Citadel in Namur |
vertical divider
is a great example of mastery of military architecture. This one of the greatest citadel in Europe has a diversity that evokes the era from the Middle Ages to the 20th century.
|
Terra Nova
The first fortifications were built here by the Celts, the next by the Romans. In the 937 year, the Namur Count replaced the Roman ruins with wooden fortifications. The stone castle was built in 1235-1245, then, in the fourteenth century, it was expanded.
Citadel received the present form in 1631-1675 during the reign of the Dutch. This part of the fortress has been named Terra Nova to distinguish it from the smaller fort built in the neighborhood La Médiane, which was built in 1542-1555 during the reign of Emperor Charles V. |
In the 1692 year, the citadel was taken by the French. It was then that Sebastian Vauban, a French military engineer and architect at the court of the French King Louis XIV, rebuilt the citadel in Namur, making it one of the most powerful fortresses in Europe. The twilight of the citadel's power came during the First World War, when it took a few days for the Germans to get it. During the Second World War, the fortress was seriously damaged as a result of bombing. A parachute unit was stationed here until the 1977 year.
The citadel built on the 10 hectares has been recognized as the unique heritage of Wallonia. This magnificent building dominates the Port du Grognon, the place where the rivers Meuse and Sambra meet, and where there is a statue of King Albert I on a horse. This king, valued by the Belgians, died while climbing the rock of the Grand Bon Dieu, near Marches-les-Dames on the Meuse River.
The citadel built on the 10 hectares has been recognized as the unique heritage of Wallonia. This magnificent building dominates the Port du Grognon, the place where the rivers Meuse and Sambra meet, and where there is a statue of King Albert I on a horse. This king, valued by the Belgians, died while climbing the rock of the Grand Bon Dieu, near Marches-les-Dames on the Meuse River.