Location

The city of Namur stands at the confluence of the Sambre and Meuse rivers.  It is both the capital of the province of Namur and, since 1986, of the federal region of Wallonia. It is an important commercial and industrial centre, located on the Walloon industrial backbone, the Sambre and Meuse valley.

It produces machinery, leather goods, metals and porcelain.  It is also an important railway junction situated on the north-south line between Brussels and Luxembourg City, and the east-west line between Lille and Liège. River barge traffic passes through the middle of the city along the Meuse.

Its location at the head of the Ardennes has also made it a popular tourist centre. The town's most prominent sight is the citadel, now demilitarised and open to the public. It plays host to a beer festival at Easter.

Namur also has a distinctive 18th century cathedral (the only academic Late Baroque cathedral in Belgium) dedicated to Saint Aubain and a belfry classified by UNESCO as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France which are listed as a World Heritage Site.

The Couvent des Soeurs de Notre-Dame contains masterpieces of Mosan art by Hugo d'Oignies. Elsewhere there is an archeological museum and a museum dedicated to Félicien Rops.

Namur houses a distinguished university, the University of Namur, also referred to as FUNDP (Facultés Universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix) founded in 1831.

The ECAART11 conference is organized on the week before the famous Fêtes de Wallonie. An odd Namur custom is the annual Combat de l'Échasse d'Or (Fight for the Golden Stilt), held on the third Sunday of September. Two teams, the Mélans and the Avresses, dress in medieval clothes while standing on stilts and battle in one of the town's principal squares, Place d’Armes.

Sights near Namur include Maredsous Abbey, Floreffe Abbey and Annevoie Castle with its surroundings.

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