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 Eupedia Top > Belgium Guide Top > Province of Liege > Liege |
 Liège
Liege has one of the longest continuous history of any Belgian cities, with plenty of good museums and some fine examples of Mosan architecture. It is a vibrant and friendly city known in French as the Citée ardente, due to the warmth and enthusiasm of the local folk. Liege is renowned for its Chaudfontaine mineral water, Galler chocolate, as well as Belgium's most famous and most popular beer, Jupiler, brewed in the suburb of Jupille. The city's local football club, the Royal Standard de Liège, is one of the country's most ardently supported team.
HistoryLiège is no ordinary Belgian city. It is exceptional by its rich history as well as prehistory.The oldest (pre-)human settlements in Belgium, dating from 800,000 years ago, were found in Hallembaye, 15km north of the modern city centre. The world's very first Neanderthal skull was found in the suburb of Engis in 1829, i.e. 27 years before the skeletons of the Neander Valley in North Rhine-Westphalia, after which the Homo species was named.Ancient times & Frankish settlementFirst mentioned under the Latin name of Vicus Leudicus in 558, Liège only took off as a city after St Lambert was murdered in 705 near a chapel in what it now St Lambert's Cathedral, and became one of the greatest medieval cities of Lotharingia under Notger (see below).Most importantly, Liège was the cradle of Caroligian dynasty. The following were all born in the vicinity of Liège: Pepin of Herstal (635-714), Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia and Neustria and Duke of the Franks; Charles Martel (686-741), who defeated the Ummayads at Poitiers in 732 and saved Europe from Islamisation; Pepin the Short (714-768), the first Carolingian king; and most importantly Charlemagne (742-814), who founded the Holy Roman Empire. Charlemagne was promptly declared a saint after his death. His saintliness, however, was never very widely acknowledged outside the bishopric of Liège, where he may still be venerated "by tradition".
Liège became the capital of the independent Principality of Liège in the late 10th century and remained part of the Empire until the annexation of the Low Countries to France in 1792. The Principality of Liège therefore never belonged to the Burgundian, Spanish or Austrian Netherlands like the rest of Belgium. Another particularity of the prince-bishopric is that it was the only permanent part of the Holy Roman Empire, from its foundation in 800 to its dismantlement in 1806, to remain predominantly Francophone (apart from the Counties of Looz and Hornes, that were Dutch-speaking). French language itself is thought to have originated in Wallonia and Northern France as the Frankish version of Latin spoken by the Frankish nobility (=> see main article).  The Prince-Bishopric of Liège : Middles AgesLiège was ruled by an elected prince-bishop for some 800 years. Their sumptuous palace still stands in the city centre.The young king Clovis IV (682-695) had granted to Lambert of Maastricht, first bishop of Liège, temporal as well as spiritual powers over his church's domain. There lies the origins of the princely authority later conferred to the bishops of Liège.
