Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. It is both the capital of the

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...

and of

, hosting the

Parliament of Wallonia The Parliament of Wallonia (french: Parlement de Wallonie) (Walloon Parliament (french: Parlement wallon) in the decrees) is the legislative body of Wallonia, one of the three self-governing regions of Belgium (the other two being Flanders and t ...

, the

Government of Wallonia The Walloon Government (french: Gouvernement wallon) or Government of Wallonia (french: Gouvernement de Wallonie) is the executive branch of Wallonia, and it is part of one of the six main governments of Belgium. It sits in Namur, where the Parli ...

and its administration. Namur stands at the confluence of the rivers

Sambre The Sambre (; nl, Samber, ) is a river in northern France and in Wallonia, Belgium. It is a left-bank tributary of the Meuse, which it joins in the Wallonian capital Namur. The source of the Sambre is near Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache, in the Aisne ...

and

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

and straddles three different regions –

Hesbaye The Hesbaye ( French, ), or Haspengouw (Dutch and Limburgish, ) is a traditional cultural and geophysical region in eastern Belgium. It is a loamy plateau region which forms a watershed between the Meuse and Scheldt drainage basins. It has be ...

to the north,

Condroz The Condroz () is a natural region in Wallonia (the French-speaking part of Belgium), located to the north-west of the Ardennes. Its unofficial capital is Ciney. The region preserves the name of the Condrusi, a Germanic tribe which inhabited t ...

to the south-east, and Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse to the south-west. The city of

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

is located to the west. The language spoken is

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

. The municipality consists of the following

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

: Beez,

Belgrade Belgrade ( , ;, ; Names of European cities in different languages: B, names in other languages) is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Serbia, largest city in Serbia. It is located at the confluence of the Sava and Danube rivers a ...

, Boninne, Bouge,

Champion A champion (from the late Latin ''campio'') is the victor in a challenge, contest or competition. There can be a territorial pyramid of championships, e.g. local, regional / provincial, state, national, continental and world championships, an ...

, Cognelée, Daussoulx,

Dave Dave may refer to: Film, television, and theater * ''Dave'' (film), a 1993 film starring Kevin Kline and Sigourney Weaver * ''Dave'' (musical), a 2018 stage musical adaptation of the film * Dave (TV channel), a digital television channel in the ...

, Erpent,

Flawinne Flawinne ( wa, Flawene) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Namur, located in the province of Namur, Belgium. It was formerly a municipality itself until the fusion of Belgian municipalities in 1977. , the population ...

, Gelbressée,

Jambes Jambes (; wa, Djambe) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the city of Namur, located in the province of Namur, Belgium. It was formerly a municipality itself until the fusion of Belgian municipalities in 1977. Jambes is known for the for ...

, Lives-sur-Meuse, Loyers,

Malonne Malonne ( nl, Maeslangen) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the city of Namur, located in the Namur province, province of Namur, Belgium. It stood as an independent List of municipalities of the Walloon Region, municipality until 1977 ...

Marche-les-Dames Marche-les-Dames (; wa, Måtche-les-Dames) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the city of Namur, located in the province of Namur, Belgium. It is located on the bank of the Meuse river. Because of the high cliffs this place is popular w ...

, Naninne, Saint-Servais,

Saint-Marc Saint-Marc ( ht, Sen Mak) is a commune in western Haiti in Artibonite departement. Its geographic coordinates are . At the 2003 Census the commune had 160,181 inhabitants. It is one of the biggest cities, second to Gonaïves, between Port-au-P ...

, Suarlée,

Temploux Temploux ( wa, Timplou) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the city of Namur, located in the province of Namur, Belgium. It lies in the Condroz The Condroz () is a natural region in Wallonia (the French-speaking part of Belgium), l ...

, Vedrin,

Wépion Wépion () is a district of the city of Namur, Wallonia, Belgium. Located south of the city centre, it is considered as Belgian's strawberry capital, with the Wépion strawberry an established concept in Belgian cuisine. The strawberry has bee ...

