Le Cheval Bayard

Large bronze horse statue once loathed, now beloved

Tucked into a small square near the river, this oversized bronze horse is a city mascot whose journey from despised eyesore to beloved landmark is a small lesson in how taste changes. The sculptor, Olivier Strebelle, intended a stylised version of the legendary Cheval Bayard — the magical horse of medieval Walloon folklore that carried the four sons of Aymon. The unfinished, abstract shapes confused the public for years.

Today the horse is part of the everyday cityscape, photographed daily by tourists and posed beside by schoolchildren. Pass it on the way between the cathedral and the river.

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A story
The Cheval Bayard is the legendary horse of the Four Sons of Aymon, the medieval epic that gave Wallonia some of its favourite folk heroes. The Namur sculpture was an entry in a public art competition won (controversially) in 1955 — it was finished only in 1967, by which point public taste had moved on, and the city greeted it with open dismay. Half a century later, locals will not hear a word against it.

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