Liège (city)
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| Liège | |
|---|---|
| Region: | Wallonia |
| Province: | Liège |
| District: | Liège |
| Area: | 69.39 km² |
| Population: | 187,086 (2006) |
| Population density: | 2,696 /km² |
| Image:Be-map-liege.png | |
Liège (IPA [li.eiʒˈ], Walloon: Lîdje, Dutch: Luik, German: Lüttich; before 1946, the city's name was written Liége, with the acute accent) is a major city and municipality located in the Walloon province of Liège, of which it is the administrative capital. It is situated in the valley of the Meuse River near Belgium's eastern borders with the Netherlands and Germany, at the point where the Meuse meets the Ourthe.
Liège is the biggest and the most important metropolis of Wallonia, the French speaking part of Belgium. The Liège municipality includes the old communes of Angleur, Bressoux, Chênée, Glain, Grivegnée, Jupille-sur-Meuse, Rocourt, and Wandre.
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[edit] Demographics
As of January 1, 2006, the municipality of Liège had a total population of 187,086. The area of Liège has around 600,000 inhabitants. The city is the principal economic and cultural centre of Wallonia and its inhabitants are predominantly French-speakers.
The city is a major center of education in Belgium : more than 24 schools for a total of 42000 students (including the university, founded in 1817, which has 17000 students).
[edit] Economy
Liège is one of the steel-making centers of Belgium, the area around Charleroi and Ghent being others. It once boasted numerous blast furnaces and mills. Although now a mere shadow of its former self, steel production and manufacturing of steel goods remains a vital part of its economy. Other major industries include the manufacture of weapons, textiles, paper, and chemicals. The city possesses the third largest river ports in Europe<ref>Liège, a brief summary.</ref> after Duisburg<ref>http://www.duisport.de/en/</ref> and Paris<ref>http://www.paris-ports.fr/uk/connaitre/mission/index.aspx/</ref>.
The city is an important transportation hub, linked by road and railway to Maastricht in the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Antwerp, and Aachen in Germany. A new tunnel system now connects the E25 highway to the rest of the highways in the northwest of the city. A high-speed Thalys railway link to Leuven was completed in 2003, cutting travelling times to Brussels to 57 minutes and to Paris to 2 hours 25 minutes. Work is ongoing on a high speed link to Germany, and the line to Maastricht is being upgraded. The Albert Canal, the busiest canal in Belgium, starts in Liège and runs to Antwerp. The river Meuse also passes through Liège.
Liège Airport opened a new terminal building in 2005. There are only a few regular flights at the moment. The airport is mainly used for cargo. It is the main hub of TNT Airways.
A science park south east of the city, close to the main university campus, concentrates some of the more high tech industries, including space industry.
[edit] History
[edit] Early Middle Ages
Although settlements already existed in Roman times, Liège was first recorded in writing in 558 as Vicus Leudicus. Around 705, St Lambert completed the conversion of the pagans in the region. He was, however, murdered in Liège, and was thereafter popularly regarded as a martyr. To enshrine St Lambert's relics, his successor, St Hubert, built a basilica which became the true nucleus of the city, and near which the residence of the bishops would be located. A couple of centuries later, the city became the capital of a prince-bishopric, which lasted from 985 till 1794. The first prince-bishop, Notger, transformed the city into a major intellectual and ecclesiastical centre, which maintained its cultural importance during the Middle Ages. Pope Clement VI recruited several musicians from Liège to perform in the Papal court at Avignon, whereby sanctioning the practice of polyphony in the religious realm. The city was renowned for its many churches, the oldest of which, St Martin's, dates from 682. Although nominally part of the Holy Roman Empire, in practice it possessed a large degree of independence.
[edit] Late Middle Ages and Renaissance
The strategic position of Liège has made it a frequent target of armies and insurgencies over the centuries. It was fortified early on with a castle on the steep hill that overlooks the city's western side. In 1345, the citizens of Liège rebelled against Prince-Bishop Engelbert de la Marck, their ruler at the time, and defeated him in battle near the city. After a rebellion against rule from Burgundy, King Louis XI of France and Duke Charles the Bold of Burgundy captured and largely destroyed the city in 1468, after a bitter siege which was ended with a successful surprise attack. Liège was technically still part of the Holy Roman Empire. After 1477, the city came under the rule of the Habsburgs and, after 1555, under Spanish sovereignty, although its immediate rule remained in the hands of its prince-bishops. The reign of Erard de la Marck (1506-1538) coincides with the Renaissance Liégeoise. During the Counter-Reformation, the diocese of Liège was split and progressively lost its role as a regional power. In the 17th century the prince-bishops came from the Bavarian family Wittelsbach. They ruled over Cologne and other bishoprics in the northwest of the Holy Roman Empire as well.
