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This 2000 year old town likes to
flatter itself with its origins which in turn
led the town through very different eras. Nowadays
Tournai is the tourist and cultural capital of
a region in the middle of a vast network of roads,
rivers, railways and even air routes.
Overshadowed by its
monuments, precious traces of 2000 years of history,
the Cité des Cinq Clochers (the
town of the five towers) welcomes and invites
you to its multiple festivities, to the rhythm
of the seasons, during which over and over again
life pulses through this exceptional spot of Picardy
at the borders of the Walloon provinces of Belgium.
Tournai seems to be lost in the centuries and
in the confines of Belgium. However you can't
stop before an antiquarian's shop window without
being attracted by the blue, gold or monochrome
of its porcelain, or visit a famous museum in
the world without admiring a painting by Roger
de le Pasture, presented as one of its most valuable
treasures along with Manet, Argenteuil.
In Tournai, 2000 years of history awaits you,
you will relive centuries of art and glory. It's
the city of the Kings : Childeric, Clovis, Philippe
Auguste, Louis IX, Henry VIII, Charles V, Louis
XIV, who all have left traces of their glorious
or transitory reigns in its institutions and stones.
For more see Tournai
Highlights below.
Tournai was also featured in Kayak Trip Ideas: Off The Path...In Europe!
" You have seen Notre Dame, so head over to Belgium and check out a structure so unusual it has been profiled in art history books for decades. Cathedral Notre-Dame in Tournai, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, has a Romanesque nave and transept that was built in the 12th Century. Attached to it is a Gothic style choir that was added a century later. This ancient town is the birthplace of Covis, founder of the Merovingian dynasty that ruled for centuries. After some sightseeing head to Charles Quint on the city's Grand Place and see what French cuisine looks like when subjected to an Italian sensibility. Consider staying outside town at the Le Panoramique-Floreal, high atop Mount St. Aubert."
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Tournai Highlights
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Notre
Dame Cathedral in Tournai
Tournai
cathedral is one of the most beautiful religious
monuments in the Western world. The 5-towered Romanesque and early Gothic
masterpiece was built during the 12th &
13th centuries. Its treasury contains the
silver and copper Shrine of Our Lady, completed
in the early 13th century. The Cathedral
also houses works by Rubens and his contemporary Jordaens.
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The
Belfry
The
oldest of Belgium, among the UNESCO world
heritage list since 1999, the belfry will
have no more secrets for you (didactic boards,
films, orientation boards,..) 257 steps
for an exceptional view point. |
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Museum
of Fine Arts
The
building designed by Victor Horta, contains
numerous sculptures and paintings ranging
from primitive painters to contemporary
masters, among whom are Campin, Roger Van
der Weyden (born in Tournai), Brueghel,
Rubens, Jordaens, Watteau, & Van Gogh. There are also 2 sublime works by Manet.
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The
Castle of Beloeil
Owned
by the Princes de Ligne since the 14th century,
it houses a fantastic art collection, with
paintings dating from the 15th to 19th centuries.
There's also a library with 20,000 books
and a large French-style garden of 25 hectares
through which a small train chugs. |
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Museum of Tapestry and Textile Arts
Inaugurated
in June 1990, is located in a former mansion
house in neo-classic style designed by the
talented architect Bruno RENARD.
This new museum is not only an exhibition
hall but also a place where tapestry weavers
make tapestries or restore them. There is
also a textile art research center.
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