Route Merveilleuse, Namen, Belgie 2010 - Namur by dromosapien Star this if you like it!
Across the Sambre river from the Namur centrum is the Citadelle that began as a wooden tower in the 10th century, fortified with stone when Chateau Des Comtes (castle of the counts) was built 1235-1245 and Charles V (1500-1558) enlarged it 1542-1555 into a fortified city, La Mediane. By the 17th century it had become one of the largest fortifications in Europe. It was restored 1816-1825 by the Congress of Vienna but then partially dismantled in 1860 by Napoleon III (1808-1873) and had limited military functions. * Namur / Namen, population: 107,000, located at the confluence of the Meuse & Sambre rivers. It is the capital of Wallonia, the French speaking region (55%) of Belgium. Its caves were settled by Neanderthals about 98,000 or 67,000 BC (!) and later the Cro-Magnons 29,000 BC. In 57-54 BC the Romans attacked the tribes of Belgium’s fortification called Aduaticorum / Oppidum Atuatucorum and established a castrum or fort where the city is today. In 7th century AD it was referred to as Navinucum Centrum / Numucum and since the 12th century AD it has been called Namur. It was a merchant town, the occasional residences of kings and exchanged hands frequently via royal marriages, sales and more often, military conquests.
- 23 May 2010
- Tags: #wall #namur
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