Urban exploration - The underground Orne river
This short page is a documentary about the subterranean section of the Orne River. This location has no connection to the French department of the same name. The Orne meanders through Mont-Saint-Guibert and then Court-Saint-Étienne, before flowing into the Thyle within the castle grounds.
This is a visit that could be described as "not the easiest in the world." Deep pits are numerous. With the strong current and the uneven, stony bed, one is constantly off-balance. Countless spiders watch the curious spectacle with hope and delight: Fall down, old man, and rot away; we’re going to love it! Fortunately for many, that didn't happen, and I managed to make it back to the exit.
The middle of the route is marked by a lowering of the vault, which is, to say the least, painful to traverse. The clearance is not very generous.
Originally, the Orne wound through the pastures near the ancestral site of Les Hayeffes. During the construction of the paper mills by Auguste Lannoye, the river was covered—as was the case with a significant number of industrial sites. Mont-Saint-Guibert is a landscape of deep valleys. It was impossible to build a factory without covering the waterway due to a lack of space. It should also be noted that, within the context of the paper industry, the Orne provided a major water intake as well as a direct outlet for polluted effluents. It was exactly the same for the underground Lasne—another Auguste Lannoye site—which I documented ten years ago in Genval. In other words, the Orne has taken a real beating in the past; that’s no secret to anyone.
Today, the Orne mostly winds in secret. Buried in the woods, it reveals itself only to fishermen. For the majority of its course, it is bucolic and rural. The section beneath the paper mills is grim; the tunnel is poorly documented, if at all. The factories have been razed and have now made way for a housing development.
The end of the path leads to a very noisy waterfall, which collects the waters of both the Orne and the Hayeffes pond. And so, I invite you into the heart of the gloom. These photos allow you to visit in total peace of mind.