The first true prince-bishop was Notger (940-1008). This Benedictine monk from a Swabian noble family was made bishop of Liège in 972 by Emperor Otto II. In 980, he received the countship of Huy and obtained simultaneously secular power for his see, thus becoming the first prince-bishop of Liège. He built a new cathedral, six collegiate churches, 2 churches, numerous schools, a hospice, a city wall, and completed the Benedictine abbey of St Lawrence started by his predecessor. The city was granted a series of privileges and regalian rights from the Holy Roman Emperors, such as the right of market, the right of minting coins, or the right to withhold some taxes. During this first golden age, Liège quickly became the greatest city in Lotharingia, and was even called "the Athens of the three Gauls". It was said at the time "Liège owes Notger to Christ, and everything else to Notger". The city of Liège was ruled by a council, first composed of noblemen, then by elected citizens form any social class from 1384 (a marvellous example of early democracy). From 1424, the system changed, and a permanent commission of 22 bourgeois was established to elect 32 members of the Council each year. The Prince-Bishopric of Liège : Renaissance to EnlightenmentThe ambition of the Duke of Burgundy Philip the Good (1396-1467) resulted in a war with the principality of Liege, and a humiliating defeat of the Liegeois through the Treaty of Mechelen in 1431. Philip then coerced Pope Callixtus III to grant the bishopric of Liège to his nephew, Louis of Bourbon (1438-1482). Louis was made prince-bishop at the young age of 18, and became one of the most hated ruler Liège had known. During his 26 years of reign, wars tore the country apart, and saw the destruction and massacre of the populations of Dinant (in 1466) and Liège (in 1467 and 1468) by the Burgundians.In 1482, Louis of Bourbon was killed by his one-time ally William of La Marck, a harsh, cruel and unscrupulous man. William attempted to place his son John on the throne of the principality, but during that time John of Hornes was elected in his stead by the Chapter in Leuven, and confirmed by the Pope and the Emperor. William contested the election, and was supported by the King of France, Louis XI. William finally accepted to recognise John of Hornes on 21 May 1484, but he was murdered the next year in Maastricht by the new prince-bishop, with the help of the Archduke Maximilian of Austria, governor of the Netherlands (and future Holy Roman Emperor). A terrible civil war ensued, opposing the Le Marck (William's brothers, Everard and Robert, and his nephew Erard) to the Hornes. Erard of La Marck (1472-1538) besieged and took Liège three times, then signed the Peace of Doncchery (5 May 1492) with John of Hornes, who publicly apologised for his crime in Maastricht (July 1492). The King of France and the Emperor, who were behind each party, made peace too, and recognised the neutrality of the Principality Liège. In 1505, Erard of La Marck replaced John of Hornes as prince-bishop. Thanks to his vast personal fortune acquired through money-lending and various privileges, Erard's power was solid and steady. This allowed him to make a defensive alliance with Emperor Charles V, and assure peace during the whole length of his 32-year reign. Under his rule, the public finances were cleaned up, and Liège became a major center for arms manufacture and early coal mining. It is also to Erard of La Marck that Liège owes the present palace of the prince-bishops, as well as the collegiate churches of St Paul (since then elevated to the rank of cathedral) and St Martin. Erard's works earned him the nickname of "Notger of the Renaissance". In 1559, the Pope allowed the creation of three new archbishoprics and fourteen new bishoprics in the Low Countries. This had for consequence the loss of all spiritual jurisdiction of the Bishopric of Liège on the Marquisate of Namur and on the Duchies of Brabant and Guelders. In the second half of the 16th century, the wars of religion between Catholics and Protestants ravaged the Low Countries. In 1568 William the Silent falsely accused Liège of siding with the Spanish troops of Philip II, and launched an attack on the the city. The new prince-bishop, Gerard of Groesbeeck, harshly repelled the aggressor with his militia. The next year he tried to revive the alliance of Erard of La Marck with the Habsburgs, but was soon forced by his people to declare the neutrality of Liège. Gerard also became prince-abbey of Stavelot from 1576.
Like in other electorates in the Empire, some families managed to keep the power mostly to themselves for several generations. Notwithstanding the La Marck who controlled the principality for a total of 86 years, the House of Bavaria stands out as the most influential. It monopolised no less than 184 years of rule between 1581 and 1763 (or until 1771 if we include Charles-Nicolas d'Oultremont as a member of the family through his mother). In fact, from the rule of Ernest of Bavaria (1581-1612) the succession was from the uncle to his nephew coadjutor. Several prince-bishops of the House of Bavaria combined other prestigious titles, such as archbishop-elector of Cologne, bishop of Munster or bishop of Hildesheim. It is interesting to note that a few prince-electors of Liège were never ordained bishops