Belgium Wallonia

Namur has taken on a new role as the capital of the federal region of Wallonia. Its location at the head of the Ardennes has also made it a popular tourist centre, with a casino located in its southern district on the left bank of the Meuse.The town's most prominent sight is the citadel, now demilitarised and open to the public. Namur also has a distinctive 18th century cathedral 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. Sights near Namur include Maredsous Abbey, Floreffe Abbey, and Annevoie Castle with its surrounding Jardins d'Annevoie.

The 16C palace is built on the Place St Lambert. An archeological display can be visited under the Place St Lambert. The perron on the nearby Place du Marche is the symbol of the city. It stands in front of the 17C city hall. The church of Saint-James is the most beautiful medieval church in Liege, built in Flamboyant-Gothic style, The main museums in Liege are: MAMAC, Museum of Walloon Life, and Museum of Walloon Art & Religious Art. The Grand Curtius Museum is an elegantly furnished mansion from the 17th century along the Meuse River. Other sites of interest include the historical city centre, the Hors-Château area, the Outremeuse area, and the parks and boulevards along the River Meuse.

Tournai is a French-speaking town of Belgium. The city of Tournai was one of the greatest cultural and economic centers of the County of Flanders. Some traces can still be seen today. Although Tournai is in the Flemish cultural area, it also possesses some treasures of the Mosan style. Indeed, the two most beautiful shrines of the Cathedral, commissioned by the Bishop of Tournai, were made in the region of Liege by Nicholas of Verdun: the shrines of Saint-Eleutherius and of Our Lady of Flanders (13C). Those shrines testify to the opulence of the towns of Tournai and Liege during the Middle-Ages. The shrine of Our Lady of Flanders has been called one of the seven wonders of Belgium.

In medieval times Durbuy was an important centre of commerce and industry. In 1331 the town was elevated to the rank of city by John I, Count of Luxemburg, and King of Bohemia. Tourism and recreation are its main activities nowadays.

Mons is home to several places of interest. The Grand Place is the center of the historic town and the stage for the annual mock-battle of the Lumecon. The City Hall, originally built near the current location of the belfry, was moved on the Grand Place in 13C. The flamboyant gothic building seen today dates from the 15C. In front of it stands a statue of a monkey, which is said to bring good fortune to those who pat his head. The collegiate church of Sainte-Waudru is a good specimen of Gothic architecture. The neighboring belfry, classified as a World Heritage Site, dates from the 17C and is the only Baroque-style belfry in Belgium. The so-called Spanish House dates from the 16C.

Charleroi is home to several important sites. The belfry is included in the list of World Heritage Sites. The Maison Doree was built in 1899 by Art Nouveau architect Alfred Frere. Its name is derived from the golden sgraffiti that adorn the facade. The city is home to several museums of fine art, glass and other disciplines, as well as a significant one specializing in photography, in the Mont-sur-Marchienne district.

The city's landmark is the Collegiate Church of Notre Dame de Dinant. It was rebuilt in Gothic style on its old foundations after falling rocks from the adjacent cliff partially destroyed the former Romanesque style church in 1227. Above the church rises the vertical flank of the rocher surmounted by the fortified Citadel that was first built in the 11th century to control the Meuse valley. Apart from the main block is the Rocher Bayard that was said to have been split by giant hoof of Bayard, the giant horse carrying the four sons of Aymon on their legendary flight from Charlemagne through the Ardennes, told in Les Quatre Fils Aymon, a famous 12th-century chanson de geste.

As the famed site of healing cold springs, Spa has been frequented as a watering-place since as early as the 14th century. Though other sources of healing mineral springs have become famous throughout the world, it is the town of Spa which has become eponymous with any place having a natural water source that is believed to possess special health-giving properties, as a spa. Since the eighteenth century casinos have also been located in the town.

Today, Waterloo is home to the European headquarters of MasterCard International. There is a Carrefour hypermarket in Mont-Saint-Jean, a Delhaize store, an Ibis Hotel, several BNP Paribas Fortis branches, office parks to the east of the town and two international schools: St. John's International School and the "Scandinavian School". As a result Waterloo is a polyglot and multicultural town, the Commune offers services in French, Dutch, and English. A row of shops, called Petit Paris is situated on the Chaussee de Bruxelles (which becomes Chaussee de Waterloo or Waterloosesteenweg when leaving Waterloo in the north and nearing Brussels).

The town sits in a sharp bend of the river Semois (German: Sesbach, Walloon: Simwès, in France : Semoy) whose total length is 210 km. The surrounding area is largely forested. Bouillon Castle still sits above the town centre, and is a popular tourist attraction.

La Louviere has four hydraulic boat lifts on the old Canal du Centre. These double elevators date from around 1900 and were designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. The housing complex that was built for the Bois-du-Luc coal workers during the first half of the 19C has been restored. This is part of the Major Mining Sites of Wallonia, designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site. One of those houses can be visited, together with a couple of museums retracing the history of the coal mining industry in the Centre region. La Louviere counts several chapels and churches that date from the 13C-16C, and has one of the best collection of Idel Ianchelevici’s works on display.

Soignies is also well known for its blue limestone (from the Carrières du Hainaut) and its glass industry (Durobor). The collegiate church of St Vincent is one of the earliest specimens of Romanesque churches in Belgium. The choir dates from the beginning of the 11th century while the Gothic west tower dates from around 1250. The cemetery still has tombs of the 13th and 14th century. Near the church stands the Cloth Market (in French Halle aux Draps), dating from the 16th century.