Historical Overview
VINALMONT LIMESTONE
A NATURAL STONE - AN ETERNAL MATERIAL
Since the time of the Romans, who used it extensively,
Meuse Stone (Pierres de Meuse) acquired a widespread reputation facilitated by its central geographic origin
and its easy distribution via the navigable waterways and established routes.
From the middle ages it was utilised in most great buildings of the
Sambre-Meuse Valleys and was exported to Holland and Germany.
In more recent times, extraction intensified and utilisation was greatly extended
as is manifest in the sober rural and urban houses of the Meuse Valley as wel as in the monumental buildings.
These structures illustrate the tailored stone in all its renowned characteristics both alone and,
ever increasingly since the 16th century, in combination with the evolving modern brick.
Since time immemorial, the qualities of the stone has been appreciated for both construction and restoration.
Examples of Utilisation: the abbeys, churches and castles of the Meuse Valley, e.g.
the Palais des Princes Evêques de Liège and Antwerp Central Station. Over the last 25 years the Vinalmont stone
has been used in over eighty five prestigious buildings in Belgium, Luxembourg,
the Netherlands and Germany (the list of references is available).
Company
The company
The CARRIÈRE DE VINALMONT company has been in existence since 1910. It has almost one hundred years of experience in all applications of ornamental stone destined for the construction sector and for sculpture.
The company has a deposit of Vinalmont limestone covering a surface area of 85 hectares on the Wanzoule plain in the village of Wanze. This has enabled it to guarantee the availability of its products on the market for over a century,ensure the future of its 35-strong workforce and maintain a policy of development adapted to the needs of its clients.
Furthermore, it applies a very active policy regarding investments in order to keep up with ail the latest techniques,
which allows it to guarantee the quality of its products and meet delivery deadlines.
Vinalmont limestone is of great chemical purity. Moreover, this very finely grained stone is free of crinoids, which enables it to be easily identified.