, and

Wierde A ''terp'', also known as a ''wierde, woerd, warf, warft, werf, werve, wurt'' or ''værft'', is an artificial dwelling mound found on the North European Plain that has been created to provide safe ground during storm surges, high tides an ...

History

Early history

The town began as an important trading settlement in

Celt The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient ...

ic times, straddling east–west and north–south trade routes across the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

. The

Romans Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy * Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

established a presence after

Julius Caesar Gaius Julius Caesar (; ; 12 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC), was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and ...

defeated the local

Aduatuci The Atuatuci (or Aduatuci) were a Gauls, Gallic-Germanic peoples, Germanic tribe, dwelling in the eastern part of modern-day Belgium during the Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. They fought the Roman armies of Julius Caesar during the Gallic Wars (58– ...

tribe The term tribe is used in many different contexts to refer to a category of human social group. The predominant worldwide usage of the term in English language, English is in the discipline of anthropology. This definition is contested, in p ...

. Namur came to prominence during the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

when the

Merovingians The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

built a

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

or citadel on the rocky spur overlooking the town at the confluence of the two rivers. In the 10th century, it became a

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in its own right. The town developed somewhat unevenly, as the counts of Namur could only build on the north bank of the Meuse - the south bank was owned by the bishops of

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

and developed more slowly into the town of Jambes (now effectively a suburb of Namur). In 1262, Namur fell into the hands of the

Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the co ...

, and was purchased by Duke

Philip the Good Philip III (french: Philippe le Bon; nl, Filips de Goede; 31 July 1396 – 15 June 1467) was Duke of Burgundy from 1419 until his death. He was a member of a cadet line of the Valois dynasty, to which all 15th-century kings of France belonge ...

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

in 1421. After Namur became part of the

Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the Ha ...

in the 1640s, its citadel was considerably strengthened.

Louis XIV of France , house = Bourbon , father = Louis XIII , mother = Anne of Austria , birth_date = , birth_place = Château de Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Saint-Germain-en-Laye, France , death_date = , death_place = Palace of Versa ...

invaded in 1692, capturing the town and annexing it to France. His renowned military engineer Vauban rebuilt the citadel. French control was short-lived, as

William III of Orange-Nassau William III (William Henry; ; 4 November 16508 March 1702), also widely known as William of Orange, was the sovereign Prince of Orange from birth, Stadtholder of County of Holland, Holland, County of Zeeland, Zeeland, Lordship of Utrecht, Utrec ...

captured Namur only three years later in 1695 during the

War of the Grand Alliance The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

. Under the

Barrier Treaty The "Barrier Treaties" (, ) were a series of agreements signed and ratified between 1709 and 1715 that created a buffer zone between the Dutch Republic and France by allowing the Dutch to occupy a number of fortresses in the Southern Netherlands, ...

of 1709, the Dutch gained the right to garrison Namur, although the subsequent

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne o ...

of 1713 gave control of the formerly

to the Austrian

House of Habsburg The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...

. Thus, although the Austrians ruled the town, the citadel was controlled by the Dutch. It was rebuilt again under their tenure. General

Jean-Baptiste Cyrus de Valence Jean-Baptiste Cyrus de Timbrune de Thiembronne, Comte de Valence (22 September 1757 – 4 February 1822) commanded French troops during the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars. A nobleman, he joined the French Royal Army as a capt ...

's column laid siege to the city on 19 November 1792 during the

War of the First Coalition The War of the First Coalition (french: Guerre de la Première Coalition) was a set of wars that several European powers fought between 1792 and 1797 initially against the Kingdom of France (1791-92), constitutional Kingdom of France and then t ...

and, after 12 days, the city surrendered on 1 December and its whole garrison of 3,000 men was taken prisoner. France invaded the region again in 1794, annexing Namur and imposing a repressive regime. After the defeat of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

in 1815, the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

incorporated what is now Belgium into the

United Kingdom of the Netherlands The United Kingdom of the Netherlands ( nl, Verenigd Koninkrijk der Nederlanden; french: Royaume uni des Pays-Bas) is the unofficial name given to the Kingdom of the Netherlands as it existed between 1815 and 1839. The United Netherlands was cr ...

