2023-08-04 04:00:00
It does not have the notoriety or prestige of its Venetian cousin, the Bridge of Sighs, but this small wrought iron arch in Namur is not lacking in charm for all that.
“The small bridge of the citadel (the one that crosses the road of the Canons), I’ve known him since I was very young.” assures Murielle Lecocq, a Namuroise in love with local heritage. “We used to go for a walk on it. It has a crazy charm, with its wrought iron railings. In Namur, there aren’t two like that.”
Its history is also intimately linked to that of the citadel. “For its construction, we can go back to 1898 when a certain Auguste Monneau asked the City for permission to build a footbridge that will allow us to reach the villa of Fort d’Orange, a military building that has become a café-dairy”, develops the Namuroise.
The small bridge is also a mythical place of the motocross decades (see photo elsewhere).
“But the building has been deteriorating for ten years and it has accelerated recently”, deplores Murielle Lecocq. Loose stones, loosening barriers and wrought iron that loses all dignity… The bridge is pitiful.
The problem is known and has been the subject of recent public debate. Who is ultimately the owner of this building? The City or the owner of the neighboring villa? The question is not settled and the dispute has been going on for years.
“For the work, an estimate was made by the Walloon Region a few years ago. And it was already around €100,000”, specifies the Namuroise. No wonder that, for the financing of restoration work, we try to pass on the hot potato.
Classify it to save it
On the side of the City indeed, it has been maintained for years that the small bridge is the property of the neighbor. What the latter has formally contested for twenty years (read elsewhere).
“We do not want to get into this controversy but only to move things forward”, insists Murielle Decocq. “With some heritage defenders, we simply want to save this bridge. For funding, some local partners have already come forward.” This is particularly the case of the Delforge perfumery, which has already agreed to financial support.
“We are even ready to buy this bridge to be able to start the work. But which owner should we contact?”, asks Murielle Lecocq.
Requested recently, the Walloon heritage agency has provided information that might be decisive. In a first analysis, the AWAP considers that the City would indeed be the owner of this building which overlooks a municipal road, the route des Canons.
“We are already within the classified perimeter of the citadel. But if we manage to register the bridge on the list of small heritage, we might even apply for subsidies for its repair”, Murielle Lecocq is already advancing. Even if the steps are small, following years of immobility, the file of the small bridge finally seems to move forward.
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