Citadelle de Namur

Useful Information

photography — Citadelle de Namur, Belgium. Public Domain.

Location:	In the city of Namur, between the rivers Meuse and Sambre. (50.45948368988112, 4.861980305026423)
Open:	Visitor Center: All year daily 10-18. Underground: All year Mon-Fri 13:30 , 15 , 16:30 , Sat, Sun, Hol 11 , 13:30 , 15 , 16:30 . [2020]
Fee:	Adults EUR 10, Children (6-18) EUR 8, Children (0-5) free, Students EUR 8. Groups (+): Adults EUR 9, Children (6-18) EUR 8, Students EUR 8. [2021]
Classification:	Casemates
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:	Ar=80 ha.
Guided tours:	L=500 m, D=90 min.
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	no
Bibliography:
Address:	Citadelle de Namur, TERRA NOVA, Route Merveilleuse 64, 5000 Namur, Tel: +32-81247370. E-mail:
As far as we know this information was accurate when it was published (see years in brackets), but may have changed since then. Please check rates and details directly with the companies in question if you need more recent info.

History

890	fortification with wall and double palisade first mentioned.
974	Counts of Namur make the place their main residence.
1429	after Philip the Good took possession of the county of Namur the military importance of the fortress increased.
1488	besieged by the Namurians in the fight against the Duchy of Burgundy during the civil war in the Burgundian Netherlands.
1577	besieged by the troops of Don Juan de Austria.
1692	besieged by the troops of Louis XIV in the Palatinate War of Succession.
1695	besieged by the troops of the Vienna Grand Alliance in the Palatinate War of Succession.
1746	besieged by French troops under Moritz von Sachsen in the War of the Austrian Succession.
1792	besieged by French troops in the First Coalition War.
1794	besieged by French troops in the First Coalition War.
1830	besieged by the Belgian revolutionaries.
1891	partially demilitarized by decision of King Leopold II and the area was redesigned into a large park.
1893-1899	Grand Hôtel de la Citadelle built.
23-AUG-1914	shelled by German artillery, Grand Hôtel de la Citadelle burned down.
1910	funicular to the citadel.
1918	Belgian army moved in again.
1921	funicular replaced by tram with several tunnels and tight curves.
1930	Grand Hôtel de la Citadelle restored.
1933	quarters in Terra Nova were given up due to health-damaging conditions.
1953	tram closed.
1957	cable car from the square below to the Belvedere.
1975	keys handed over by the Belgian army to the city of Namur.
1997	cable car closed.
2014	guardhouse of Terra Nova reconstructed and now houses exhibitions, administrative rooms and a restaurant.
2021	new cable car from Place Maurice Servais to the Esplanade.

Description

The Citadelle de Namur (The Citadel of Namur) is a fortification with abundant underground structures. Seven kilometers of passages made Napoleon nickname it the termites' nest of Europe. The citadel covers an area of 80 ha, which makes it one of the biggest fortifications in Europe. The Namur Citadel has been besieged twenty times in eight centuries.

The citadel consists of three parts, called Donjon, Médiane and Terra Nova. The guardhouse of Terra Nova is the visitor center with exhibitions and the starting point for tours. There is a huge parking lot and it is best reached by car.