. Belgium broke away from the Netherlands in 1830 following the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. T ...

, and Namur continued to be a major garrison town under the new government. The citadel was rebuilt yet again in 1887.

20th and 21st centuries

Namur was a major target of the German invasion of Belgium in 1914, which sought to use the Meuse valley as a route into France. On August 21, 1914, the Germans bombarded the town of Namur without warning. Several people were killed. Despite being billed as virtually impregnable, the citadel fell after only three days' fighting and the town was occupied by the Germans for the rest of the war. Namur fared little better in

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

; it was in the front lines of both the Battle of the Ardennes in 1940 and the

Battle of the Bulge The Battle of the Bulge, also known as the Ardennes Offensive, was the last major German offensive (military), offensive military campaign, campaign on the Western Front (World War II), Western Front during World War II. The battle lasted fr ...

in 1944. The town suffered heavy damage in both wars. Namur continued to host the

Belgian Army The Land Component ( nl, Landcomponent, french: Composante terre) is the land branch of the Belgian Armed Forces. The King of the Belgians is the commander in chief. The current chief of staff of the Land Component is Major-General Pierre Gérard. ...

paratrooper A paratrooper is a military parachutist—someone trained to parachute into a military operation, and usually functioning as part of an airborne force. Military parachutists (troops) and parachutes were first used on a large scale during World ...

s until their departure in 1977. After the creation of the

Walloon Region Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

, Namur was chosen as the seat of its

executive Executive ( exe., exec., execu.) may refer to: Role or title * Executive, a senior management role in an organization ** Chief executive officer (CEO), one of the highest-ranking corporate officers (executives) or administrators ** Executive dire ...

and

parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: Representation (politics), representing the Election#Suffrage, electorate, making laws, and overseeing ...

. In 1986, Namur was officially declared capital of Wallonia. Its position as regional capital was confirmed by the Parliament of Wallonia in 2010.

Economy

Namur is an important commercial and industrial centre, located on the Walloon industrial backbone, the

Sambre and Meuse valley The ''Sillon industriel'' (, "industrial furrow") is the former industrial backbone of Belgium. It runs across the region of Wallonia, passing from Dour, the region of Borinage, in the west, to Verviers in the east, passing along the way through ...

. It produces machinery, leather goods, metals and porcelain. Its

railway station Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the vehicles run on a pre ...

is also an important junction situated on the north–south line between

Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

and

Luxembourg City Luxembourg ( lb, Lëtzebuerg; french: Luxembourg; german: Luxemburg), also known as Luxembourg City ( lb, Stad Lëtzebuerg, link=no or ; french: Ville de Luxembourg, link=no; german: Stadt Luxemburg, link=no or ), is the capital city of the Lu ...

, and the east–west line between

Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Pref ...

and

. River

barge Barge nowadays generally refers to a flat-bottomed inland waterway vessel which does not have its own means of mechanical propulsion. The first modern barges were pulled by tugs, but nowadays most are pushed by pusher boats, or other vessels ...

traffic passes through the middle of the city along the Meuse.

Culture and sights

Namur has taken on a new role as the capital of the federal region of Wallonia. Its location at the head of the Ardennes has also made it a popular tourist centre, with a

casino A casino is a facility for certain types of gambling. Casinos are often built near or combined with hotels, resorts, restaurants, retail shopping, cruise ships, and other tourist attractions. Some casinos are also known for hosting live entertai ...

located in its southern district on the left bank of the Meuse. The town's most prominent sight is the

Citadel of Namur The Citadel or Castle of Namur is a fortress in the Walloon capital city of Namur, at the confluence of the Sambre and Meuse rivers. It is originally from the Roman era, but has been rebuilt several times. Its current form was designed by Men ...

