Dinant
Dinant, land of music, history, and tradition. French village of Givet is twenty kilometres from here, the well known abbey of Cinay only fifteen: Dinant is on the Belgian beer route, and at the same time on the way to France. This city is crossroads, and for centuries peoples have met here. Holy Roman Empire, France, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany: Dinant has been part of different countries, it has been theatre of war many and many times. The city finished also under the Austrian empire control, for a while. Here war is still a painful wound. Dinant is where Germany started to fight in Belgium during the first world war: immediately after the occupation of Luxembourg, German troops invaded the kingdom and after few days they arrived in Dinant. There the United Kingdom and France fought in defence of Belgium (neutral). German troops needed ten days to defeat enemies: the 24th of August 1914 Dinant was just a series of ruins. Germans burnt the city (nearly two thirds of the buildings existing at that time), killing 674 civilians in response of alleged killing of German soldiers by the citizens. Monuments, statues, plaques remembering that moment are in every part of the city, still deeply battle-scarred. Still today it is possible to find a plaque commemorating the place where Charles de Gaulle, at that time an infantry lieutenant, was wounded during the Battle of Dinant.
The city is famous for other reasons, too. There was not only pain and war in this part of Belgium, there was creativity, culture and music. In a word, Adolphe Sax. The inventor of the saxophone was born here, the 6th of November, 1814. The 28th of June, 1846, Sax made Belgium famous word wide for the revolutionary instrument, and today the city is a multi-colour commemoration of the creation. Along the main bridge of the city representation of saxophones are placed on both side walks, while along the street connecting the cathedral to Adolphe Sax's native house are placed thematic art installation dedicated to the different kind of saxophones. Dinant is famous also for copper and brass, which local people have been working since centuries. But people coming here have generally another reason behind this visit. Tourists are fascinated by the fortified Citadel that was first built in the 11th century, as well as they enjoy walking along the river or in the wood. But they come especially for beer, one of the great traditions of Belgium. The abbey of Leffe, founded in 1152 on the Meuse river, is today part of the city. The monastery is not on the peak of the rock, but along the river, something unusual for an abbey. In Dinant is possible to get in touch with history of the famous Leffe beer, and visit the museum the city dedicated to it. Like many monasteries across Europe, also in Leffe monks brewed ale. The French revolution stopped this tradition in 1794, when the brewery was destroyed. Then beer started to be produced elsewhere. Leffe was brewed in Mont-Saint-Guibert first, and then in Leuven.
Leffe is still the official beer of the city, considered one of the place to visit in Belgium. Geography makes Dinant very attractive: it is sited between the rock face and the river. Once again, Dinant is crossroads: Houses, buildings and city life are in the middle of a cliff and the water. Dinant is in not only in the middle, at the hearth of common traditions of this part of Europe.
Other cities visited:
Amsterdam / Antwerpen / Berlino / Binche / Braine l'Alleud / Brugge / Budapest / De Haan / Den Haag / Durbuy / Gent / Halle / Knokke / Leuven / Liège / Mechelen / Mons / Namur / New York city / Oostende / Santiago de Compostela / Strasbourg / Tournai / Vilvoorde / Waterloo
Dinant, land of music, history, and tradition. French village of Givet is twenty kilometres from here, the well known abbey of Cinay only fifteen: Dinant is on the Belgian beer route, and at the same time on the way to France. This city is crossroads, and for centuries peoples have met here. Holy Roman Empire, France, the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, France, Belgium, Germany: Dinant has been part of different countries, it has been theatre of war many and many times. The city finished also under the Austrian empire control, for a while. Here war is still a painful wound. Dinant is where Germany started to fight in Belgium during the first world war: immediately after the occupation of Luxembourg, German troops invaded the kingdom and after few days they arrived in Dinant. There the United Kingdom and France fought in defence of Belgium (neutral). German troops needed ten days to defeat enemies: the 24th of August 1914 Dinant was just a series of ruins. Germans burnt the city (nearly two thirds of the buildings existing at that time), killing 674 civilians in response of alleged killing of German soldiers by the citizens. Monuments, statues, plaques remembering that moment are in every part of the city, still deeply battle-scarred. Still today it is possible to find a plaque commemorating the place where Charles de Gaulle, at that time an infantry lieutenant, was wounded during the Battle of Dinant.
The city is famous for other reasons, too. There was not only pain and war in this part of Belgium, there was creativity, culture and music. In a word, Adolphe Sax. The inventor of the saxophone was born here, the 6th of November, 1814. The 28th of June, 1846, Sax made Belgium famous word wide for the revolutionary instrument, and today the city is a multi-colour commemoration of the creation. Along the main bridge of the city representation of saxophones are placed on both side walks, while along the street connecting the cathedral to Adolphe Sax's native house are placed thematic art installation dedicated to the different kind of saxophones. Dinant is famous also for copper and brass, which local people have been working since centuries. But people coming here have generally another reason behind this visit. Tourists are fascinated by the fortified Citadel that was first built in the 11th century, as well as they enjoy walking along the river or in the wood. But they come especially for beer, one of the great traditions of Belgium. The abbey of Leffe, founded in 1152 on the Meuse river, is today part of the city. The monastery is not on the peak of the rock, but along the river, something unusual for an abbey. In Dinant is possible to get in touch with history of the famous Leffe beer, and visit the museum the city dedicated to it. Like many monasteries across Europe, also in Leffe monks brewed ale. The French revolution stopped this tradition in 1794, when the brewery was destroyed. Then beer started to be produced elsewhere. Leffe was brewed in Mont-Saint-Guibert first, and then in Leuven.
Leffe is still the official beer of the city, considered one of the place to visit in Belgium. Geography makes Dinant very attractive: it is sited between the rock face and the river. Once again, Dinant is crossroads: Houses, buildings and city life are in the middle of a cliff and the water. Dinant is in not only in the middle, at the hearth of common traditions of this part of Europe.
Other cities visited:
Amsterdam / Antwerpen / Berlino / Binche / Braine l'Alleud / Brugge / Budapest / De Haan / Den Haag / Durbuy / Gent / Halle / Knokke / Leuven / Liège / Mechelen / Mons / Namur / New York city / Oostende / Santiago de Compostela / Strasbourg / Tournai / Vilvoorde / Waterloo
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