Belvedere path
of Biarre

Community of Municipalities of the Pompey Basin

Custines, formerly called Condé, from the Latin Condate (confluence), has two confluences. The most famous is that of the Meurthe and Moselle rivers, as it gives its name to the department. The other, more discreet, is the Mauchère, which joins the Moselle at the "new" bridge. The Mouth of Hell (La Gueule d'Enfer) is the name given to the point where the Meurthe and Moselle rivers meet. Its name comes from a legend: A cruel lord from the castle of Frouard was about to hang a young woman in the village square after she refused his advances. Suddenly, he was struck dead by the gaze of a stone Christ erected in the square. His body was thrown into the confluence of the two rivers, which was henceforth called Mouth of Hell or Mouth of Hell, after the nickname of this wretched man, whose thick red beard, when he opened his mouth, resembled the entrance to hell. THE MAUCHERE VALLEY Rising in the hills above Montenoy, the Mauchère, a small stream approximately 10 km long, tranquil in summer, sometimes turbulent in winter, follows the valley floor, watering Montenoy, Faulx, Malleloy, and Custines, where it flows into the Moselle River. This stream was once very important to the inhabitants of the Faulx valley, as several mills were built along its course, notably in Faulx and in the commune of Custines, near the Louis Marin school. This valley, already active in the Stone Age, was very rich in timber, particularly tall, wiry beech trees. The soil in this valley is ferruginous, and there are several veins of minette (iron ore): two mines were in operation until the Second World War. The Pompey-Nomeny railway line, built around 1880, crossed the Moselle on a combined rail and road bridge located slightly upstream from the current road bridge. This bridge has disappeared, as has the Custines train station that followed it. The line was used until the early 1980s. This former railway line has been transformed into a pedestrian path. This path offers walkers a stroll through the countryside and allows them to discover the villages along the way. The A31 motorway: Its route, despite the disapproval of the town council in July 1960, was confirmed at the expense of the Clévant housing estates, which were partially demolished. The Frouard-Custines-Belleville section was inaugurated in 1969.