, now demilitarised and open to the public. Namur also has a distinctive 18th-century cathedral dedicated to Saint Aubain and a belfry classified by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

as part of the

Belfries of Belgium and France The Belfries of Belgium and France are a group of 56 historical buildings designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, in recognition of the civic (rather than church) belfries serving as an architectural manifestation of emerging civic indep ...

which are listed as a

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. The Couvent des Soeurs de Notre-Dame used to contain masterpieces of

Mosan art Mosan art is a regional style of art from the valley of the Meuse in present-day Belgium, the Netherlands, and Germany. Although in a broader sense the term applies to art from this region from all periods, it generally refers to Romanesque ar ...

Hugo d'Oignies Hugo of Oignies (french: Hugo d'Oignies, before 1187 in Walcourt – c. 1240 in Oignies) was a lay brother of Oignies Abbey. He was a metalworker and painter and is the last of the great jewelers of Mosan art. He is a representative of the sc ...

, currently presented in the Musée des Arts Anciens (Rue de Fer). Elsewhere there is an archeological museum and a museum dedicated to

Félicien Rops Félicien Victor Joseph Rops (7 July 1833 – 23 August 1898) was a Belgian artist associated with Symbolism and the Parisian Fin-de Siecle. He was a painter, illustrator, caricaturist and a prolific and innovative print maker, particularly in ...

. An odd Namurois custom is the joust on stilts (dating back to 1411) practiced by th
stiltwalkers of Namur
The annual Combat de l'Échasse d'Or (''Fight for the Golden Stilt''), held on the third Sunday in September, is the most important joust of the year. Two teams, the Mélans and the Avresses, dress in medieval clothes while standing on stilts and do battle in one of the town's principal squares. Since 2021, Namur stilt jousts are registered on the

Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Namur possesses a distinguished

university A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, t ...

, the

University of Namur A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

(previously known as the Facultés universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix, FUNDP), founded in 1831. The

University of Louvain A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...

(UCLouvain) also has several facilities in the city through its UCLouvain Namur University Hospital (CHU UCLouvain Namur), the provinces' largest employer. Since 1986 Namur has been home to the

Namur International Festival of French-Speaking Film The ''Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur'' (FIFF) is a festival dedicated to French speaking films in Namur, Belgium created in 1986, reflecting francophone diversity, from Europe, Canada and Africa. History The festival is cre ...

. A jazz (Nam'in'Jazz) and a rock (Verdur Rock) festival both take place in Namur annually. The local

football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...

team is named

Union Royale Namur Union Namur, commonly known as UR Namur or Union Royale Namur, is a Belgian football club from the city of Namur. It plays in the third amateur division. The media simply refer to them as "Les merles." Until 2018, the team was known as UR Namu ...

. The local baseball team is named Namur Angels. The annual

cyclo-cross race, part of the

UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup The UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup is a season-long competition in cyclo-cross, organised by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI). First held in the 1993–1994 season, there are currently five awards, tailored to the different categories of riders: ...

, takes place on the hills around the citadel. Sights near Namur include

Maredsous Abbey Maredsous Abbey is a Benedictine monastery at Maredsous, in the municipality of Anhée, Wallonia, Belgium. It is a founding member of the Annunciation Congregation of the Benedictine Confederation. The abbey was founded as a priory on 15 No ...

Floreffe Abbey Floreffe Abbey is a former Premonstratensian monastery, the second of the order to be founded, situated in Wallonia on the Sambre at Floreffe, about 11 km southwest of Namur, Belgium. History When Norbert of Xanten, founder of the Premonstra ...

, and Annevoie Castle with its surrounding ''Jardins d'Annevoie''. File:01-Namur-100109 (2) JPG.jpg, The citadel and the Meuse File:01-Namur-300605 (1).jpg, The

Belfry of Namur The Belfry of Namur (french: Beffroi de Namur), also called the ''Tour Saint-Jacques'' ("Saint Jacob's Tower"), is an historical building in Namur, Belgium. The tower, constructed in 1388 as part of the city wall, became a belfry in 1746. It is ...

