• It was in around BC 800 that the name of Dinant appeared in the history. The castle fort had not existed yet. The first castle fort was constructed in around 1040 in this land and it was in around 1080 that the first bridge was built. The main industry of Dinant at that time was copper work in a very small castle fort city.
  The town and the castle were burnt out by bold Duke Charles in 1466 though the copper work industry has become more active. When the castle was rebuilt in 1523, the town became busy again.
  The town was occupied after this by France under Louis XIV, King of France (1675-1698), and the castle fort received large-scale redecorating construction. Fortifier marshal Vorban took leadership of the construction. This age was time when Maintenon (princess Louis XIV) visited Dinant.
  Though the castle was destroyed from 1818 to 1820, it was rebuilt by Dutch people, and it became the current castle fort.
  When Belgian independence war happened in 1830, the castle was ruled by the Belgian militia and the punishment corps came. The castle fort was opened from a military mission in 1868. It was just time when the age of sightseeing started in the River Muse valley. Though the castle fort was sold off to the local public entity, combat began again in World War I and II.
  The castle fort in Dinant is the Historical Museum now, inviting to the history stroll over longer than one century.

• Another famous story of the town is a town of the musical instrument saxophone. It is the birthplace of the inventor, Adolf Sax (1814-1894) of the saxophone. Adolf Sax was born as eldest son of 11 brothers and learned the technology of the musical instrument making at the father's musical instrument atelier while he learned the piano and the clarinet from the childhood, and he invented the saxophone at the age of 28.

Dinant leaves the street of the Middle Ages.		It arrives at Notre-Dame Basilique.	The dome brings peculiar atmosphere.
The church is Dinant de Collegiale Notre-Dame. 50.5mx19.6m and 30.5m highest. Constructed in 1227-1279.
Huge stained glass of right window	Left window is normal glass for budget?	Pipe organ of solemn sound	Goes up by the rope way seen right.
Panoramic picture that looked down at the Dinant town from the Dinant castle fort park (La Citadelle). Notre-Dame Basilique and the castle fort at right.
Enters from domed entrance.	Go through the center road.	Courtyard stone pavement at center of fortress	Life exhibition in 1820's in the building.
Great cloister entrance at right of center road.	Great cloister is 150m long, Thickness of wall 2m	Small museum of Dinant ahead of this passage	Cannon was cast in 1820-1830.
There was a prison, too.	The guard room.	Central courtyard again.	Returns with River Muse opposite bank.

2005/01/01