at all, and were therefore not technically speaking "prince-bishops", but just princes. This was the case of John of Bavaria (who ruled from 1390 to 1417), who continually refused to become bishop. At the contrary, Erard of La Marck and Gerard of Groesbeeck both managed to rise to the rank of prince-cardinals. Liège since the French RevolutionIn 1789, a few weeks after the start of the French Revolution, Liège experienced a revolution of its own during the absence of the prince-bishop. In 1792, the principality was dissolved and annexed to France until 1815. Liège then became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, then of the Kingdom of Belgium in 1830.Liege grew into one of the earliest modern coal mining and steel making centers in the 19th century. The Belgian Coal Federation began to recruit Italians workers since 1922 and after WWII, tens of thousands of southern Italian immigrants came to work in Belgian mines, mostly in Liège and Charleroi. It is estimated that there are 300,000 people of Italian origin living in Belgium today, making up the largest foreign community in Belgium (22%). Pizzerias and trattorias are nowadays Liège's most conspicuous restaurants. In 1905, Liège hosted the 17th World Fair. Liège is the only Belgian province where German is an official language, along with French. The city has developed into a major transport hub thanks to its strategic location at the crossroads of Europe, being only within 30 min by car from Maastricht in the Netherlands, Aachen in Germany or Luxembourg. As of 2006, Liège-Bierset Airport was the 8th biggest cargo airport in Europe. Liège has managed to attract important foreign investors, such as Colgate-Palmolive, which has its main manufacturing plant and research centre for continental Europe in the Walloon city. Famous LiegeoisApart from the Carolingian monarchs and the aforementioned (prince-)bishops, notable people from Liège include:Sightseeing
* Note that the Grand Curtius Museum is currently under renovation and will re-open at the end of 2008 ; the new train station is due to be complete in late 2008 as well. Like Namur and Maastricht, the architectural style of Liège is characterised by traditional 16th- and 17th-century 'brick and greystone' buildings (the so-called "Mosan style"), as well as handsome maisons de maitre (townhouses) from the 18th and 19th centuries. Unfortunately, a lot ugly concrete apartment and office buildings spoil the city's harmony on the big boulevards (that used to be waterways) and along the Meuse River. The suburbs are mostly made of unattractive, industrial-age, working-class houses. The old political and religious heart of the city was Saint Lambert Square (see below), to the north of the modern commercial centre. It is prolongated by Market Square (Place du Marché), where stands the town hall (completed in 1718) and the Perron (literally "front steps"), a column symbolising the municipal liberties. Most of the old houses are to be found east of St Lambert Square, between Hors Château and Quai de Maastricht (see below). To the east of St. Lambert Square is the so-called Ilot Saint Michel ("St Michael's Isle"), now a modern shopping centre. South-east, we find Opera Square (where stand the neoclassical Royal Opera of Wallonia and the statue of Grétry) and the Square of the French Republic. This latter reminds us that 14th July (France's National Day) is also celebrated in Liège and that quite a few locals wouldn't mind if Wallonia split from Flanders to join France. This is ironic considering the city's historical link with Germany, and the fact that the French (the Burgundians, Louis XIV) destroyed Liège several times. Palace of the Prince-bishops & St Lambert Square
First erected on St. Lambert Square by Notger 1000 years ago, the original palace was destroyed by a fire in 1185. It was immediately reconstructed by Rudolf von Zähringen (1135-1191), Prince-Bishop of Liège and Bishop of Mainz. This second palace was heavily damaged in 1468, during the plunder of the city by the troops of the Duke of Burgundy, Charles the Bold. The Palace was rebuilt again in 1526 by Erard of La Marck. He commissioned architect Arnold van Mulchen for the work, who also built the St. Martin Basilica and St. James Church (see below). The reconstruction, combing elements of Gothic and Italian Rennaissance, was only completed at the end of the century. The greater court is enclosed by 60 columns with richly ornated capitals, each with their own unique patterns. Note the buffoons, grimacing masks or other typical Renaissance figures. Another fire ravaged the southern (main) façade in 1734. Jean-André Anneessens was appointed to revamp the ruined section, which he designed in the French Regency style of the time. In 1849, when the provincial government moved in, a new western wing was added by architect Jean-Charles Delsaux, in the same style as the rest of the palace. Victor Hugo (1802-1885) wrote about the palace's inner court "Nowhere have I seen a construction so remarkable, serious and grandiose at the same time". Nowadays, the palace still houses parts of the provincial government as well as the courts of justice of the city of Liège. It is only open to visitors exceptionally, or by appointment (information at the Tourist Information Centre, on Féronstrée, 92 ; tel. 04.221.92.21).
