"La Croix des Fiancés" (The Fiancés Cross) in Jalhay, Belgium
Article excerpt
The Hautes-Fagnes is the largest peat bog area in Belgium. It is located in the east of the country, close to the border with Germany. It occupies the highest point of the Kingdom, symbolised by the Signal de Botrange*. This…
The Hautes-Fagnes is the largest peat bog area in Belgium. It is located in the east of the country, close to the border with Germany. It occupies the highest point of the Kingdom, symbolised by the Signal de Botrange*. This immense peat bog, which is now about 10 km long and 6 km wide, was originally much larger. In this vast open space, man has added visual landmarks to avoid getting lost: isolated trees, monuments, crosses... One of the most famous of these is probably "La Croix des Fiancés" (the Cross of the Betrothed / Fiancés). But behind this romantic name lies a tragedy that claimed the lives of two lovers…
François Reiff, aged 32, was from Bastogne and worked as an excavator at the Gileppe dam site. Marie Solheid, aged 24, was from Xhoffraix and worked as a maid on a farm in Halloux. The two lovers met in 1870 and became engaged. On January 22nd, 1871, a snowstorm hit the region. In spite of this, they set off for Xhoffraix (then in Prussia) to collect the necessary documents for their marriage. They never arrived. Two months later, on March 22nd, a Prussian customs officer, carrying out the first border check after the snow had melted, discovered Marie's body near the Belgian-Prussian border post 151. Inside her dress was a message, clumsily written by François: "Marie vient de mourir et je vais le faire" ("Marie has just died and I'm going to do it (too)"). Unfortunately, he was right: his body was found on March 13th, two kilometres to the west (he had probably set off in that direction to reach the village of Solwaster).
Since at least 1906, a cross has marked the spot where Marie was found. It is next to the old Belgian-Prussian border. Old photographs show a clear change: the completely open countryside has now become wooded (due to the disappearance of cattle farming and the desire to use it for forestry). However, the cross has remained a landmark for walkers. They still stop there. Some of them place heather flowers in memory of the unfortunate lovers, in remembrance of the ultimate tragedy that had befallen them: they were buried in their respective villages, so they will be separated forever…
*: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/signal-de-botrange