Havré

An image of Havré

Havré (Walloon: Avrè) is a Belgian village and district of the city of Mons, Wallonia, in the province of Hainaut. It was a municipality until the fusion of the Belgian municipalities in 1977.

Etymology[]

The village's name would likely originate from the old name Haverec. However, etymologists are uncertain about the origin and meaning of the name. Some say it would mean Country of the hops, some other think it would mean cleared ground, and more recently a German line of thought associate it with a German word that could translate to wild ash tree.

Geography[]

Havré is a village situated at the confines of the Borinage and the Centre region. It is traversed by the Canal du Centre and the Haine river. It is situated next to Boussoit, Bray, Mons, Obourg, Saint-Symphorien, Ville-sur-Haine, and Villers-Saint-Ghislain.

Economy[]

Havré was a wealthy municipality from the 19th century to 1950, with forests, salt refinery, tannery, tabac fabric, gunpowder factory, glass factory, phosphat quarry, but mostly thanks to coal mines which employed more than a thousand people.

In 1960, after the last coal mine closed, the village became a commuter-town for people mainly working in Brussels, Mons, and Charleroi.

In the tertiary sector of the economy, Havré counts several bank branches and shops, including small and medium supermarkets. More over, there are numerous retail and handicraft shops. Sport is also well developed with infrastructure for tennis, football, and basketball.