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Namur


Capital of Wallonia, Namur is a city of great character and interest. Smaller than Brussels, not as industrialized as Liege and not as touristy as Bruges, it definitely is a place to visit. Cafe Terrace on the SquareThe Meat HallThe citadel forms an imposing background to the city which lies at the confluent of the Meuse and Sambre rivers.

Most of downtown Namur still retains its medieval buildings and narrow streets. One of the most attractive gothic buildings is the "Meat Hall" which is now the Archeological Museum. A 1687 edict forbidding timbered housing has resulted in much surviving from the 17th and 18th century.

The Citadel is the best place to gaze out over the Namur rooftops, a beautiful panorama... The CitadelNeighbors in Conference Namur is a charming, peaceful town rich in Mosan architecture. It is a city of immaculately-curtained 17th century pink brick houses. Most of the inner city streets are narrow and very quaint, do take a stroll through them and meet the inhabitants, seated on their front steps! Or take the time to sit at a terrace with a delicious beer (or something else!) and leisurely gaze at life passing by... You won't regret it!


Dinant

Beautifully situated alongside the river Meuse,Panoramic View Dinant has quite a few premium tourist attractions that make more than a full day visit worthwhile. Dinant's CitadelDinant, like Namur (and a lot of other towns in the Ardennes), boasts of a spectacular Citadel, towering 350 ft. above the city. It was built in the 11th century to control the Meuse valley. Destroyed and rebuilt in 1703, it was the scene of several battles during the first World War. It houses an elaborate arms and war museum open to the public

The main attraction in theChurch of Our Lady city center is the gothic styled Our Lady Church dating back to the second half of the 13th century. Originally, the church should have been crowned with two majestic towers. It soon became obvious that Dinant could never (financially) cope with this plan and, therefore, the main entrance was crowned with a 230 ft. high onion-shaped tower that, still today, serves as a landmark of the Dinant skyline.

Throughout the 13th and 14th centuries, Dinant was the world center of metalwork especially beaten and engraved copper. Today this art has been resurrected and can be found in several shops around the city.

Outside the city is the “Bayard Rock” (Le Rocher Bayard).Le Rocher Bayard It stands completely separate from the rest of the main rock of which it obviously used to be a part. The Rocher Bayard was separated with an explosion to provide passage for the French troops of Louis XIV after they had taken Dinant. However, popular belief has it that the rock was split by the hoof of the giant Bayard Horse, when it jumped from here over the Meuse river. The Bayard horse is a legendary animal from the story of the four Aymon Brothers. These four brothers were on the run from Charlemagne and escaped through the Ardennes sitting on the back of the Bayard Horse.

Adolphe Sax, inventor of the saxophone, was born here in 1814. His home is now a museum.



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The Ardennes Other Sights in The Ardennes