Iron sandstone

On top of the historic ‘wine hill’ in a village nearby where I live , there is this restored stone wall made out of iron sandstone. The sandstones can be found (and carved out) close to the soil surface. It is suited to plant vines and stone fruit (peaches, prunes, apricots, cherries). The drainage is good and there’s not a lot of nitrogen. Limestone must be added because the sandstone tends to be acid.

Ages ago the wall was built there to protect the south facing vineyards from cold north winds. After having conquered the region, Napoleon Bonaparte destroyed all wine production in Flanders (Belgium) to protect the French vineyards. Early in the 20th century people started planting peach trees and apricot trees instead, which, in their turn, were swept away by cheap mass imports from the south of Europe in the sixties and seventies, when transport by plane and trucks became cheap and easy.

The region ended up being poor and isolated until recently, when it transformed into a resort for ‘upgraded’ locals and people from all over the world having jobs in nearby Leuven and Brussels.

I made this photo about 7 years ago.

#ajournalofuneventfuldays