Namur

Industrial city and capital of Namur province, south Belgium, at the confluence of the Sambre and Meuse rivers, about 65 km/40 mi southeast of Brussels; population (2006 est) 107,200. There are cutlery, porcelain, paper, iron, and steel industries. It was a strategic location during both world wars and was occupied by Germany 1914–18.

Its most noticeable architectural monuments are the cathedral, rebuilt during 1750–72, the 11th-century belfry, and the restored 18th-century citadel, laid out as a park and containing a forestry museum.

Namur

Province of Belgium, part of the French-speaking community and Walloon region, bounded to the north by Walloon Brabant, to the east by the provinces of Liège and Luxembourg, to the west by Hainaut, and to the south by France; area 3,660 sq km/1,413 sq mi; population (1999 est) 441,200. The capital is Namur, and other major towns include Dinant.

Physical The principal rivers are the Meuse, the Sambre, and the Lesse. The province is known as the gateway to the Ardennes. To the north of the Sambre and Meuse valleys, the province forms part of the fertile Hesbaye plateau. To the south there are fertile valleys and low hilly tracts. In some areas the densely wooded offshoots of the Ardennes reach heights of 500 m/1,640 ft above sea level.

Economy Industries include coal mines; marble, slate, sandstone, and limestone quarries; and steel, iron, chemicals, glass, and ceramics. Steel, iron, and smelting works, are concentrated, together with the glass and chemical industries, around the city of Namur and in the valley of the Sambre. Ceramic manufacture is centred in Andenne. The food industry includes manufacture of fruit and milk products, brewing, abattoirs, and cereal production.

History Namur came under Hainaut in 1188, and under Flanders in 1263. In 1421 it was incorporated in Burgundy. During the 16th and 17th centuries it was part of the Netherlands. In 1792 it was annexed by France. It was united with the Netherlands again in 1815, and eventually became a Belgian province in 1830.