Editing Namur (section)

==Culture and sights==
{{See also|List of protected heritage sites in Namur (city)}}
Namur has taken on a new role as the capital of the federal region of Wallonia. Its location at the head of the Ardennes has also made it a popular tourist centre, with a [[casino]] located in its southern district on the left bank of the Meuse.

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 [[St Aubin's Cathedral|cathedral dedicated to Saint Aubain]] and [[Belfry of Namur|a belfry]] classified by [[UNESCO]] as part of the [[Belfries of Belgium and France]] which are listed as a [[World Heritage Site]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/943/multiple=1&unique_number=1100 |title=Belfries of Belgium and France - UNESCO World Heritage Centre |publisher=whc.unesco.org |access-date=2010-10-20 }}</ref>

The [[Sisters of Notre Dame de Namur|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 [[Namur stilt jousting|joust on stilts]] (dating back to 1411) practiced by the [https://www.echasseurs.org/en 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.<ref>{{Cite web|title=UNESCO - Namur stilt jousting|url=https://ich.unesco.org/en/RL/namur-stilt-jousting-01590|access-date=2021-12-21|website=ich.unesco.org|language=en}}</ref> Since 2021, Namur stilt jousts are  registered on the [[UNESCO]] [[UNESCO Intangible Cultural Heritage Lists|Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage]] of Humanity.

Namur possesses a distinguished [[university]], the [[Université de Namur|University of Namur]] (previously known as the Facultés universitaires Notre-Dame de la Paix, FUNDP), founded in 1831. The [[UCLouvain|University of Louvain]] (UCLouvain) also has several facilities in the city through its [[CHU UCLouvain Namur|UCLouvain Namur University Hospital]] (CHU UCLouvain Namur), the provinces' largest employer.

Since 1986 Namur has been home to the [[Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur|Namur International Festival of French-Speaking Film]].<ref>[http://www.fiff.be/ 22ème Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur] retrieved May 14, 2007. (French language)</ref> 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''.

<gallery>
File:01-Namur-100109 (2) JPG.jpg|The citadel and the Meuse
File:01-Namur-300605 (1).jpg|The [[Belfry of Namur]]
File:Namur Ca1JPG.jpg|[[St Aubin's Cathedral]] is the only [[Baroque|academic Late Baroque]] cathedral in Belgium.
File:Le cheval Bayard portant les quatre fils Aymon - Olivier Strebelle 1958.jpg|''The horse Bayard'' carrying ''[[The Four Sons of Aymon]]'', created by [[Olivier Strebelle]] for [[Expo 58]]
File:La Sambre in Namur viewed from Quai de l'Abbaye (DSCF5606).jpg|The Sambre
File:Arcs namur.jpg|Old town
File:Echasseurs-Echasse-Or-Fetes-de-Wallonie-3-Skuds.jpg|alt=Joust on stilts in Namur. The stiltwalkers fights date back to 1411.|Joust on stilts in Namur. The stiltwalkers fights dates back to 1411.
</gallery>