Until the French Revolution, the Cathedral of Our Lady-and-Saint-Lambert of Liege stood opposite the palace, in what is now the vast St Lambert Square. It was one of the largest cathedral in Northern Europe, but was demolished by the revolutionaries in 1794. Built on the spot where Saint Lambert, Bishop of Tongeren & Maastricht, was assassinated in 705, the site was first a Martyrium, soon followed by a first cathedral at the end of the 8th century. Notger erected a great Ottonian-style edifice, where he installed 60 canon priests. One of the particularities of that church is that the entrance was on the sides, rather than in the axis of the quire. In April 1185, the same fire that destroyed the palace (which originated in a house adjacent to the cloister) left the cathedral in ruins. A new Gothic cathedral was already consecrated in 1189, although the whole edifice was not completed until 1433, when a clocktower was added, culminating at 134.5 meters (441 ft), like the hill where the citadel once stood. The new cathedral was 96-meter long (170m if we include the cloisters). With the side chapels, its width was 37 meters. Its dimensions were thus similar to Notre-Dame de Paris (130 meters in length on 48 meters in width). If it still stood today, the cathedral of Liège would be the tallest in Belgium and 9th tallest in the world. During the anti-clerical movement of the French Revolution, it was decided that the cathedral of Liège symbolised the power of the prince-bishops, and thus of the old feudal regime, and had to be razed. The palace had a more fortunate fate. The destruction of the religious institution started in 1794, but the towers were not pulled down until 1803, and the grounds levelled in 1827.
Saint Lambert Square is now home of the Archeoforum of Liège, the largest of its kind in Europe. It is the result of nearly a century of excavations on the site of the old St. Lambert's Cathedral. Exhibits include artifacts and explanations related to the various cathedrals built on the spot through the ages, but also of an earlier Gallo-Roman villa, and even Neolithic and Paleolithic objects. The archeoforum is open all year round from 10 am to 6 pm (closed on Mondays, 25 December and 1 January). There are guided tours in five languages (English, French, Dutch, German and Spanish) every hour from 10 am to 5 pm. Admission is 5.5 € (various discounts for students, families, or groups). The Treasure of the Cathedral of Liège can be visited in a museum located at 6, Rue Bonne-Fortune, behind Saint Paul Cathedral. Combined tickets are available for the museum and archeoforum.
Quartier Hors-Château & Feronstrée
Rue Hors-Château was a medieval extension outside the city walls starting from the north-eastern corner of the palace. The street parallel to it to the south is Feronstrée (from the French word ferronerie - the former ironworks street). This neighbourhood, which boasts no less than 5 museums and 3 notable churches, has a lot a nicely renovated 17th and 18th-century townhouses, as well as quaint narrow streets and blind alleys, with more modest, but quite pretty houses. The Tourist Information Centre is located at Feronstrée, 92. At the beginning of Rue Hors-Château stands the Baroque-style St. Anthony's Church (église Saint-Antoine), built by the Jesuits in 1645. Just behind it is the Museum of Walloon Life (Musée de la Vie wallonne), housed in Renaissance convent in Cours des Mineurs. It is the largest ethnographic museum in Wallonia. A bit farther, the Museum of Religious Art and Mosan Art (Musée d'Art religieux et d'Art mosan) , at the corner of Rue Mère-Dieu, houses the scale model of the old St. Lambert's Cathedral and various objects that once belonged to it. Turn at the next corner on the left side of the road to reach the 400 steps of the so-called mountain of Bueren (escalier de la montagne de Bueren), leading to a lookout at the top of the hill. The stairs were built in 1880 to allow the soldiers of the barracks on top to reach the city more quickly. It earns its name from Vincent of Bueren, the leader of the 600 Franchimontois, who heroically tried to climb the hill to kill Charles the Bold, Duke of Burgundy, who was assailing the city (but they failed). Take the narrow Rue des Ursulines, which leads to an old beguinage and a panorama. Back on Rue Hors-Château, the Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception (église Notre-Dame-de-l'Immaculée-Conception), like St. Anthony, is another Baroque edifice (built in 1655), but with a red façade.
