Hare Hunt on Mont Trokay (Trockai/Trokai)

In my post of October 1, 2025, on this website, Bruegel's proverbs: Flemish? Liège? Dutch? Or Belgian?, you can read that Bruegel's paintings Flemish Proverbs and The Suicide of Saul, as well as his drawing The Hare Hunt, must be situated in the vicinity of Chokier Castle.

On November 10, 2025, and March 2, 2026, I revisited Chokier with the intention of finding the location where Bruegel made his drawing The Hare Hunt. I found the location and made a photo report. The photo below shows the Meuse with, at the top left, the rock of Iohy (the tower of) Chokier Castle and, at the bottom right, the tower Dame Palate. Due to the afforestation after Bruegel's time, only the upper part of the tower of the castle is visible. The view of the tower Dame Palate is also somewhat obstructed by the vegetation.

The top floor and roof of the Tour Dame Palate are visible in Bruegel's drawing, and this building still exists today.

Bruegel's drawing also shows a building at the bottom right that closely resembles that of the Flemish proverbs. This building has disappeared. It may have been located on the route of the railway line that was built along the Meuse in the 19th century.

The combination of the three buildings, the castle, the tower, and the vanished building, with the landscape and the Meuse, rules out the possibility that Bruegel's pen drawing bears a resemblance to Chokier by pure coincidence. The Hare Hunt is a true-to-life drawing of Chokier and Trokay.

The incision between the limestone rock Mont Iohy with the castle of Chokier and the height of Trokay/La Crâne is visible on Bruegel's drawing and on the Ferraris map of 1771-1777.

La tour Dame Palate or la Polarde (in Walloon: al toûr dame Palâte) is located in the Trokay district near Chokier Castle. In ancient writings, it is also referred to as Thour Madame Pollard. Today, the area is known as Vignoble des coteaux de Dame Palate. The tower stands near an old farm that used to cultivate vineyards.

In 1682, there were twelve vineyards in Chokier. Half of the population grew grapes and brought them to the communal wine press. This ancient winegrowing tradition disappeared during the industrial revolution. In 1977, Raymond Godin, a steelworker, decided to replant vines on the slopes of Dame Palate (more information at: Les coteaux Dame Palate — Commune de Flémalle).

Dame Palate lived in the early 15th century. Her husband Henri Polarde left her, among other things, the watchtower, which can still be seen today, and a vineyard. Over time, the name Polarde was changed to Palate. It is believed that the grapevine existed before humans arrived on Earth and was already growing in our region 130 million years ago, but the first traces of wild grapes have been found in fossils dating back 60 million years.

Viticulture only really began a few millennia ago, when the vine became hermaphroditic (-6000 BC), which facilitated its cultivation and spread. Although the production of wine was somewhat the result of chance, the history of wine is closely linked to that of humans and our civilization.

In the past, water from wells or rivers was often contaminated and a source of epidemics. Fermented beverages were therefore used to ensure liquids were free of disease-causing germs, as it had been noticed that yeast had the effect of purifying liquids.

The Etruscans and Greeks were already importing wine to Gaul in the 7th century BC. However, it was not until the 3rd century BC that the Romans imported wine to our country.

According to Caesar, the Belgians, and in particular the Nervii between the Scheldt and the Dyle, did not allow wine and anything that softened the heart to be imported into their country, and that was one of the reasons for their famous courage.

“Caesar inquired about the character and customs of this people (the Belgians). He learned that merchants had no access to them and that they strictly forbade the importation of wine and other luxury products into their country, because they considered these products suitable for softening the soul and weakening courage.” (De Bello Gallico, II)

This was in contrast to the rest of Gaul, where wine was highly prized.

During the early Middle Ages, the soil of Chokier must have been extremely unsuitable for growing grain, which was almost exclusively the occupation of the rural population. At that time, Belgium, like northern France, was a wine-growing region. The climate in these regions was warmer than today and favorable for viticulture. The formation of the village therefore seems to have begun in the 11th century, thanks to the opportunities that existed at that time to convert land that was clearly unsuitable for grain cultivation into vineyards.

At that time, Christianity was becoming increasingly established in the Meuse region and wine was drunk during the celebration of Mass. To obtain wine, bishops and monks planted vineyards near their churches and abbeys. It is therefore not surprising that the second written mention of the village of Chokier in 1086 refers to an exchange of a plot of land between the collegiate church of Saint-Pierre and the abbey of Saint-Jacques in Liège, a plot that was suitable for conversion into a vineyard.

In the 16th century, the climate became colder, the rivers froze in winter, and the vines suffered from these climate changes. Between 1522 and 1531, 22 contracts relating to vineyards are known to have been signed. About half of the population were winegrowers. After the harvest, they brought the produce of their land to the wine press (stordoir). Such activity could only promote trade and crafts. These formed a fairly significant part of the population, including a brewer, a wine press operator, a cooper, a grocer, a baker, a blacksmith, and two or three innkeepers. In the 17th century, viticulture was still important.

An important relic of Saint Vincent, patron saint of winegrowers, is kept in the church of Chokier. He died in 305 and was persecuted in Valencia, Spain. He is celebrated on January 22, the period when the vineyards are pruned. His remains are said to have been donated around 1710 by Ferdinant-Maximilien de Berlo, bishop of Namur and trefoncier of Saint Lambert in Liège.

Today, there are still many places that bear traces of this ancient activity. The name of the area, La Crâne, refers to the tap that was placed on the wine barrels, while the word Trokay seems to come from a local grape variety characterized by small bunches with small grapes. (Source: Les coteaux Dame Palate — Commune de Flémalle).