Nouveau style. With an initial capacity of 1,200 students, it was the first secular higher technical education institution in Wallonia, classified as a Belgian Historic Monument in 1992. This site embodies the promise of emancipation through knowledge for working-class families, a pillar of the Charter you are seeking. Analyze the Art Nouveau motifs to uncover hidden messages.

The road takes you to the Charleroi Miners' Monument, inaugurated on May 1, 1936, on Place de la Dour in Marcinelle. This work by sculptor Égide Melin, a group of 8 bronzes 3 meters high weighing 12 tons, pays tribute to the 1,043 miners who died in the Bois du Cazier disaster on August 8, 1956. This monument is a testament to the harshness of mining work and the solidarity of the Black Faces. It symbolizes the struggle for dignity and safety, fundamental principles enshrined in the Charter and the collective memory of Hainaut's industrial heritage. Observe the sculpted faces for clues.

Finally, your quest brings you back to the Porte de France, an ancient fortified entrance built in 1666 and restored in 1986. The sole survivor of the 7 gates of the Vauban system, this 20-meter-high structure, whose drawbridge was replaced in 1755, is a remnant of the fortifications dismantled in 1821. It represents the passage between old fortified Charleroi and the industrial city where the labor movement emerged. You have explored the world glass capital and its heritage, understood the struggles and hopes of the miners, and found the elements that prove the existence of the Charter of the Black Faces. Your family exploration of Charleroi, a true Hainaut thematic circuit, has revealed an interactive visit of its history.

Votre exploration de Charleroi en famille, un véritable circuit thématique du Hainaut, vous a révélé une visite interactive de son histoire. Vous avez parcouru les sites clés de la ville, du Beffroi UNESCO 1999 aux chefs-d'œuvre de l'Art Nouveau Charleroi, et découvert le rôle central de la Capitale mondiale du verre dans le patrimoine industriel du Hainaut. Ce jeu de piste GPS vous a permis de comprendre l'évolution de cette ville, depuis sa fondation sous Charles II d'Espagne jusqu'à son rôle de Monument historique belge, en passant par les luttes des Gueules Noires. Chaque monument du Hainaut visité a éclairé un pan de l'histoire de Charleroi, rendant cette balade à pied une véritable découverte du patrimoine.