Namur Travel Forum

While visiting our son who now lives in Brussels, we took a day trip to Namur. Very beautiful & interesting place. While exploring the Citadel, we heard explosions from the town. We stumbled upon a military reenactment in one of the parks. There were four marching armies depicted with flintlocks, muskets, drums and flutes. Does anyone know what era and battle and perhaps armies were portrayed on this Saturday afternoon? Is this a regular event in Namur?
Keith from California
thanks.

Well, Namur was hit hard in the 2nd World War and a bloody battle was fought there. Nevertheless, this could not be what you are referring to by the description of the battle dress etc.
I would think it was a reenactment of skirmishes from the Napoleonic wars.
The battelfield of Waterloo is not far from Namur and, this is Napoleon Bonaparte was stopped in his tracks and defeated.

What date - day/month were you there?

Sorry - I see you put it in subject!!

did they had costumes like on this site?
http://public.fotki.com/Karibu/academic_year_20012002/namur_en_han/
(sorry they are a bit mixed chronology as they are scanned ones)
I took them quite some years ago but on a total different date!
But I spotted in the local sweet shops also pictures of little soldiers.

Could it have been anything to do with the Scottish Weekend?

http://www.scottish-weekend.be/paginasEN/homeUK.htm

I note your reference to flintlocks. This suggests an ealier age than the Battle of Waterloo. Could they have been muskets?.
Also, you say 4 armies were depicted. Can you remember if there were British Redcoats?
There is a charitable society in Namur called: La Confrere de la Malamart who reenact battle scenes from history.
The odd thing is the date. I can find no references to battles fought on or around this date on Belgian soil.
4 armies suggests something pan European as opposed to localised conflict.

I read today (9th) there are several reenactments too of different battles and events of the history of Namur.
http://www.netevents.be/nl/special/81192/A-l-assaut-de-la-Citadelle/
and
http://www.netevents.be/nl/special/81199/Comme-au-17eme-siecle/

maybe the re-enactments are not exactly held on the historical date but it figures in a series of festivals and activities in Namur?

I also found this:

http://canarisnamur.websanslimit.net/

that is what my pictures were about I think.

Many thanks to all for your responses. I am now of the opinion that irisbe has similar photos & her links have been helpful. We are still too busy touring Belgium for much web page building - that hopefully will come later. I have uploaded one quick photo from the park reenactment to our new, very quickly made VT "Namur, Belgium" web page. Further comments very welcomed. Again - Many, Many Thanks --- Keith & Peg touring Belgium (with France, Germany, UK & Norway yet to come...

Have a great time :)

We are now back in California & starting to build & upload some of our travel albums to our WheelerFolk.org web site. I have made an album for the day we visited Namur with more photos of the military reenactment. See:
http://www.wheelerfolk.org/travel/2007europe/03namur/album.htm
Maybe later I will try uploading some short videos of this activity. I also will be adding more to my VT pages for our 2007 Europe trip (7 countries in all).
ALSO, "irisbe" - if you read this, I am sorry that I lost your last e-mail while traveling. We went back to Antwerp on just a moments notice. Sorry we missed making better contact.
Keith - aka "Slooper"

thats alright :)
looking forward to read your stories!