On the banks of the Meuse, not far from the Belgian border, the small town of Givet forms a harmonious picture which can be admired from the Meuse Bridge, with its pretty house fronts, Victory tower, Church of St. Hilary and hilltop citadel.
A stronghold overlooking the valley, the imposing Charlemont Fort was built by Charles V in the 16th century, then reinforced by Vauban in the 17th. Below the citadel stands the Victory tower, an old keep that was part of the castle of the Counts of La Marck, dating from the 14th and 15th centuries.
The cave photo? “Givet Pointe's geology presents several unusual aspects. The Meuse valley deeply cuts into limestone and it is here that Jules Gosselet defined the Givétien stratotype in 1879. But rocks diversity is broad; in addition to a limestone known as Givet blue stone, there are shales, sandstones, an old fluorite quarry and many fossils, notably trilobites. Some limestone caves complete the inventory with their stalactites and stalagmites.
