Citadel of Dinan
The Citadel of Dinant is a fortress located in the Walloon town of Dinant in the province of Namur. The Meuse River is a real historical place where important military and political events took place for Belgium. Due to its strategic importance, several famous buildings were built here - the Castle of Freyr and the Citadel of Dinan, which stretches over the local town of Dinan.
A brief history
The Dinan Citadel has a very rich centuries-old history, it was attacked and destroyed several times, and it was reconstructed several times, but at the same time it managed to preserve its unsurpassed rich exterior and interior appearance. According to one legend, this fortress was built in the 4th century by the Roman Emperor Julius, who later donated it to one of the local bishops. The bishop, realizing its strategic importance, decided to complete the defensive structures here, finally transforming this fortress into a defensive structure.
In the 15th century, the Citadel of Dinant was almost completely destroyed by the troops of the famous commander Charles the Bold, who staged a campaign against Belgium. In addition to Charles, the fortress was attacked several times by the garrisons of the French army, who blew up the castle standing above the city of Dinant due to the fact that it was impregnable for their capture. It was possible to restore the Dinan Citadel only at the beginning of the 19th century, when some of the best Dutch architects of that time were invited here, who began reconstruction in the image of the preserved sketches and drawings of this structure.
Features of the Dinan Citadel
The fortress is located in a picturesque place, spread out on the rocks, the length of this citadel is 950 meters. It is made in the classic style of a defensive structure with small windows for viewing. Meadows, park areas and a beautiful river are spread around the citadel. By the decision of the local authorities, a military museum was founded inside the Dinan Citadel, which preserves exhibits that participated in the fighting in the citadel. If you like old medieval castles and the beautiful nature of Europe, then this place is what you need. You can photograph the landmark at any time of the day, atmospheric images are always obtained against the background of the citadel. The name Dinan comes from the Celtic Divo-Nanto, meaning "sacred valley" or "divine valley." A settlement existed here as early as the Neolithic period, but the first mentions of the city date back to the period before our era. In the 21st century, they began to build a stone bridge over the Meuse and a citadel above the city, which still stand today.
