'Pyramide de Verlée' in Havelange, Belgium

Verlée is a small hamlet located an hour and a quarter's drive south-east of Brussels. Apart from a few limestone farmhouses, the village itself is small and of little interest. However, when leaving Verlée via the road to Petit Avin, visitors are surprised to discover a stone obelisk in the middle of the countryside. It stands on a ridge alongside the road. There are no nearby buildings and no signs explaining its presence. There is no inscription on it, and only the carved garlands at the top allow it to be dated to the early 19th century, the Empire period. An internet search only deepens the mystery: no website offers a satisfactory explanation for the origin of this monument, which has been nicknamed 'Belgium's only pyramid' … because they all overlook a crucial piece of information. A popular theory suggests that the monument was a topographical landmark that helped the French colonel Jean-Joseph Tranchot carry out a triangulation survey of the Rhine region and a small part of northern Belgium between 1801 and 1813. While this theory may seem plausible — the monument is highly visible on a hilltop, the other surviving landmarks are obelisks and the historical period matches …

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