The daughter of two great liberal noble families, Léonie Marie Laurence de Chestret de Haneffe
was born on 03 March 1836 in Tilff in the province of Liège. Her father was the Baron and later
Senator Hyacinthe de Chestret de Haneffe and her mother the noble Amanda Laurence de Sélys
Longchamps.
At the age of two, her mother passed away, so Léonie grew up in Colonster Castle and was
educated by her father and private tutors. She developed into a liberal, democratic, tolerant and
religious woman who held a great interest in history and learned to speak several languages.
In 1863, at the age of 27, she married the Baron and jurist Louis Auguste de Waha-Baillonville,
with whom she had a daughter after three years of marriage. However, the child died in infancy
and shortly afterwards Léonie de Waha suffered another blow when her husband passed away a
year later.
After the death of her husband, she decided to devote herself more to helping others, to focus on
women's emancipation and to continue her husband's charitable work.
She passed away on July 8, 1926 at the age of 90 in her home in Tilff, and was posthumously
appointed as an"officier du Mérite wallon" (engl. “Walloon Officer of Merit”) in 2012.
Baroness Léonie de Waha
Charitable work
After losing her husband at a young age, she decided to invest more in the education of girls and
women, who at that time were only supported by Catholic institutions. However, she also wanted
to offer places outside of those institutions to allow access to a wider population.
She continued the work of her husband by building libraries in Chênée and Esneux and supporting numerous charities.
To further improve the social situation in the region, de Waha founded a tailoring school in Tilff and contributed to the development of kindergartens and schools in the Saint-Gilles district. Together with the Liberal parliamentarian, Julien d'Andrimont, she supported the creation of workers' houses that functioned according to the Mulhouse system. This allowed tenants to become owners of the apartment after sixteen years, which led to an improvement in their quality of life.
She continued the work of her husband by building libraries in Chênée and Esneux and supporting numerous charities.
To further improve the social situation in the region, de Waha founded a tailoring school in Tilff and contributed to the development of kindergartens and schools in the Saint-Gilles district. Together with the Liberal parliamentarian, Julien d'Andrimont, she supported the creation of workers' houses that functioned according to the Mulhouse system. This allowed tenants to become owners of the apartment after sixteen years, which led to an improvement in their quality of life.
„Lycée de Waha“
Until the end of the 19th century, there was no way for girls to achieve an educational degree
outside of monasteries and Catholic schools, which would grant them access to university. The
mayor of Liège at that time approached Léonie de Waha with the idea of establishing a lyceum,
and thus she purchased a building to found the "Institut supérieur de demoiselles" (engl. “Higher
Institute for Young Ladies”) in 1868. The school was intended to provide young women with
access to higher education after a long period of exclusion.
The optional religious education in particular was designed to be pluralistic by allowing Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish clergymen to teach it. This approach was criticized by the Bishop of Liège, who threatened to excommunicate anyone who attended the school. Only the following bishop revoked this sentence.
Later, the school received subsidies from the province, making registration at the school free of charge, which also contributed to the improvement of the local education system. As a result, the school was renamed Lycée de Waha.
The optional religious education in particular was designed to be pluralistic by allowing Catholic, Protestant, or Jewish clergymen to teach it. This approach was criticized by the Bishop of Liège, who threatened to excommunicate anyone who attended the school. Only the following bishop revoked this sentence.
Later, the school received subsidies from the province, making registration at the school free of charge, which also contributed to the improvement of the local education system. As a result, the school was renamed Lycée de Waha.
Photo of the Belgian philanthropist and women's rights activist Léonie de Waha
See page for author, via Wikimedia Commons, Public domain
Portrait of Léonie de Waha
E. LAMBOTTE, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0
Main entrance of the current Atheneum Léonie de Waha,
with the relief 'L'Insouciance de la jeunesse' by Louis Dupont
Fred Romero from Paris, France, via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 2.0
click around to close
„Union des femmes de Wallonie“
In addition to her commitment to improving educational opportunities, Léonie de Waha began
advocating for the improvement of women's rights, including women's suffrage and better
working conditions, at the end of the 19th century.
One of her goals was to improve women's self-confidence, strengthen awareness of equal rights, and support financial independence. To promote the political consciousness of women in Wallonia, Léonie de Waha founded the "Union des femmes de Wallonie" (eng. “Union of Walloon Women”), which focused on Walloon autonomy and emancipation.
All women were invited to join the Union who cared about justice, solidarity and the love of their homeland. To express this and raise political awareness, they undertook various activities and published a suitable bulletin.
Léonie de Waha also wrote articles for various Walloon magazines such as "La Barricade" and "La Femme wallonne" and led the Union until she passed away in 1926 at the age of 90.
One of her goals was to improve women's self-confidence, strengthen awareness of equal rights, and support financial independence. To promote the political consciousness of women in Wallonia, Léonie de Waha founded the "Union des femmes de Wallonie" (eng. “Union of Walloon Women”), which focused on Walloon autonomy and emancipation.
All women were invited to join the Union who cared about justice, solidarity and the love of their homeland. To express this and raise political awareness, they undertook various activities and published a suitable bulletin.
Léonie de Waha also wrote articles for various Walloon magazines such as "La Barricade" and "La Femme wallonne" and led the Union until she passed away in 1926 at the age of 90.
The autonomy of Wallonia
The autonomy of Wallonia was a long-standing and important concern of Léonie de Waha.
Especially as the movement grew at the beginning of the 20th century, she corresponded with the
leading figures Julien Delaite and Jules Destrée.
At her secondary school, she also placed great emphasis on local history and encouraged the students to feel connected to their region.
It was her suggestion to use the colours of Liège as the symbol of Wallonia. She also proposed using the Gaillarde, a red and yellow cocarde flower, as an emblem. To this day, the colours and the flower are symbols of Wallonia. One of the highest honours of the region is also a silver Gaillarde.
At her secondary school, she also placed great emphasis on local history and encouraged the students to feel connected to their region.
It was her suggestion to use the colours of Liège as the symbol of Wallonia. She also proposed using the Gaillarde, a red and yellow cocarde flower, as an emblem. To this day, the colours and the flower are symbols of Wallonia. One of the highest honours of the region is also a silver Gaillarde.
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