Dinant (History of a river )

The Meuse guides visitors through a land rich in heritage and history. With the advent of towns like Dinant and Bouvignes, the river becomes an area of cultural influence and a coveted region. Its slopes are dotted with magnificent outcrops, here and there revealing fortresses that impose their authority by keeping watch over the river traffic.  

À Dinant

A - Relais nautique et Halte fluviale


There are many mooring stations all along the right bank, but please, avoid the landings reserved for passenger vessels.

You'd better prefer:

  - Nautical relay: Right Bank, between 18,200 and 18,351 cumulative

  - The water spot: Right Bank, between 18,053 and 18,110 cumulative.

On the other hand, downstream from the bridge, you will see a pontoon with water and electricity. Just behind the pontoon you will find the the captaincy with showers and laundry facilities.

À Dinant

B - Dinant : the citadel and the arms museum


Nothing remains of the fortress built by the Prince Bishop of Liège in the 12th century. Today, the scene is dominated by the fortress designed by Vauban. A visit to the fortress will immerse you in military history, when Belgium was ruled by the Netherlands and the House of Orange. Eighty years later, the Kingdom of Belgium was to defend its territory in the trenches of the Yser, the only piece of land still unoccupied by Germany. The reconstruction of one of these trenches in the fort is full of surprises…

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Place Reine Astrid,3
5500 Dinant
Tel : 0032(0) 82 22 36 70
Web : http://www.citadellededinant.be

À Dinant

C - Daughter of the Meuse

A daughter of the Meuse, like Liège, Dinant linked its destiny to the princely city for better or for worse… In the Middle Ages, the city was unashamedly prosperous: an annual fair was organised there, markets were set up, and brass was worked. This prosperity came to an abrupt end one day in 1466... The hereditary enemy of Liège, Charles the Bold, sacked the city. Dinant never recovered. The surviving craftspeople took refuge in Liège and in Mézières: these exiles were to contribute towards the prosperity of the French town.

Did you know?

Although the medieval city no longer exists, the chancel and transept of the Notre-Dame collegiate church bear witness to Dinant as it was at its peak. The 12th-century baptistery reveals the admirable work of the stone cutters of the time.

Did you know?

In the 15th century, Dinant’s reputation for objects made of alloys stretched beyond the borders. In the Kingdom of France, craftsmen working with leaves of copper were commonly known as “dinandiers”. The House of Medieval Heritage pays tribute to this craft industry.

À Dinant

D - Navigating the Meuse


In the Middle Ages, the Meuse was the safest and least costly means of transport, compared with the paths leading through the Ardennes. The riches of the towns and cities along the Meuse were exported throughout the world, carried on flat-bottomed boats with a shallow draught. These boats were designed so that they could run aground and had no need for quays and landing stages. Borne by the current, they covered over 100 kilometres a day.

Today, freight transport has given way to scores of yachts and cruisers.

À Dinant

E - Notre-Dame Collegiate Church


Notre-Dame is one of the finest examples of 13th-century Gothic art, with its nave rising towards heaven. Destroyed when the city was sacked by Charles the Bold, it was to undergo several renovations in the following centuries.

More informations>

Learn more



Place Reine Astrid
5500 Dinant
Tel : 0032(0) 82 22 22 07
Web : http://www.doyennededinant.com

À Dinant

F - The Bayard rock

Tradition has it that during their ride through the Ardennes, the four sons of AYMON, Renaud, Richard, Alard and Guichard, pursued and prevented from passing round the needle of the Meuse by the rising water, were forced  to scale this tall, narrow rock on horseback.
This mischievous tradition adds that the people of Dinant showed everyone who so desired the trace left on the BAYARD rock by the impetuous steed of the four sons of AYMON as he sprang. (A horseshoe-shaped imprint can be seen on the south face).

Hence this pyramidion in Dinant was given the name BAYARD.

À Dinant

G - Reception and tourist information site

Maison du Tourisme de la Haute Meuse Dinantaise– www.dinant-tourisme.com

 

À Dinant

H - Dinant - Mr. Sax's Sundays


The free concerts given by Belgian bands will turn Dinant into Jazz City all summer long.

Visitors in Dinant will be able to enjoy these colourful animations around Mr. Sax's famous instrument in the heart of Dinant, along the boulevards or at the cafés.

http://sax.dinant.be