DINANT

municipality, Namur province, southern Belgium, on the Meuse River below steep limestone cliffs, south of Namur. Inhabited in Roman times, Dinant's name probably derives from Diana, Roman goddess of the hunt. A fortified burgh in Merovingian and Carolingian times, it was a dependency of the bishop of Tongres in the 7th century and a fief of the bishops of Lige from 1070 to the French Revolution. It was famous for artistic metalwork (dinanderie) from the 13th century until it was sacked by Charles the Bold (1466). Dinant was occupied by the French for nearly 30 years after 1675 and again during the Napoleonic Wars. It was nearly destroyed by the Germans in 1914 and was damaged again during World War II. A rail junction and tourist centre, it manufactures wool and textiles in addition to the traditional copper and brass ware and couques de Dinant (decorated biscuits). Landmarks include the 11th-century citadel 300 ft (90 m) above the river on top of a cliff; the Montfort Tower and the Church of Notre Dame (with its bulbous clock tower), both 13th century; and Rocher Bayard, the sentinel rock, 130 ft high. Prehistoric caverns and stalactite grottoes along the river and many ruined castles and chteaus attract tourists. Near Dinant, at Hastire, is an 11th-century church in the Roman style with a Gothic choir. Also nearby is Fierfooz National Park containing Roman baths, reconstructed on original foundations, and other archaeological remains. Pop. (1990 est.) mun., 12,208.