Toward the end of the street, St. Bartholomew's Collegiate Church (collégiale Saint-Bathélemy) is one of the oldest building in Liège. It was completed in 1015, in Mosan Romanesque style reminiscent of Our Lady's Basilica in nearby Maastricht. It has recently been repainted in red and white. The interior was redecorated in the 18th century. Do not miss the baptismal font made by Renier of Huy in the 12th century. This masterpiece of medieval art is one of the best-known baptismal font in the world. A professor of the University of Liège has even written an entire book dedicated to it. At number 114 on Feronstrée, the small Ansembourg Museum, a stately home built for a merchant-banker between 1738 and 1741. The house was later acquired by the Counts of Ansembourg (of which it kept the name), then other families. In 1903, the City of Liège purchased it with the purpose of creating a museum dedicated to the 18th-century decorative arts from Liège, which opened in 1905. Everything inside is richly decorated, from painted ceilings with stucco overmantels, the chandeliers, the furniture, the 17th-century tapestries from Oudenaarde, the Baroque fireplaces, the original 17th and 18th-century books and engraving, and the potraits, including one of Prince-Bishop Joseph Clemens of Bavaria. At number 86, the Museum of Walloon Art (Musée de l'Art wallon) has a collection of paintings and sculptures by Walloon artists, displayed in a chronological order from the 16th to 20th century. It includes works by Constantin Meunier, Paul Delvaux, and René Magritte.
Quartier de l'ÎleThe modern centre of Liège was once an island, and the great boulevards (Avroy and Sauvenière) waterways, which were filled up in 1835, soon after the independence of Belgium. Most of the shopping streets and restaurants are now located in that area (see "Shopping & Entertainment" below), as is the new cathedral.Starting south of St Lambert Square, on the other side of the Galeries St Lambert, is the Collegiate Church of St Denis (founded in 987). Built around 1015, its Romanesque tower was once part of the city's fortifications. The Gothic apses and transept date from the 14th century, while the interior was remodeled in the 18th century. Once you have seen St Denis, follow Rue de la Cathédrale westwards until you reach the cathedral's square. St. Paul's Cathedral was founded in the 10th century, like the other main churches of Liège. The present edifice dates from the 13th century, but was heavily modified in the 19th century. It replaced St Lambert as Liège's cathedral in 1801. It is rather small by Belgian standards, because it was not originally intended as a cathedral. The vaulting and the cloister adjacent to the cathedral are nevertheless exceptional. In the cathedral's cloister, the Treasure of the Cathedral of Liège, (main entrance at 6, Rue Bonne-Fortune) houses the most valuable pieces of art from the old St Lambert's Cathedral as well as from St Paul's Cathedral (note that other objects are in the aforementioned Museum of Religious Art and Mosan Art or Archeoforum). St James's Church (église Saint Jacques), a few hundreds meters due south of St Paul, is yet another of the original churches founded a millenia ago. St James is often considered to be the most beautiful of all. It was not founded by Notger, but by his successor Balderic II, in 1016. It was then a Benedictine monastry, and exceptionally enough, the abbots wore the mitre and the cross (like bishops), and was answerable directly to the Pope. The modern edifice is Flamboyant in style, apart from one portal rebuilt in Italian Renaissance style in 1558. The vault is said to be one of the most wrought in the world. The magnificent stained glass windows date from the 16th century. Before the French Revolution, it is in this church that the two elected mayors of Liège came to swear to defend the municipal rights and liberties, on St James' Day. It is also here that the city council negociated with the prince-bishop in case of conflict. Parc d'Avroy & GuilleminsIt is a short walk from St James' Church to the Boulevard d'Avroy, the broadest and most famous thoroughfare in the city. The boulevard is so wide (100m at the widest point) that a park has been set up between the lanes in each direction. The Parc d'Avroy has the pond, some particularily nice trees. It is further embellished by numerous bronze statues. Let's note the statues of 'Charlemagne on his horse', 'the bull and the tamer', 'the horse and the tamer', 'the ox and the farmer', 'the wrestlers', 'the two Laocoons'. Liège's reputed Music Conservatory stands on Boulevard Piercot, near the north-eastern corner of Parc d'Avroy.In the middle of the park, the Madmusée is an unusual museum (and research centre) devoted to artists with mental disabilities. Take Rue de Rotterdam at the south-west of the park to reach the pretty Place de Bronckart. 200 meters south, the brand new Liège-Guillemins Train Station is a marvel of futuristic architecture, designed by Santiago Calatrava Valls. The construction began in 1999 and the station is due to be inaugurated at the end of 2008.
