Last August, I was travelling from France to Belgium, and had to change trains at Tournai. It was somewhere I had never heard before, but looking it up, I found it is one of the largest cities in Wallonia.
So I decided to take a look around. And what a pretty city! It was a warm sunny day when I was there, so the city shone and looked its best.
What I noticed most were the many statues and monuments around the city. So, I thought I'd write about them.
Jules Bara
One of the first statues encountered after the Tournai train station is this impressive monument to Jules Bara. He was a 19th-century Belgian statesman and liberal politician who was born in Tournai. He served in numerous governments and was a Minister for Justice - but that doesn't stop people in Tournai dressing him up during carnival.
Adolphe Leray
Heading toward the river Scheldt, on Rue de Becquerelle, there is a memorial fountain to Adolphe Leray.
Adolphe Leray was a poet and songwriter born near Tournai in 1810. He wrote popular songs in French and Picard dialect. The bust from this fountain was stolen in 2003 and finally replaced many years later in 2017.
Barthélémy Dumortier
Barthélemy Dumortier was a botanist and zoologist, as well as a politician. Born in Tournai in 1797, he took part in the Belgian revolution in 1830. Three years earlier, he had published Flora Belgica, cataloguing the nation's plants.
This monument was erected in 1883, the work of sculptor Charles Fraikin. There is also a bust of Dumortier in the National Botanic Garden of Belgium in Brussels.
Christine de Lalaing
It's rare to find a statue depicting a real-life woman. This monument to Christine de Lalaing takes pride of place in the centre of the Grand Place in Tournai.
Christine de Lalaing, the Princess of Epinoy, led the defence of Tournai against Spanish troops during a siege in 1581. She was the wife of Pierre de Melun, the governor of Tournai, who had left for an attack on another city. In his absence, Christine de Lelaing organised Tournai's resistance and took part in battles on the ramparts. The siege lasted two months and ultimately proved unsuccessful. Christine de Lalaing was injured, dying several months later.
Her bravery earned her the respect and thanks of every citizen. This monument was erected in 1863, the first in Walloonia which was dedicated to a woman.
Louis Gallait
Louis Gallait was a 19th-century artist, born in Tournai in 1810. He is honoured with a statue in the centre of the Square Paul Bonduelle, itself named after an important architect.
Louis Gallait studied in Tournai, Antwerp and Paris. He was mostly known as a painter of portraits and historical paintings.