File:Namur Ca1JPG.jpg,

St Aubin's Cathedral St Aubin's Cathedral, Namur, Wallonia, the only cathedral in Belgium in academic Late Baroque style. It was the only church built in the Low Countries as a cathedral after 1559, when most of the dioceses of the Netherlands were reorganized. It is ...

is the only academic Late Baroque cathedral in Belgium. File:Cheval bayard namur.jpg, The horse Bayard carrying

The Four Sons of Aymon ''The Four Sons of Aymon'' (french: esQuatre fils Aymon, nl, De Vier Heemskinderen, german: Die Vier Haimonskinder), sometimes also referred to as ''Renaud de Montauban'' (after its main character) is a medieval tale spun around the four sons ...

, created by

Olivier Strebelle Olivier Strebelle (20 January 1927 – 29 July 2017) was a Belgian sculptor. Strebelle was born in Brussels, Belgium on 20 January 1927. His monumental (usually bronze) sculptures adorn many public places in Brussels as well as in Germany, Isra ...

for

Expo 58 Expo 58, also known as the 1958 Brussels World's Fair (french: Exposition Universelle et Internationale de Bruxelles de 1958, nl, Brusselse Wereldtentoonstelling van 1958), was a world's fair held on the Heysel/Heizel Plateau in Brussels, Bel ...

. File:La Sambre in Namur viewed from Quai de l'Abbaye (DSCF5606).jpg, Sambre File:Arcs namur.jpg, Old town File:Echasseurs-Echasse-Or-Fetes-de-Wallonie-3-Skuds.jpg, alt=Joust on stilts in Namur. The stiltwalkers fights dates back to 1411., Joust on stilts in Namur. The stiltwalkers fights dates back to 1411.

Twin towns — sister cities

Namur is twinned with: *

Bandung Bandung ( su, ᮘᮔ᮪ᮓᮥᮀ, Bandung, ; ) is the capital city of the Indonesian province of West Java. It has a population of 2,452,943 within its city limits according to the official estimates as at mid 2021, making it the fourth most ...

, Indonesia"Namur, Bandung ink sister-city partnership"
/ref> *

Quebec City Quebec City ( or ; french: Ville de Québec), officially Québec (), is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Quebec. As of July 2021, the city had a population of 549,459, and the Communauté métrop ...

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...

, Canada *

Subotica Subotica ( sr-cyrl, Суботица, ; hu, Szabadka) is a List of cities in Serbia, city and the administrative center of the North Bačka District in the autonomous province of Vojvodina, Serbia. Formerly the largest city of Vojvodina region, ...

, Serbia *

Bourg-en-Bresse Bourg-en-Bresse (; frp, Bôrg) is the Prefectures in France, prefecture of the Ain Departments of France, department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes Regions of France, region in Eastern France. Located northeast of Lyon, it is the capital of the ...

, France *

Ōgaki Ōgaki Castle is a city located in Gifu, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 161,539, and a population density of 782 persons per km2 in 65,931 households. The total area of the city was . Ōgaki was the final destination for the ...

Gifu Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Chūbu region of Honshu. Gifu Prefecture has a population of 1,991,390 () and has a geographic area of . Gifu Prefecture borders Toyama Prefecture to the north; Ishikawa Prefecture to the northwest, F ...

, Japan * Belmont,

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

, United States *

Lafayette Lafayette or La Fayette may refer to: People * Lafayette (name), a list of people with the surname Lafayette or La Fayette or the given name Lafayette * House of La Fayette, a French noble family ** Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette (1757� ...

Louisiana Louisiana , group=pronunciation (French: ''La Louisiane'') is a state in the Deep South and South Central regions of the United States. It is the 20th-smallest by area and the 25th most populous of the 50 U.S. states. Louisiana is borde ...

