Cascade Monumentale

The monumental fountain was built in 1862, the date of which appears on the base along with the name of the author of the cast iron statues, namely the Brussels sculptor Jacques Jacquet.

On the Rue Sauvenière side, a white marble bas-relief representing Queen Marie-Henriette, framed by the royal coat of arms, adorns the top of the wall from which, between large stones, the water of the fountain flows abundantly.

The fountain was established on the site of an old mill. On the four stone slabs framing the fountain in pairs, whose water falls into a semicircular basin surrounded by a cast-iron grille decorated with vine leaves, were engraved in 1896 the names of about 170 more or less famous foreigners who, from the 16th to the 20th century, came to Spa to "take the waters" with the date of their visit. Among the first names of these 16th century "Bobelins" are Montaigne and Guichardin; the last names are those of Leopold III and Queen Astrid as well as Poincaré.

This list engraved in stone is the architectural counterpart of the famous "Livre d'Or" by Antoine Fontaine, dating from 1852, which can be admired in Pouhon Pierre-le-Grand. In it, the Spadian painter depicted 94 famous visitors alongside or below the statues of Pliny the Elder and Saint Remacle.

The monumental fountain was restored in 1990 by the Spadois architect Fr. Bourotte. Its water is now supplied in a closed circuit by means of a pump.

References: "Réalités"