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BELGIUM
NAMUR
The Citadel of Namur served as a strategic bastion, attracting wave upon wave of attacks and experiencing an equally determined series of reconstructions and reinforcements. The most famous of these contests occurred in the late 17th century, during the War of the Grand Alliance. In 1692, the renowned fortress architect and siege engineer Vauban took Namur for the French while Louis XIV himself looked on. Vauban strengthened Namur so well that it was thought impregnable, but only three years later it was taken in less than a month by the forces of William of Orange.
Copyright © Belgian Tourist Office
Today the citadel is accessible by a winding road or by cable-car, offering visitors a good view of the peaceful town below and the rivers Sambre and Meuse. Although the citadel is a dominating presence in Namur, the town itself holds great appeal. Its quiet streets are graced with a number of fine 18th century mansions and several beautiful churches. Namur is also a rich repository of Mosan artwork, most notably the Treasury of the Priory of Oignies.
Copyright © Best Western New Hotel De Lives
Among the treasury's fine objects are many pieces manufactured in the early 13th century by Brother Hugo of Oignies, one of the greatest goldsmiths of the middle ages. Brother Hugo's work includes a reliquary for a rib of Saint Peter, two astonishing double crosses, chalices, phylacteries, and an evangelical cover.
Information is Copyright © Toerisme Vlaanderen
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Festivals & Events
Jan Van Eyck and the Mediterranean World
24 March - June
The first exhibition dedicated to early Netherlandisch painting and its influence on the Southern European art scene of its days looks at works commissioned from Jan Van Eyck and other Flemish Primitives working abroad. Major works from all over Europe will be brought together in one of the finest museums in Bruges.
Brussel jubel park
Author: d. de Kievith
© Toerisme Vlaanderen
The Brueghel Enterprise
22. March - 23. June 2002
The exhibition will bring together about forty paintings by this artist who is well-known for having made an abundant number of copies after the works by his father Pieter Bruegel the Elder. The exhibition aims to juxtapose different versions of the same composition and to study and analyse them with state-of-the-art laboratory techniques.
It will be the first time ever that such an important number of versions is gathered. The exhibition is designed around four themes, each of them centred on a reference work: Census in Bethlehem, Winter Landscape with Bird Trap, The Adoration of the Magi in the Snow and The Farmer’s Advocate.
Brugge lace-maker
Author: d. de Kievith
© Toerisme Vlaanderen
Adriaan Brouwer Beer Festival
Yearly festival on the market square of the beautiful town of Oudenaarde.
Tel: (32-55) 31-7251
Brussel Grand Place
Author: d. de Kievith
© Toerisme Vlaanderen
Jazz Brugge 2002
August - 15-18
De Werf's European Jazz Festival is to be held alternating with the Middelheim festival, i.e. every second year.
Its venue will be the newly built, for the Brugge 2002 festivities, concert centre, a modern building with the largest stage in Belgium and capacity of 1400 seats.
Its emphasis will be on European jazz and artists.
There will be 3 to 4 groups per day, concerts starting around 15h and ending at 23h.
Brugge scenic view
Author: d. de. Kievith
© Toerisme Vlaanderen
Diamon Museum - Antwerp
Where the entire process of diamond mining and processing can be viewed.. Antwerp is the very centre of the world's diamond industry. More than 70% of the world's diamonds are cut, polished and traded here.
Brussel procession
Author: A. Koprianov
© Toerisme Vlaanderen
The Royal Greenhouses
April 19 - May 5
The Royal Greenhouses in Laeken cover six acres of neo-classical rotundas, domes and galleries. Twenty full time gardeners tend the giant ferns, fruit-bearing banana trees, grottoes, glades and grassy vistas. Highlights include the Azalea House, the rotunda, a colony of birds and the orange trees. Walkways are filled with climbing geraniums and fuschias, whose blossoms form an overhead canopy. The visit ends with a short walk through the Royal Park.
Brussel Grand'Place flowers
Author: J. J. Soenen
© Toerisme Vlaanderen
The Abbey of Villers-la-Ville
The Cistercian Abbey dates back to the 12th century. In the 19th century, a large number of artists, painters and writers, such as Victor Hugo, were attracted by the beauty of the majestic ruins, which are still sometimes used as a dramatic setting for French drama and classical concerts.
Oostende Mercator
Author: d. de Kievith
© Toerisme Vlaanderen
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