Rochefort, Belgium

Rochefort Rotchfoirt (Walloon)
Municipality
Coat of arms
Location of Rochefort
Rochefort Location in Belgium Location of Rochefort in Namur province
Coordinates: 50°10′N 05°13′E / 50.167°N 5.217°E / 50.167; 5.217
Country	Belgium
Community	French Community
Region	Wallonia
Province	Namur
Arrondissement	Dinant
Government
• Mayor	Corinne Mullens (MR, CAP 2030 - IC)
• Governing party/ies	CAP 2030 - IC
Area
• Total	166.34 km2 (64.22 sq mi)
Population  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	12,554
• Density	75/km2 (200/sq mi)
Postal codes	5580
NIS code	91114
Area codes	084
Website	www.rochefort.be

Rochefort (French pronunciation: [ʁɔʃ.fɔʁ] ^ⓘ; Walloon: Rotchfoirt) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium, close to the Ardennes. On 1 January 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 districts: Ave-et-Auffe, Buissonville, Éprave, Han-sur-Lesse, Jemelle, Lavaux-Sainte-Anne, Lessive, Mont-Gauthier, Rochefort, 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.

The town was the site of the Battle of Bure during the Second World War.