, United States *

Empoli Empoli () is a town and ''comune'' in the Metropolitan City of Florence, Tuscany, Italy, about southwest of Florence, to the south of the Arno in a plain formed by the river. The plain has been usable for agriculture since Roman times. The comm ...

Toscana it, Toscano (man) it, Toscana (woman) , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = Citizenship , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = Italian , demogra ...

, Italy *

Cluj-Napoca ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status , subdivision_name2 ...

Cluj ; hu, kincses város) , official_name=Cluj-Napoca , native_name= , image_skyline= , subdivision_type1 = Counties of Romania, County , subdivision_name1 = Cluj County , subdivision_type2 = Subdivisions of Romania, Status , subdivision_name2 ...

, Romania *

Tierp Tierp () is a locality and the seat of Tierp Municipality, Uppsala County, Sweden with 6,143 inhabitants in 2018. Communications Tierp is connected to Uppsala and Gävle by commuter train Upptåget and the new (2007) section of highway E4 passe ...

, Sweden *

Prishtina Pristina, ; sr, / (, ) is the capital and largest city of Kosovo. The city's municipal boundaries in Pristina District form the largest urban center in Kosovo. After Tirana, Pristina has the second largest population of ethnic Albanians and ...

, Kosovo

Notable people

Rémy Belvaux Rémy Nicolas Lucien Belvaux Caroline Hanotte''Rémy Belvaux'' CinéArtistes.com, Septembre 8, 2006. Retrieved on 11 September 2006. (10 November 1966 – 4 September 2006) was a Belgian actor, director, producer and screenwriter. He was the broth ...

(1966–2006), actor, film director and screenwriter *

Julie Billiart Julie Billiart (12 July 1751 – 8 April 1816) was a French nun, saint, educator, and founder of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur. She was born in Cuvilly, a village in Picardy, in northern France. She was paralyzed and bedridden for 22 years, ...

Canonized saint and Foundress of the Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur, died in Namur in 1816. *

Francy Boland François Boland (6 November 1929 – 12 August 2005) was a classically trained Belgian jazz composer and pianist. He first gained notice in 1949 and worked with Belgian jazz greats like Bobby Jaspar, and in 1955 he joined Chet Baker's quintet. M ...

(1929–2005), jazz pianist and arranger *

Cécile de France Cécile de France (; born 17 July 1975) is a Belgian actress. After achieving success in French cinema hits such as ''L'Art (délicat) de la séduction'' (2001) and ''Irène'' (2002), she gained international attention for her lead roles in ''Hi ...

(born 1975), actress * Count Edouard de Woelmont, Belgian

Canon Canon or Canons may refer to: Arts and entertainment * Canon (fiction), the conceptual material accepted as official in a fictional universe by its fan base * Literary canon, an accepted body of works considered as high culture ** Western can ...

. *

Olivier Gourmet Olivier Gourmet (born 22 July 1963) is a Belgian actor. Gourmet was born in Namur. He won the Best Actor award at the 2002 Cannes Film Festival for his role in '' Le Fils'' by Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne. He also appeared in ''La Promesse'' ...

(born 1963), actor *

Ludivine Henrion Ludivine Henrion (born 23 January 1984, in Namur) is a Belgian road bicycle racer. She won the bronze medal at the 2006 World University Cycling Championship in the road race behind Ellen van Dijk and Eva Lutz. She competed at the 2012 S ...

(born 1984), cyclist *

Friedrich Hermann Otto, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen , spouse = Luise Pauline Maria Biron , issue = Constantine , house = Hohenzollern-Hechingen , father = Hermann, Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen , mother = Princess Maximiliane of Gavre , birth_date = ...

(1776–1838), Prince of Hohenzollern-Hechingen *

Pierre Jonckheer Pierre Jonckheer (born 5 May 1951) is a Belgian economist and politician, member of the Belgian French-speaking Green party, Ecolo. Early life and education Jonckheer grew up in Wallonia and Brussels and studied Economics at the University of Lo ...

