Houffalize, city in Wallonia, Belgium
Houffalize is a small city in the Belgian Ardennes, set in a valley carved by the Ourthe River and surrounded by wooded hills. The old town is made up of stone houses with tiled roofs, grouped around a church and a central square from which narrow lanes spread outward.
Houffalize was a small village for many centuries, gaining some importance in the Middle Ages as a crossing point on the Ourthe. During the winter of 1944 to 1945, the town was almost completely destroyed by allied bombing during the Battle of the Bulge and had to be fully rebuilt afterward.
The name Houffalize likely comes from an old word meaning gorge or narrow valley, which fits the landscape well. On the main square, small cafes fill up on weekday mornings and local markets bring regional produce and handmade goods to the center.
The center is compact and easy to walk, with many marked hiking trails starting directly from town and leading into the surrounding hills and valleys. For those who want to explore further, the area has a good network of cycling routes that connect to nearby villages.
A German Panther tank recovered from the Ourthe River after the World War Two fighting was restored and now stands in the town center as a memorial. A few kilometers away, near the village of Nadrin, the Rock of Hérou is a large schist outcrop that forces the Ourthe to bend sharply, creating a natural viewpoint over the forested valley below.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 60,000 contributors worldwide.