Upper townLiège has not revealed all of its churches yet ! Following the road uphill from the western side of the palace (Rue de Bruxelles), you will reach the Church of the Holy Cross (église Sainte-Croix), founded by Notger in 979, and rebuilt between the 13th and 15th centuries. It is the only Gothic church in the country to have kept a Romanesque apse. The treasure possesses two masterpieces: the 8th-century key of Saint Hubert, and a reliquary of the (supposedly) True Cross.Continue further up along Mont-Saint-Martin, passing in front of the 16th-century Hôtel de Selys-Longchamps (soon to become the city's only 5-star hotel, managed by Crowne Plaza), to reach the St Martin's Basilica. Notger wanted to replace St Lambert's Cathedral due to the floods that often made its access difficult, and so founded this church on higher grounds. The local population, however, staunchly opposed the decision to move the cathedral from the site of St Lambert's martyr, and after an uprising resulting in the sack of the bishop's residence, the new edifice was consecrated as St Martin's Basilica. The neighbourhood north of St Martin's, known as Publemont, is one of the oldest in the city. Many houses in Rue Saint-Severin and Rue Hocheporte date from the 17th and 18th centuries. Rue Pierreuse (literally "stony street", named after the stone quaries where it once led) is one of the oldest roads in Liège, existing at least since the 8th century. It starts just north of the palace of the prince-bishops and goes all the way to the citadel. There are many buildings of interest here. Let's just cite the 17th-century commandery of the Teutonic Knights (who were present there since the 13th century). Quartier OutremeuseEast of the city centre, the district of Outremeuse ("beyond the Meuse") is an island on the River Meuse, starting at the confluence of the River Ourthe. Not particularily beautiful, this working-class neighbourhood of Liège is nevertheless worth mentioning for its unique atmosphere and culture characteristic of the downtown. It is one of the last places in urban Wallonia where one can still hear people speak Walloon on an everyday basis.Erstwhile, Outremeuse was the quarter of the tanners and the weavers, who worked along small canals (like in Bruges and Ghent), unfortunately filled up in the 20th century. In 1927, local journalists and celebrities created the so-called République Libre d'Outremeuse ("Free Republic of Outremeuse") as a Walloon counterpart of the Parisian République Libre de Montmartre, founded a few years earlier. Its boundaries are those of the parish of St. Nicolas, and its headquarters are located at 56, Rue Surlet, in what is also the Tchantchès Museum (see frame below). In 1959, the Commune Libre de Saint-Pholien-des-Prés was founded in the next parish of St. Pholien. That makes of Outremeuse a good example of what French speakers call the esprit de clocher (parochialism). Locals typically refer to the left bank of the Meuse as "the city", as if they weren't part of it. On 15 August each year, a big festival is held in Outremeuse in the honour of the Black Virgin. It includes a folkloric procession, puppet shows at the Tchantchès Museum, a huge 7-meter high bouquet of silk flowers, and a lot of drinking of the local peket (a kind of genever).
