MND to build the new cable car of the historic Citadel of Dinant in Belgium

French industrial group MND, a specialist in cable transport, has been selected by La Citadelle de Dinant SA, the company that owns and operates the site, to deliver the new cable car for the Citadel of Dinant in the province of Namur, Belgium.

Located on a rocky spur more than 100 meters above the River Meuse, the Citadel of Dinant is one of Wallonia’s leading tourist attractions. Privately owned by the de Villenfagne family since the late 1940s and operated by La Citadelle de Dinant SA, it welcomes hundreds of thousands of visitors each year who come to discover its military history, panoramic views and heritage. www.citadellededinant.be

An iconic cable car, out of service since 2025

The Dinant cable car links the foot of the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame in the town center to the Citadel, which rises around one hundred meters above the town. The installation was taken out of service in October 2025 because its obsolescence meant that it could no longer be operated with the level of reliability and safety expected of equipment open to the public.

Citadelle de Dinant SA has chosen to build a new cable car, financed entirely through private funding, to provide the site with a modern and sustainable installation designed for the decades ahead.

A design combining technical excellence with architectural integration

In the heart of the Meuse Valley, directly adjoining the ramparts and visible throughout the valley, the future cable car cannot be regarded as merely a technical structure. MND and its partner, Lyon-based design studio Avant Première, have developed a comprehensive concept combining a strong visual identity, integration into the landscape and a new visitor experience, ensuring that the new cable car remains, more than ever, an architectural landmark for Dinant.

A construction project led by a privately owned site

The Citadel of Dinant has been a privately owned tourist site for more than a century and has belonged to the de Villenfagne family since the late 1940s. Conceived in 1956, the cable car has been the Citadel’s signature access route for almost seven decades, complementing the famous 408-step staircase dating from 1577.

“I would like to thank the de Villenfagne family for their trust. The Citadel is a unique historic site, and the cable car is its iconic access route. We are going to build new infrastructure that will support the site for decades to come. Our proposal draws on recognized expertise in cable transport and on our ability to combine technical performance, safety and architectural integration at an exceptional heritage site. With this new project, which echoes the one delivered by MND in the nearby town of Huy, MND officially becomes Belgium’s leading ropeway transport supplier,” said Edouard Barret, Sales Director of MND Group.

« We are delighted to be partnering with the MND Group to write this new chapter for the Citadel of Dinant. The relevance of their vision, their creative approach and their ability to integrate the structure harmoniously into the landscape were decisive factors in our decision to entrust them with this project. Deeply committed to preserving and developing the Citadel, our family strives to combine the enhancement of its heritage with improvements to the visitor experience. This project marks a major turning point for this iconic Walloon site, which welcomed more than 320,000 visitors from over 110 nationalities in 2025. We are confident that this new cable car will help enhance the appeal of the Citadel of Dinant, support its development and open up new prospects for its future,” said Marc de Villenfagne, Managing Director of La Citadelle de Dinant SA.

Technical specifications:

• Jig-back ropeway

• Capacity: 570 passengers/hour

• Vehicles: 2 cabins, each accommodating 23 passengers

• Speed: 3.5 meters/second

• Length: 167 meters

• Vertical rise: 88 meters

A new Belgian project for MND

This contract strengthens MND’s position in Belgium, where the Group delivered the new urban and tourist cable car in Huy for the City and the Walloon Government in 2024. With Dinant, MND is consolidating its expertise in building iconic cable transport installations at distinctive heritage sites, while bringing its “Made in France” industrial expertise to one of Wallonia’s tourism flagships.