[edit] 18th Century until World War I
The Duke of Marlborough captured the city from the Bavarian prince-bishop and his French allies in 1704 during the War of the Spanish Succession. In the middle of the eighteenth century the ideas of the French encyclopedists began to be received at Liège; Bishop de Velbruck (1772-84), encouraged their propagation and thus prepared the way for the Revolution Liégeoise, which burst upon the episcopal city on 18 August, 1789. In the course of the 1794 campaigns of the French Revolution, the French army took the city and imposed a harsh and strongly anticlerical regime, destroying the great cathedral of Saint Lambert. The dismantlement of the prince-bishopric was confirmed in 1801 by the Concordat co-signed by Napoléon Bonaparte and Pope Pius VII. France lost the city in 1815 when the Congress of Vienna awarded it to the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Dutch rule lasted only until 1830, when the Belgian Revolution led to the establishment of an independent, Catholic and neutral Belgium which incorporated Liège. After this, Liège developed rapidly into a major industrial city which became one of continental Europe's first large-scale steel making centres.
Liège's fortifications were redesigned by Henry Alexis Brialmont in the 1880s and a chain of twelve forts was constructed around the city to provide defence in depth. This presented a major obstacle to Germany's army in 1914, whose Schlieffen Plan relied on being able to quickly pass through the Meuse valley and the Ardennes en route to France. The German invasion on August 5, 1914 soon reached Liège, which was defended by 30,000 troops under General Gérard Leman (see Battle of Liège). The forts initially held off an attacking force of about 100,000 men but were pulverised into submission by a five-day bombardment by the Germans' 42cm Big Bertha howitzers. Due to faulty planning of the ventilation of the underground defense tunnels under the main citadel, one direct artillery hit caused a huge explosion, which eventually led to the surrender of the Belgian forces. The Belgian resistance was shorter than had been intended, but the twelve days of delay caused by the siege nonetheless contributed to the eventual failure of the German invasion of France. The city was subsequently occupied by the Germans until the end of the war. Liège received the Légion d'Honneur for its resistance in 1914.
[edit] World War II until today
The Germans returned in 1940, this time taking the forts in only three days. Most Jews were saved, with the help of the sympathising population, as many Jewish children and refugees were hidden in the numerous monasteries. The German occupants were expelled by the United States Army in September 1944 but Liège was subsequently subjected to intense aerial bombardment, with more than 1,500 V1 and V2 missiles landing in the city between its liberation and the end of the war.
After the war, Liège suffered from the collapse of its steel industry, which produced high levels of unemployment and stoked social tension. In January 1961, disgruntled workers went on a rampage and severely damaged the central railway station Guillemins. Liège is also known as a traditionally socialist city. In 1991, powerful Socialist André Cools, a former Deputy Prime Minister, was gunned down in one of the city's car parks. Many suspected that the assassination was related to a corruption scandal which swept the Socialist Party, and the national government in general, after Cools's death. Two men were sentenced to twenty years' jail each, in 2004, for involvement in Cools's murder.
Liège has shown some signs of economic recovery in recent years with the opening up of borders within the European Union, surging steel prices, and improved administration. Several new shopping centres were built, and numerous repairs carried out.
[edit] Sights
- The 16th-century palace of the Prince-Bishops of Liège is built on the Place St Lambert, where the old St Lambert cathedral used to stand before the French Revolution. An archeological display, the Archeoforum can also be visited under the Place St Lambert.
- The perron on the nearby Place du Marché was the symbol of the justice of the prince-bishops and has now become the symbol of the city.
- The Saint-Paul cathedral contains a treasury and St Lambert’s tomb. It is one of the original seven collegiate churches, which also include the German-style St Bartholomew church (Saint Barthélémy) and the St Martin basilica.
- Liège has interesting museums: Walloon life, Walloon art, religious and Mosan art, and modern art. The Curtius Museum is an archeological museum housed in a 17th century house along the Meuse River.
- The city is best visited on foot. Don’t miss the historical city centre (the Carré), the Outremeuse area, the paths along the riverside, and the citadel area.
- The amateurs of modern architecture should see the new train station by Santiago Calatrava.
[edit] Folklore
- The Fêtes du pékèt, named after the local alcohol, take place on August 15 in Outremeuse and have something for every taste: religious procession, flea market, dances, concerts, and a series of popular games. The tradition is linked to the important folkloric character Tchantchès (Walloon for François), the hard-headed but resourceful Walloon boy who lived during Charlemagne's times. Tchantchès is remembered with a statue, a museum, and a number of puppets found all over the city.
- Liège hosts one of the oldest Christmas Markets in Belgium.
