Rochefort, Belgium
| Rochefort | ||
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| Municipality | ||
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 Rochefort
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Location of Rochefort in Namur province
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| Coordinates: 50°10′N 05°13′E / 50.167°N 5.217°ECoordinates: 50°10′N 05°13′E / 50.167°N 5.217°E | ||
| Country | Belgium | |
| Community | French Community | |
| Region | Wallonia | |
| Province | Namur | |
| Arrondissement | Dinant | |
| Government | ||
| • Mayor | François Bellot (MR-IC) | |
| • Governing party/ies | Reformist Movement-IC | |
| Area | ||
| • Total | 165.27 km2 (63.81 sq mi) | |
| Population (1 January 2016) | ||
| • Total | 12,540 | |
| • Density | 76/km2 (200/sq mi) | |
| Postal codes | 5580 | |
| Area codes | 084 | |
| Website | www.rochefort.be | |
Rochefort (French pronunciation: [ʁɔʃ.fɔʁ]) is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Namur, close to the Ardennes. On January 1, 2006, Rochefort had a total population of 12,038. The total area is 165.27 km² which gives a population density of 73 inhabitants per km². It was a resort in the 19th century.
The municipality consists of the following sub-municipalities: Rochefort proper, Ave-et-Auffe, Buissonville, Éprave, Han-sur-Lesse, Jemelle, Lavaux-Sainte-Anne, Lessive, Mont-Gauthier, Villers-sur-Lesse, and Wavreille.
Its ancient position at the crossroads where the route to Saint-Hubert crossed that from Liège to Bouillon required fortifying: the ruins of the old castle, which gave the place its name and a title to a long line of counts who had the right of coining their own money, still exist. This castle underwent many sieges and suffered at the hands of Marshal de Châtillon (1636).
Near Rochefort are the red marble quarries of St. Remy, and Rochefort Abbey, a Trappist monastery, which operates the Rochefort Brewery, known for brewing dark and sweet beers, especially the Rochefort 10, a deep dark-brown rich and fruity beer.
Rochefort is well known for its caves. The Grotto of Rochefort, within the town, contains six chambers, the largest and highest of which was called the Sabbat (Encyclopædia Britannica 1911). It was swept clear of its prehistoric remains before electric lighting was installed. The cave has recently been given the Christian name of "Lorette" after a nearby chapel of Our Lady of Loreto. The more famous local caves are at Han-sur-Lesse, one of Rochefort's constituent towns, where the Lesse River disappears at what is called the gap or hole of Belvaux and passes by subterranean passages under the hill called Boeme or Boine.
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Wikipedia