Dinant Citadel

The Dinant Citadel, locally known as Citadelle de Dinant, lies above the town of the same name, in the province of Namur in the Wallonia region in Belgium. It is one of the 4 Meuse Citadels: Dinant, Huy, Liège, and Namur.

The first fortification built on top of this 100-meter-high rocky outcrop, next to the Meuse River, was a castle first mentioned in the mid-11th century. That castle was constructed by the Prince-Bishop of Liège, Nithard. It was destroyed during the Sack of Dinant in 1466 by Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy. In the early 16th century, it was rebuilt on a larger scale by Érard de la Marck, Prince-Bishop of Liège.

At the end of the 17th century, the town and castle’s fortifications were rebuilt by Sébastien Le Prestre de Vauban, the renowned French military engineer for Louis XIV, who visited Dinant in 1692. That castle was subsequently destroyed in 1703 by retreating French troops.

In 1815, after Napoleon Bonaparte’s defeat, Dinant became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Dutch built a new citadel between 1818 and 1821 over the existing castle ruins. This is the citadel we see today. After the Belgian Revolution in 1831, it became Belgian property. The Belgians demilitarized the citadel in 1868, and it was rented out for storage.

At the start of World War I, German troops partially destroyed Dinant in the Sack of Dinant in 1914, then occupied the citadel.

During World War II, in 1940, French troops defending the citadel were unable to hold against the 7th Panzer Division, led by General Erwin Rommel. When German forces retreated in 1944, Allied bombings caused severe damage to the town and citadel.

Today, the Dinant Citadel is open for visitors for a fee. You can reach it by climbing a long staircase, taking a cable car from the town, or driving up from the other side. It is an impressive fortress.

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