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In turns Gallic, Roman, Merovingian with Clovis, Carolingian under Charlemagne, divided into mediaeval principalities, Burgundian under the Dukes, Spanish with Charles the Fifth, Austrian under Marie-Thérèse and Joseph II, French with the Revolution and the Napoleonic Empire, ceded to the Netherlands in 1815 before becoming a champion of Belgian independence in 1830 and a battleground in both world wars, the Walloon region is a concentrate of European history. This rich and troubled history is reflected in a remarkable monumental heritage. Liège, Tournai, Namur and Mons offer innumerable treasures.
From the 10th to the 13th centuries, Mosan art found expression in fields as diverse as sculpture, goldsmithing – the fonts of the Church of Saint-Barthélemy in Liège – and architecture with remarkable edifices such as Stavelot Abbey or the collegiate church of Nivelles. >From Tournai to Mons, history retains traces of the splendour of Picardy culture. From the contemporary era, a site such as le Grand Hornu – a former phalanstery – testifies to a rich industrial past resolutely open to modernity, underlined by the presence within its walls of the MAC, a museum of contemporary art with exceptional credentials. Just some of the reasons why Mons has been chosen as European Capital of Culture in 2015.