Mons is the capital of the Belgian province of Hainaut, in the region of Wallonia. Together with the Czech city of Plzeň, Mons was the European Capital of Culture in 2015. At its center is the Grand Place, a large cobblestone square dotted with cafes. It’s lined with buildings in a mix of architectural styles, notably the centuries-old Town Hall. Nearby is the 17th-century baroque belfry, with sweeping city views.

Sights

• La Grand-Place (The Grand Palace). The Grand Place is the centre of the historic town and the stage for the annual mock-battle of the Lumeçon.” 
• Hotel de Ville (City Hall). The City Hall, originally built near the current location of the belfry, was moved on the Grand Place in the 13th century. The flamboyant gothic building we see today dates from the 15th century. In front of it stands a statue of a monkey, which is said to bring good fortune to those who pat his head.  
• Saint Waltrude Collegiate Church. The construction of the present collegiate church began in 1450 with the chancel, which was finished around 1506. The transept was completed in 1527, and work on the nave lasted until 1621. Laid out in the form of a Latin cross with 29 chapels around the main nave, transept and chancel, this building is recognised as a leading part of Wallonia’s heritage. 
• Beffroi Mons (Belfry of Mons). Classified as a World Heritage Site, dates from the 17th century and is the only Baroque-style belfry in Belgium. 
• Van Gogh House (Maison Van Gogh). Cuesmoise the house where he lived from August 1879 to October 1880, was saved from ruin in the 1970s and is now accessible to the public. 
• Saint-Calixte Chapel. The Saint-Calixte chapel of Mons houses the museum of the Château Comtal where you will discover remains and other frescoes. 

Museums

• Museum François Duesberg. This museum with terribly inconvenient hours has a prestigious collection of clocks and mantel clocks, exceptional gilded French bronzes, porcelain (mainly from Paris and Brussels), pottery, jewelry (including the famous Mons-punch), and numerous items of similar quality. 
• Mundaneum. Also know an “Paper Google” The Mundaneum was created in Brussels at the beginning of the 20th century. It used to be an international documentation Centre aimed at gathering, indexing and sharing the universal knowledge. Today the Mundaneum is a non-profit organization situated in the heart of Mons. The Mundaneum offers original exhibits aiming to show the vast collections of its archive Centre.
• Beaux-Arts Mons. The fine arts museum with a host to various temporary exhibitions, this unashamedly contemporary architectural project combines the functionality and rigour required of museums with aestheticism, as its architecture showcases the bright, light-filled spaces dedicated to transparency.  
• Musée du Doudou. Tues-Sunday 10am-6pm. From the originality of the Ducasse de Mons festival (listed by UNESCO in 2005) to the legend of Saint George, blending reality and imagination, the centre endeavours to aid in understanding and to emphasize the different aspects of this universal, centuries-old story. The museum’s exhibits invite visitors to discover this exceptional local heritage, examining the event from a variety of perspectives: historical, anthropological, scientific, artistic, secular and religious. 

Festivities

• The Doudou is the name of a week-long series of festivities or Ducasse, which originates from the 14th century and takes place every year on Trinity Sunday. Highlights include:
  • The entrusting of the reliquary of Saint Waltrude to the mayor of the city on the eve of the procession.
  • The placement of the reliquary on the Car d’Or (Golden Chariot), before it is carried in the city streets in a colourful procession that counts more than a thousand costumed participants.
  • The lifting of the Car d’Or on a paved area near the church of Saint Waltrude; tradition holds that this operation must be successful for the city to prosper.
  • The Lumeçon fight, where Saint George confronts the dragon. The fight lasts for about half an hour, accompanied by the rhythmic “Doudou” music. The tradition of the processional dragon is listed among the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Tanks in town commemorates the liberation of Belgium during WWII by the 3rd Armored Division (United States), and is one of the largest gatherings of World War II tanks in the world.

Education

There are several public educational facilities in Mons:

• Conservatoire royal de Mons, CRM
• UCLouvain FUCaM Mons, a campus of the University of Louvain located in Mons since 1899.
• University of Mons, UMons, founded in 2009 by a merger between the Faculté polytechnique de Mons and the University of Mons-Hainaut.
• Institut Reine Astrid Mons