(born 1951), politician, Member of European Parliament 1999-2009 *

Denzel Jubitana Denzel Jubitana (born 6 May 1999) is a Belgian professional Association football, footballer, who plays as a midfielder for Super League Greece 2, Greek Super League 2 club Iraklis F.C. (Thessaloniki), Iraklis. Career He scored his first goal in ...

(born 1999), Football Player *

Philippe Kirsch Philippe Kirsch, (born April 1, 1947) is a Canadian lawyer who served as a judge of the International Criminal Court from 2003 to 2009 and was the Court's first president. Biography Kirsch was born in Belgium in 1947 and arrived in Canada in 19 ...

(born 1947), Canadian jurist and diplomat, former president of the ICC *

Louis Leloir Dom Louis Leloir, O.S.B., (1911–1992), originating from Namur, Belgium, was a Benedictine monk at the Abbey of Clervaux, Clervaux, Luxembourg. His preoccupations were with oecumenical relations, especially with Judaism, and with research into ...

(1911–1992), Benedictine monk and orientalist * Benjamin Lessennes (born 1999), racing driver *

Jeanne Maubourg Jeanne Maubourg (November 10, 1873 – 9 May 1953) was a Belgian opera singer. She sang with the Metropolitan Opera in New York from 1909 to 1914, taught voice in Montreal, and was heard in Canadian radio dramas in the 1930s and 1940s. Early l ...

(1873-1953), opera singer, radio actress in Canada *

Henri Michaux Henri Michaux (; 24 May 1899 – 19 October 1984) was a Belgian-born French poet, writer and painter. Michaux is renowned for his strange, highly original poetry and prose, and also for his art: the Paris Museum of Modern Art and the Guggenheim ...

(1899–1984), French-speaking poet and painter *

Benoît Poelvoorde Benoît Poelvoorde (, ; born 22 September 1964) is a Belgian actor and comedian. Early life His mother was a grocer and his father a driver, who died when Poelvoorde was still a minor. He attended the Jesuit Boarding School of Godinne before ...

(born 1964), actor and comedian *

Jacques François Rosart Jacques François Rosart (1714, Namur – 26 May 1777) was a Belgian engraver and founder of metal type. Rosart operated a successful type foundry in Brussels after arriving in the city in 1759, and before that worked in Haarlem. His typefaces we ...

(1714–1777), engraver of metal type *

Christophe Rochus Christophe Rochus (born 15 December 1978) is a retired professional male tennis player from Belgium. Rochus is the older brother of Olivier Rochus. He reached the semi-finals of the Hamburg Masters in 2005 and was runner-up in two ATP tournamen ...

(born 1978), tennis player *

Olivier Rochus Olivier Rochus (; born 18 January 1981) is a retired Belgian tennis player. He is the younger brother of Christophe Rochus, also a former top-40 tennis player. Rochus won two singles titles in his career and in 2004 French Open – Men's double ...

(born 1981), tennis player *

(1833–1898), graphic artist and illustrator (Symbolism) *

Thierry Zéno Thierry Zéno (born Thierry Jonard; 22 April 1950 – 7 June 2017)
, retrieved 10 May 2009. was a

Rhisnes (suburb), a suburb to the north of the city

References

Sources

* Jean-Pol Hiernaux : ''Namur, capitale de la Wallonie'', in ''Encyclopédie du Mouvement wallon'', Tome II, Charleroi, Institut Jules Destrée, 2000, (or 2d ed., CD-ROM, 2003, )

External links

*
The municipal website of The City of Namur (in French)

Namur Tourism
{{DEFAULTSORT:Namur Cities in Wallonia Sub-municipalities of Namur (city) Municipalities of Namur (province) Provincial capitals of Wallonia World Heritage Sites in Belgium Vauban fortifications in Belgium