Only a few typical, quaint streets have survived, such as Rue des Recollets, Rue Puits-en-Sock or Rue des Ecoliers. The western embankment of the island is home to the Aquarium-Museum of Liège, which comprises a natural history museum, and an aquarium of 2,500 fishes, invertebrates and reptiles of 250 species. Famous local people include the medieval writer and historian John of Outremeuse (1338-1399), the classical music composer André Ernest Modeste Grétry (1741-1813), and the novelist Georges Simenon (1903-1989). Aficionados of Simenon will recognise some of the neighbourhood descriptions in his books. The best way to reach Outremeuse is via the Arches Bridge (Ponts des Arches) in the continuity of Rue Léopold starting at the south-eastern corner of Saint Lambert Square. Parc de la BoverieThe southern tip of the island of Outremeuse is occupied by the pleasant Parc de la Boverie, where we find the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art. Housed in the last surviving pavilion of the Universal Exhibition of 1905, the museum possess nearly 1000 works from 1850 to the contemporary period. It covers various artistic styles, ranging from Impressionism (Monet, Pissaro, Signac, Claus, Ensor, Van Rysselberghe...), Fauvism (Gaugain, Derain, Dufy, Friesz, Wouters...), Symbolism (Khnopff), Expressionism (Chagal, Picasso, Kokoschka, Permeke, Van den Berghe...), Abstract Art (Mortensen, Nicholson, Poliakoff, Vasarely...) and Contemporary (Tapiès, Van Velde, Viallat...).In the suburbsVal Saint LambertLiège is famous in the world over for its Val Saint Lambert crystal, manufactured in the suburb of Seraing. Two Frenchmen established the crystal factory in 1826. 'Val Saint Lambert' was soon renowed for its exceptional purity and brilliance, and flooded the houses of Europe's upper-class families. Sales sharply decreased in the 1930's depression, and the industry never recovered, partly due to the cheaper Czech production after WWII. The 18th-century castle of the Val Saint Lambert is open all year round from 10am to 5pm. Other attractionsLiège's history of coal mining can be explored in the mines of Blegny, about 10 km north-east of the city centre. It used to be one of the largest coliery in Belgium, employing up to 650 people and extracting some 1,000 kg of coal per day. It closed in 1980 and was converted in an industrial age museum.For something completely different, Prehistosite of Ramioul, in the western suburb of Flémalle, as its name indicates is a prehistorical site. In addition to the visit of the Cro-Magnon cave on three levels, a new museum has a multimedia presentation. Children can also practise cutting silex, using a bow, throwing a spear, or making pottery, like our ancestors once did.
Shopping & EntertainmentMost of the shops, restaurants and cinemas are located between Boulevard de la Sauvenière, St Lambert Square and St Paul Cathedral.The Galeries St Lambert, between St Lambert Square and St Denis Square, is the city's most modern shopping centre. The galleries spread on 40,000 m2. They have a branch of Mediamarkt and a Inno Department Store. The area known as Le Carré ("the square"), comprised between the Boulevard de la Sauvenière, Rue Pont d'Avroy, Rue Vinave d'Ile and Rue de la Casquette and well known for its (mostly Italian) restaurants, cafés, pubs and nightlife. The pedestrian Vinâve d'Île, between St Paul Square and Opera Square, is the main shopping street in the city centre. The narrow Rue St Gilles and the broad Boulevard d'Avroy are other notable busy streets, with a lot of restaurants. On the music and spectacle scene, the Forum (on Rue Pont d'Avroy, 14) is Liège's most famous venue. Created in 1922, it has welcomed some of the greatest French-speaking singers (Edith Piaf, Charles Aznavour, Jacques Brel, Henri Salvador, Joe Dassin, Johnny Haliday...) and comedians (Fernandel, Coluche, Pierre Richard, Les Inconnus...). For classical music, the Royal Opera of Wallonia is the most prestigious venue, not only in Liège but in all Francophone Belgium. It is home to the Liège Philarmonic Orchestra. Recommended RestaurantsN.B. : the stars indicate the Michelin Guide rating, the score on a scale of 1 to 20 indicates the Gault Millau Guide rating.
How to get thereBy carLiège sits at the junction of 4 major motorways (E25, E313, E40, and E42) linking it to the rest of Belgium as well as Luxembourg, the Netherlands and Germany.By trainThere are two bullet-train lines passing through Liège: the Thalys running between Paris and Cologne, via Brussels, and the ICE to Cologne and Frankfurt.There are frequent regular trains to most Belgian cities. Here is a summary of the main lines : Regular direct trains to neighbouring countries include : Maastricht (30min), Aachen (50min) and Luxembourg (2h30min).
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