Bookstore
Available as paperback
and as e-book.
Liege Attractions
Monumental place St-Lambert and neighboring place du Marché, surrounded by buildings in the Mosan Renaissance style, are the hub of Liège's daily life. This is where you find the 1698-vintage Perron Fountain, the city's symbol of freedom, and the 18th-century Hôtel de Ville (Town Hall). French-inspired local revolutionaries in 1795 destroyed the sumptuous Gothic Cathédrale St-Lambert (St. Lambert's Cathedral) on place St-Lambert, a symbol of the prince-bishopric's hated ancien régime. Only its outline is preserved in modern paving. Excavations on the square have revealed the foundations of a Roman villa, and traces of the early medieval city dating from the 7th century.
The prince-bishops, who ruled the city and the surrounding territory from 980 to 1794, constructed the world's largest secular Gothic building: the Palais des Prince-Evêques (Prince-Bishops Palace), on place St-Lambert. Of primary interest are the two inner courtyards, one lined with 60 carved columns depicting the follies of human nature, and the other occupied by an ornamental garden. Today, this historic building is Liège's Palais de Justice (Palace of Justice), housing courtrooms and lawyers' offices. The chambers, hung with antique Brussels tapestries, are not normally open to visitors, but it's sometimes possible to arrange a guided tour through the tourist office. Visit the courtyards Monday to Friday from 10am to 5pm; admission is free.
The Citadel -- For superb views of the city and the broad, curving Meuse, climb the 353 steps of the Montagne de Beuren, a street that ascends from rue Hors-Château. At the top of the hill, commanding even finer panoramic views, is the site of the Citadelle (Citadel), which has been a setting for more than its share of the bloodier side of Liège's history. It was here in 1468 that 600 citizens made a heroic but ill-considered assault on Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy, who had sparked a revolt by installing one of his cousins as prince-bishop, and was encamped with his Burgundian troops. They penetrated almost to Charles's tent before being beaten off and massacred to the man. In retaliation, Charles ordered the city's complete destruction, a task that continued for several weeks and left only the churches standing.
A decisive battle in Belgium's fight for independence took place here in 1830. In 1914, locals held German forces at bay long enough for the French to regroup and go on to a vitally important victory at the Battle of the Marne. German troops again met with typically stubborn resistance from the city's defenders in 1940. The Citadel Hospital now occupies the site.
A Unique Château
The Château de Jehay (tel. 085/82-44-00; www.chateaujehay.be), at Jehay-Bodegnée, 18km (11 miles) southwest of Liège, dates from the 15th century and houses a remarkable museum of humankind's past in the Meuse Valley. Its lawns and gardens are beautified with sculptures and Italian fountains. Moats reflect a checkerboard pattern of light and dark stone, and round towers at each end/corner of a central rectangular block. Inside, the rooms are filled with paintings, tapestries, lace from the private collections of Liège prince-bishops, silver and gold pieces, jewels, porcelain and glass, antique furniture, and family heirlooms. A chapel adorns a small islet.
The château is open weekends and holidays in April to September from 11am (or 2pm) to 6pm. Admission is 5€ ($8) for adults, 2.50€ ($4) for students and children ages 6 to 18, and free for children 5 and under. To get there, take N167 along the Meuse toward Huy, and go right at Amay toward Tongeren (Tongres).
8 Results
- Zoo/Aquarium
Aquarium et Musée de Zoologie (Aquarium and Zoological Museum)
Though owned by the University of Liège and housed in the university's neoclassical Zoological Institute, the Aquarium isn't a dry academic institution. Attractively presented underwater displays bring together 2,500 examples from 250 marine species. The exhibits cover a lot of… - Religious Site
Cathédral de Liège (Liège Cathedral)
Ask the sacristan to show you the cathedral's priceless treasures. These include a white marble-and-oak pulpit and the 13th-century polychrome Madonna and Child by the high altar. The Trésor (Treasury) in the cloisters (rue Bonne Fortune 6) holds a small but exquisite collection that… - Religious Site
Eglise St-Barthélemy (Church of St. Bartholomew)
The church contains the Baptismal Font of Renier of Huy which I consider one of the "Seven Marvels of Belgium". This sculpted, brass tub of indescribable beauty is found in the at the extreme end of both the Rue En Feronstree and Rue Hors Chateau, turning left or right from there (as… - Religious Site
Eglise St-Jacques (Church of St. Jacques)
A felicitous mixture of architectural styles, the church has a Gothic Flamboyant exterior, a Romanesque narthex, and a Renaissance porch. An intricately designed vaulted ceiling makes this one of the most beautiful church interiors in Liège. - Museum
Le Grand Curtius
