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Namur (; ; ) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is the capital both of the province of Namur Province and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration.
Namur stands at the confluence of the rivers Sambre and Meuse and straddles three different regions – Hesbaye to the north, Condroz to the south-east, and Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse to the south-west. The city of Charleroi is located to the west. The language spoken is French language.
The municipality consists of the following sub-municipalities: Beez, Belgrade, Boninne, Bouge, Champion, Cognelée, Daussoulx, Dave, Erpent, Flawinne, Gelbressée, Jambes, Lives-sur-Meuse, Loyers, Malonne, Marche-les-Dames, Namur proper, Naninne, Saint-Servais, Saint-Marc, Suarlée, Temploux, Vedrin, Wépion, and Wierde.
Namur came to prominence during the early Middle Ages when the Merovingians built a castle or citadel on the rocky spur overlooking the town at the confluence of the two rivers. In the 10th century, it became a county in its own right. The town developed somewhat unevenly, as the counts of Namur could only build on the north bank of the Meuse - the south bank was owned by the bishops of Liège and developed more slowly into the town of Jambes (now effectively a suburb of Namur). The medieval rulers of Namur were often also rulers of other counties in the region, including Flanders, Hainaut, and Luxembourg. It was purchased by Duke Philip the Good of Duke Burgundy and Count of Flanders in 1421, joining it into a larger state.
General Jean-Baptiste Cyrus de Valence's column laid siege to the city on 19 November 1792 during the War of the First Coalition and, after 12 days, the city surrendered on 1 December and its whole garrison of 3,000 men was taken prisoner. France invaded the region again in 1794, annexing Namur and imposing a repressive regime. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1815, the Congress of Vienna incorporated what is now Belgium into the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Belgium broke away from the Netherlands in 1830 following the Belgian Revolution, and Namur continued to be a major garrison town under the new government. The citadel was rebuilt yet again in 1887.
Namur continued to host the Belgian Army's until their departure in 1977.
After the creation of the Wallonia, Namur was chosen as the seat of its executive and parliament. In 1986, Namur was officially declared capital of Wallonia. Its position as regional capital was confirmed by the Parliament of Wallonia in 2010.
The town's most prominent sight is the Citadel of Namur, 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.
The Couvent des Soeurs de Notre-Dame used to contain masterpieces of Mosan art by Hugo d'Oignies, currently presented in the Musée des Arts Anciens (Rue de Fer). Elsewhere there is an archeological museum and a museum dedicated to Félicien Rops.
An odd Namurois custom is the joust on stilts (dating back to 1411) practiced by the stiltwalkers of Namur. The annual Combat de l'Échasse d'Or ( Fight for the Golden Stilt), held on the third Sunday in September, is the most important joust of the year. Two teams, the Mélans and the Avresses, dress in medieval clothes while standing on stilts and do battle in one of the town's principal squares. Since 2021, Namur stilt jousts are registered on the UNESCO Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.
Namur possesses a distinguished university, the University of Namur (previously known as the Facultés universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix, FUNDP), founded in 1831. The UCLouvain (UCLouvain) also has several facilities in the city through its UCLouvain Namur University Hospital (CHU UCLouvain Namur), the provinces' largest employer.
Since 1986 Namur has been home to the Namur International Festival of French-Speaking Film. 22ème Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur retrieved May 14, 2007. (French language) A jazz (Nam'in'Jazz) and a rock (Verdur Rock) festival both take place in Namur annually.
Sights near Namur include Maredsous Abbey, Floreffe Abbey, and Annevoie Castle with its surrounding Jardins d'Annevoie.
The local baseball team is named Namur Angels.
The annual Namur cyclo-cross race, part of the UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup, takes place on the hills around the citadel. From 1950 to 2007, the Belgian Motocross Grand Prix was held every first weekend in August on a challenging race circuit around the citadel. Between 20,000 and 50,000 spectators gathered to support the Belgian motocross stars such as; Joël Robert, Roger De Coster, Eric Geboers & Stefan Everts. The Namur circuit achieved iconic status and was known as the Monaco of the Motocross World Championships in reference to the prestigious Formula One automobile race.
| Neighboring country | 3,375 | 2.98% |
| EU27 (excluding neighboring country) | 5,326 | 4.7% |
| Outside EU 27 | 15,898 | 14.03% |
| Neighboring country | 2,163 | 1.91% |
| EU27 (excluding neighboring country) | 2,371 | 2.09% |
| Outside EU 27 | 6,903 | 6.09% |
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