Namur, Walloon Region, Belgium
Namur is officially the capital of Wallonia as well as the
capital city of Namur province. It’s not quite as industrial as the other
cities of the Meuse and Sambre valleys and thus not quite as ugly as some. With
a university and the government workers as regional and provincial capital it
doesn’t seem quite as proletarian as Liege, but passing through some of its outlying
areas that’s just a matter of degree. Namur also has an excuse if it isn’t a
historical beauty. It’s been destroyed in more wars than almost any other
European city, and not just those of the 20th century – those of the
1600s through 1800s as well. I used to hear about Namur as a child from my
mother who had a childhood friend who lived there who she may have visited a
couple times, but I’m kind of vague on the relationship.
The center of Namur is actually pretty nice with a couple
major churches and museums and a large pedestrian zone, but its main site of
interest is the huge fort “The Citadelle” which towers above the confluence of
the Meuse and Sambre Rivers. While Dinant’s Citadel had already lost its
military value by WWI, the citadel and other fortifications around Namur and
Liege were defended and saw some major fighting, resulting in much destruction
to the city.
2025-05-22