The Meuse and the Ardennes Places

Dinant

Simultaneously hanging off and tucked under spectacular cliffs on the Meuse, Dinant's dramatic setting has been the stage for a turbulent history. The town has been attacked more than 200 times in the course of eight centuries. A few of the more notable assaults include when Charles the Bold sacked the town in 1466 and threw 600 men, tied in pairs, into the river; when Henri II took the town in 1554; when Louis XIV stormed through in 1675, and again 17 years later; and most recently when the Germans burned Dinant in World War I and then returned twice during World War II.

The Rocher Bayard rock formation on the southern edge of town aptly illustrates how Dinant's natural wonders are linked to its military and folkloric past. Legend has it that the rock got its distinctive needle's-eye-shaped hole when a steed named Bayard—the property of the four Aymon brothers, Charlemagne's foes—split it with his hoof. Allegedly Louis XIV's troops widened the passage when they invaded the city.

Dinant also has a rich industrial past. Between the 12th and 15th centuries, copper production, known as dinanderie, boomed. Eventually the metal-working industry gave way to mining and textiles, which governed the local economy up until the beginning of the 20th century. Now Dinant (population 12,500) caters to the tourists who flock here to discover the city's historic ruins, natural beauty, and culinary pleasures. If you're interested in Belgian beer, seek out the two breweries within 10 km (6 mi) of the city. Music lovers, especially those who fancy jazz, have an additional reason to visit Dinant. Its most famous son is Adolphe Sax (born here in 1814), inventor of the saxophone. Belgium honored Sax by using his image on the 200-franc note.