People often say that sometimes specific place, atmosphere, or culture have the power to inspire us. Even a city may inspire your life so that it changes your life completely in a better way. I guess that's why painters, chefs, architects, and artists always try to find inspiration while traveling to different areas, countries, or cities. Being an architect, one thing I always knew for sure was that I needed to get out to find my inspiration for designs. I don't practice traditional architecture now but I guess that attitude and habit are still inside me. It has been an insatiable calling-one that continuously reaches me to a life of curiosity, and observation from the world that influences me in everything I do.
I came to know about "Dinant" last year on social media. Seeing just one viral photograph of this city, I instantly decided that one day I would explore the city. Known as the birthplace of Adolphe Sax, the inventor of the saxophone; this city offers iconic landmarks, caves, cliffs, and picturesque scenery to tourists. Dinant is a scenic Belgian city located on the River Meuse in the heart of the Namur Province. This city also has a significant history that may give you a small tour of the history. History lovers can take a short day trip there and indulge themselves in the rich and tumultuous history of Dinant City. The city nestles between high cliffs and the river, an ideal setting that gives the town/city drama and uniqueness.
Dinant, Belgium
Before diving deep into my travel experiences, I wanna share something about this picture. This photo is actually a very significant photo to me and to get the satisfying shot, I took the boat trip at Meuse River. This photo says everything about the city, express almost the significant part of the city. You can see architecture, the high Steep cliffs, a Fortified citadel, and the Gothic Collegiate Church of Our Lady all at once in this photo...
The trip was a day trip so We started our journey early morning. Our first destination was exploring a large cave near Dinant City. From the Netherlands, it almost took 4 hours to reach our first destination. After exploring the Cave, our tour guide then dropped us in front of Dinant Citadel. I took the package of citadel tour and boat ride. The funny fact is I never travel during sunny weather. It's not actually intentional, it's just I always choose the wrong date for a trip and that's why I often face rainy weather. I was fully prepared this time so I was not bothered by the rain at all.
Dinant is a very small city but I didn't know how small it was before walking around the city. From the citadel, the entire city's architecture reminded me of a bit of Luxembourg. This city's architecture is mixed with medieval and modern elements. The riverside-lined colorful buildings were from 19th-century, Belgian-style townhouses. Either way, the architecture of this city represents the culture and history of the city. But the distinctive onion-shaped dome of the church really caught my eye from the top. It was unique...
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After exploring the citadel, we came down to the city using the cable car. The cable car ride was short and it basically works as a transport system from the centuries-old Citadel to Dinant City because the Citadel is located on the top of the high cliffs. Some tourists were also taking the stairs. I am not the kind of person who loves to take such challenges as "taking stairs". To be honest, I am not into fortress or castle tours because I cannot remember any single word of the history related to culture, dynasties, and historical eras. An architect obviously needs to know the history of architectural structures but I find history very boring. Too much information while traveling is hard to remember, I love to know basic history but not details. While exploring the citadel, I came to know the fascinating and very eventful history of Dinant City. History really influenced this city to flourish in time.
One of the key landmarks of this city was Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame de Dinant. After the Citadel of Dinant which plays a historical key role in fortifying the city for military purposes; this gothic church represents the city's 10th-century architecture. The onion-shaped dome of the church, gothic features, and stoned facades represent the resilience and artistic heritage. The Gothic church stands along the sides of the Meuse River and at the foot of the high-cresting Citadel of Dinant, part of the stunning view of the Dinant skyline. In my opinion, I have never seen such a dramatic and picturesque panoramic view of a city all at once.
Obviously, I took tons of photos while walking.
After seeing all of the landmarks, finally, our group finally decided to take the boat ride. Before boat riding we had half an hour so we decided to walk near the Meuse Riverbank area. A lot of small cafes and bars were located near the riverside area along with large walking spaces and sitting areas. A lot of similar-styled boats were parked near the dock, they were owned by one company and can be booked for private river tours.
You must be thinking where are all the people? Well, even though the city was touristy, the city was not crowded at all when I was there. And I guess that's why I felt comfortable while walking there. I didn't feel stressed out at all.
After the boat ride, I went to walk in the city because I was so curious about the layout of the city. The Urban Fabric of Dinant City fascinated me and I wanted to fully enjoy the experience. The town hall of Dinant is known as a Symbol of Heritage in the Heart of Wallonia. This town hall is a symbol city’s recovery and enduring spirit because the city has a dark history. It was an amazing feeling to witness such a historically important building.
People in this city mostly speak the French language. I saw some supermarkets and restaurants around this city. I didn't go to the other side of the river. I preferred to walk around without knowing the locations after seeing so many significant landmarks. Most of the street names were also in French but not too hard to understand.
I didn't go to the Sax Museum which also represents the culture of this city, couldn't manage the time to see it actually. However, I saw the Charles de Gaulle Bridge which featured brightly colored saxophone sculptures.
The architecture of the city line especially the buildings is mostly from the 19th century and some represent medieval architecture. Decorative facades, Stonework, colorful layout, and narrow streets represented the true beauty of the city in front of me. I guess I was meant to be there.
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I think the photos will give much more details about the city itself.
Dinant has been enriched by the agricultural opportunities that the fertile land on the plateau overlooking it has provided. The manufacture of brassware is a traditional craft in the city itself. This craft has profited because of this broad and easily navigable river that enabled easy delivery of the raw materials and ready distribution of the resulting products of the artisans' workshops.
The limestone cliffs overlooking the town also supported yet another traditional source of wealth in the form of a high-end quarrying industry for black marble and bluestone, whose distribution further benefited from the proximity of the relatively wide and deep navigable river. src
I also tasted The Couque de Dinant, a type of biscuit that particularly can be found in Dinant at a particular shop. At first, I thought they were bread but later found out they are biscuits and are really famous.
I have spent the rest of my time sitting near the river in Dinant. We also had our dinner near the riverside restaurants. There were some really good restaurants around. But be careful, the food menu is in French.
I don't think I will go back to this place again because I cannot. But this city will always stay a significant memory in my mind...
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Priyan...
I am @priyanarc.... An architect, a dreamer, and a passionate writer who loves to write about life. I try to present my own perspective and experiences. Please leave your feedback and criticism because it's the only way I can know and reach your mind and thoughts easily...
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