In the city of Mons, in the Walloon Region of southwestern Belgium

 Unlike the Flemish, the Walloons do not consider themselves a nation or desire an independent state.

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(in the Walloon Region of southwestern Belgium) Mons is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut. Mons is located in the western part of Belgium, just 21 km (~13 mi.) from the country's borders with France and 70 km away from Brussels. It is built on a hill. and on the top of the hill lies the famous Belfry one of the three UNESCO sites in the city.

+ More specifically, Mons is set on a knoll between the Trouille and Haine rivers, at the junction of the Nimy-Blaton Canal and the Canal du Centre. (The Nimy-Blaton Canal replaces that of Mono Condé, built by Napoleon, which has been filled and now serves as a vehicle route to France.)

+ Peopled since prehistoric times, Mons originated as a Roman camp ("Castrilocus") in the 3rd century; it grew around an abbey founded (ca. 650) by St. Waudru (or Waltrudis), daughter of the Count of Hainaut. During the 9th century, turreted ramparts encircled the town. Recognized by Charlemagne as the capital of Hainaut (in 804), it prospered as a cloth-weaving center between the 14th and the 16th centuries. Mons was well fortified; its most extensive defenses were built by the French military engineer Sébastien, Le Prestre de Vauban. It was repeatedly attacked and occupied by Dutch, Spanish, French, and English forces in the 16th–18th-century wars, and was ruled by the French, Spanish, Dutch, and Austrians prior to 1830.

+ Today, Mons is a city of schools. Among them are the University of Mons-Hainaut, the Polytechnic Faculty, the Academy of Beaux Arts, the Higher Institute of Architecture, and the Royal Conservatory of Music.
+ The forces of NATO's European command (Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe [SHAPE]) have been posted nearby, on the Casteau Plateau since 1967.

+ Notable landmarks include the collegiate Church of St. Waudru, the Town Hall (the only Baroque-style belfry in Belgium with its 47-bell carillon), and several museums.

+ Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. The population grew quickly, trade flourished, and several commercial buildings were erected near the Grand’Place. In 1814, King William I of the Netherlands increased the fortifications, after the fall of the First French Empire. (In 1830, Belgium gained its independence and the decision was made to dismantle the fortifications.)

+ On 23–24 August 1914, Mons was the location of the Battle of Mons. The British were forced to retreat, and the town remained occupied by the Germans until its liberation by the Canadian Corps during the final days of WWI. (There are several memorial placards here, related to the WW1 battles.) The main square is the center of the old city. It is paved in the manner of old cities and is home to many cafes and restaurants, as well as the Town Hall and Belfry.