The Walloon Regional Council at the Stock Exchange

© Namur Photographic Archives asbl – Coll. Emile Pierre

The installation in the Stock Exchange

After leaving the Sofitel hotel in Wépion, the 106 Walloon Parliamentarians moved to the old Stock Exchange on December 23, 1981, after some renovation work. They remained there until October 1998, and they witnessed Mr. André Cools, Charles Poswick, Valmy Féaux, Willy Burgeon, Guy Spitaels, Jean-Marie Severin, and Yvan Biefnot succeed each other as the presidents of the Council.

In 1986, a decree was passed designating Namur as the capital of the Walloon Region and establishing the seat of the Walloon Regional Council in Namur.

Only starting from the elections in June 1995 will the Council have its own composition and elected representatives different from the federal representatives.

The Stock Exchange (in neo-Renaissance style) was built from bricks starting in 1932 and was put into use in 1934. Since several buildings on the place d’Armes were destroyed during the bombings in WWI, the current building was constructed thanks to the reparations paid by Germany.

Today, the stock exchange houses the Namur Congress Center.

Decree establishing Namur as the capital of the Walloon Region – December 11, 1986

The Walloon Regional Council has approved, and We, the Executive, endorse the following:

Single article – Namur, the capital of the Walloon Region, is the seat of the Walloon Regional Council.

The Walloon Regional Council may decide to hold its meetings in another location.

We proclaim this decree and order that it be published in the Belgian Official Gazette.

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