On the banks of the Meuse in the "old city" district, this is the vastly impressive home of a 17th-century patrician/industrialist, Jean Curtius, now transformed into an archaeological museum of the Mosan (Meuse-related) area; it is among the truly important museums of Belgium. Its… - Museum
Musée de l'Art Wallon (Museum of Walloon Art)
Small but impressive, the collection of works by Walloon (French-speaking Belgian) artists extends from the 16th century to the present. Paul Delvaux's L'Homme de la Rue (1940) is the collection's "Mona Lisa". Many other well-known, and not-so-well-known, artists from the 16th to the… - Museum
Musée de la Vie Wallonne (Museum of Walloon Life)
Set at the Convent of the Minorites, a monastic order, The Museum of Walloon Life is the most extensive folkloric museum of Belgium, a vast collection too varied for brief description, but conveniently grouped and vividly presented by multi-media effects in each exhibit room; even… - Tour
Val Saint-Lambert Crystal Factory
This place would be interesting enough if only to watch the company's craftsmen at work making the renowned hand-blown crystal that bears the Val Saint Lambert label. But you'll find the remains of a 13th-century Cistercian abbey, a 16th-century Mosan Renaissance-style house, and…
Liege Shopping
On Sunday mornings, what is said to be the oldest street market in Europe -- and surely one of the most colorful -- is strung out for a mile along quai de la Batte on the north bank of the Meuse. You'll find brass, clothes, flowers, foodstuffs, jewelry, birds, animals, books, radios, and . . . the list is endless. Shoppers from as far away as Holland and Germany join sightseers from overseas, and what seems to be at least half the population of Liège. If you're anywhere near the city on a Sunday, plan to check out this marvelous shopping hodgepodge, if only to browse and people-watch.
Tip: You'll find good shopping in the several small pedestrian-only streets off place St-Lambert in the Old Town.
Liege Nightlife
A short way from place Cathédrale, the pedestrians-only Carré district is the most animated part of town, a place for shopping during the day and stepping out after dark until the wee small hours.
The Performing Arts
The highly acclaimed Opéra Royal de Wallonie performs at the Théâtre Royal de Liège, rue des Dominicains 1 (tel. 04/221-47-22; www.operaliege.be). The Théâtre Royal de LAC, near the Church of St. Jacques, presents concerts by the city's Orchestre Philharmonique de Liège (tel. 04/220-00-00; www.opl.be), along with opera and ballet. For schedules and prices of current performances, contact Infor-Spectacles, Feronstrée 92 (tel. 04/222-11-11; www.liege.be), Monday to Friday from 9am to 5pm.
Theaters staging puppet shows performed by the Théâtre des Marionettes (in dialect, but easy to follow) are at the Museum of Walloon Art, the Tchantchès Museum, and the Al Botroûle Museum, rue Hocheporte 3 (tel. 04/223-05-76). Liégeois wit is especially apparent in the puppets' appearance; each puppet is sized according to its historical importance -- for example, a huge Charles the Bold is attended by Lilliputian archers (though just how important Charles would have been without those archers is debatable!).
Cafes, Taverns & Other Nightspots
When the sun goes down (and even when it's still up), the Liégeois head for their pick of the city's hundreds of cafes and taverns to quaff Belgium's famous beers and engage in their favorite entertainment -- good conversation. If a quiet evening of the same appeals to you, you'll have no problem finding a locale. One of the best is Le Tchantchès-Nanèsse in the Outremeuse district. Café Lequet, quai sur Meuse 17 (tel. 04/222-21-34), a popular cafe/brasserie, is the place to encounter local characters speaking the Walloon dialect, in particular during the Sunday La Batte street market.
La Notte, rue Tête de BSuf 10 (tel. 04/223-07-32), close to place Cathédrale, has a group of eclectic musicians who seem equally at home with rock, samba, and French chanson française. If you're at all musical, they'll let you pick up an instrument and do your own thing; Thursday is jazz evening. Le Pot au Lait, rue SSur de Hasque 9 (tel. 04/222-07-94; www.potaulait.be), a cafe close to the university and popular with students, is always pretty animated.
If beer is your pleasure, you can't go wrong at Le Vaudrée 2, rue St-Gilles 149 (tel. 04/223-18-80; www.vaudree.be), which has a choice of some 900 different ales from around the world. If you're hungry, don't miss their delicious pavé sur pierre (a tender beef filet roasted on a hot stone) and the variety of dishes served in beer sauces.
In spite of having a beer cornucopia right on their doorstep, the city's imbibers are just as likely to favor the stiff Belgian perfumed grain liquor, or gin, commonly called jenever, and in Wallonia, genièvre or pèkèt. The table-topper in this league is La Maison du Peket, rue de l'Epée 4 (tel. 04/250-67-83; www.maisondupeket.be), a traditional old cafe (it's known also by its Walloon name: Li Mohone di Pèkèt) off place St-Lambert, which has 250 varieties of genièvre on its drinks list. The local favorite is Peket des Houyeux. In the same building, behind the cafe, is the restaurant Amon Nanesse, which serves up Liège specialties.
