LA ROCHE

la roche, a small town in the belgian ardennes, noticeable for its antiquity and its picturesque situation. pop. (1904) 2065. its name is derived from its position on a rock commanding the river ourthe, which meanders round the little place, and skirts the rock on which are the interesting ruins of the old castle of the 11th century. this is supposed to have been the site of a hunting box of pippin, and certainly the counts of la roche held it in fief from his descendants, the carolingian rulers. in the 12th century they sold it to the counts of luxemburg. in the 16th and 17th centuries the french and imperialists frequently fought in its neighbourhood, and at tenneville, not far distant, is shown the tomb of an english officer named barnewall killed in one of these encounters in 1692. la roche is famous as a tourist centre on account of its fine sylvan scenery. among the local curiosities is the diable-chateau, a freak of nature, being the apparent replica of a medieval castle. la roche is connected by steam tramway with melreux, a station on the main line from marloie to liege.