[edit] Life in Liège
Image:Lüttich Montagne.jpg The city is well-known for its very crowded folk festivals. The 15th of August festival ("Le 15 août") is maybe the best known one. The population gathers in a quarter named Outre-Meuse with plenty of tiny pedestrian streets and old yards. Many people come to see the procession but also to drink alcohol and beer, eat cabbage, sausages or pancakes or simply enjoy the atmosphere till very early in the morning. The Saint Nicholas festival around the 6th of December is organized by and for the students of the University. During 24 hours, the students (wearing very dirty lab-coats) are allowed to beg for money for drinking.
The nightlife in Liège is also very important. In the middle of the pedestrian zone, a squared quarter (100 m times 100 m - Le Carré) is full of very loud pubs which are opening till the last client leaves, i.e. around 6 a.m. Other areas include Place du Marché.
The city hosts also a signficant jazz festival Jazz à Liège.
Liège also hosts the cycle race Liège-Bastogne-Liège - which is the oldest of the monuments of road cycling - in the spring. The route starts from the city of Liège, goes to the city of Bastogne and comes back to finish in the Liège suburb of Ans. The second half contains most of the climbs in the race, such as the Stockeu, Haute-Levée, La Redoute, Saint-Nicolas and the Col de Forges.
Liège has a very active art cinema (Le Churchill/Le Parc), and for those more into mainstream cinema the Kinepolis group has 2 megaplexes.
Liège also has a particular Walloon dialect, sometimes said to be one of Belgium's most distinctive. There is a large Italian community, and Italian can be heard at many places. Knowledge of other 'local' languages (German and Dutch) is usually rather poor, while English is more widely spoken.
[edit] Famous inhabitants
See also: Notable people from Liège
- Pippin the Younger (in French: Pépin le Bref), King of the Franks (born in Jupille, 8th century)
- Charlemagne, King of the Franks, then crowned emperor (birth in Liège uncertain, 8th century)
- Alger of Liège, learned priest (11th century)
- William of St-Thierry, theologian and mystic (11th century)
- Jean d'Outremeuse, writer and historian (14th century)
- Jacques Arcadelt, composer (16th century)
- Lambert Lombard, painter (1505 – 1566)
- Gérard de Lairesse, painter (1640-1711)
- André Ernest Modeste Grétry, composer (1741-1813)
- Hubert Joseph Walther Frère-Orban, statesman (1812-1896)
- César Franck, composer (1822-1890)
- Zénobe Gramme, inventor (1826-1901)
- Eugène Ysaÿe, composer and violonist (1858-1931)
- Joseph Jongen, organist, composer, and educator (1873-1953)
- Georges Simenon, novelist (1903-1989)
[edit] Twin cities
[edit] See also
- University of Liège
- Bishop of Liège
- Liège-Bastogne-Liège
- Ratherius
- R.F.C. de Liège
- Standard de Liège
[edit] References
<references/>
[edit] External links
- (French) (Dutch) (English) (German) Official website of the city of Liège
- (French) (Dutch) (English) (Spanish) (German) Liège congrès
- (French) (Dutch) (English) (German) Christmas market of Liège
- (French) / Tchantchès and the pékèt festivities
- (French) (English) Liégeois' people and relatives around the world
 | Municipalities in the province of Liège, Wallonia, Belgium | |
|---|---|---|
| Huy: Amay | Anthisnes | Burdinne | Clavier | Engis | Ferrières | Hamoir | Héron | Huy | Marchin | Modave | Nandrin | Ouffet | Tinlot | Verlaine | Villers-le-Bouillet | Wanze | ||
| Liège: Ans | Awans | Aywaille | Bassenge | Beyne-Heusay | Blegny | Chaudfontaine | Comblain-au-Pont | Dalhem | Esneux | Flémalle | Fléron | Grâce-Hollogne | Herstal | Juprelle | Liège | Neupré | Oupeye | Saint-Nicolas | Seraing | Soumagne | Sprimont | Trooz | Visé | ||
| Verviers: Amel | Aubel | Baelen | Büllingen | Burg-Reuland | Bütgenbach | Dison | Eupen | Herve | Jalhay | Kelmis | Lierneux | Limbourg | Lontzen | Malmedy | Olne | Pepinster | Plombières | Raeren | Sankt Vith | Spa | Stavelot | Stoumont | Theux | Thimister-Clermont | Trois-Ponts | Verviers | Waimes | Welkenraedt | ||
| Waremme: Berloz | Braives | Crisnée | Donceel | Faimes | Fexhe-le-Haut-Clocher | Geer | Hannut | Lincent | Oreye | Remicourt | Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse | Waremme | Wasseiges | ||
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