Liège became a town when St. Hubert transferred his see there in 721. After Belgium became independent (1830), the city expanded and became a major industrial centre. The proudly free-spirited citizens are disarmingly friendly and no Belgian city bubbles with more joie de vivre. We've pre-picked the best hotels, hostels and bed and breakfasts to make your stay as enjoyable as possible. This article was most recently revised and updated by, CRW Flags - Flag of Li�ge, Province, Belgium, Liège - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). The site was inhabited in prehistoric times and was known to the Romans as Leodium. Central Liège, cut by the Meuse River, Belg. The beer is cheap, the eating scene is authentically local and if you can cope with the grubby, downbeat facade you're likely to find Liège a quirkily compulsive discovery. During the 15th-century Burgundian domination of the Netherlands, Liège resisted and was sacked twice by Charles the Bold (1467, 1468). mun., 193,816. As the cultural centre of Wallonia (French-speaking Belgium), Liège has concert halls, theatres, an opera, and many fine museums—particularly those of fine arts and of Walloon life, the Ansembourg Museum of decorative art, the archaeological museum (in the Maison Curtius, c. 1600), the arms museum, and the house of the composer César Franck. Pop. A bloodless revolution ended the rule of the nobles in 1789; Liège was annexed to France in 1795 and assigned with the rest of Belgium to the Netherlands in 1815. I can unsubscribe any time using the unsubscribe link at the end of all emails. The strong working-class character of the city is reflected in the leading role it plays in Belgian socialist politics. After Charles’s death (1477) the city was rebuilt and experienced renewed prosperity in the 16th century under Prince-Bishop Evrard de La Marck. All rights reserved. To enshrine St. Lambert's relics, … Our editors will review what you’ve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. Just one hour from Brussels is Liege, a historical city on the river Meuse, dating back to Charlemagne. A chapel was built there to honour St. Lambert, bishop of Maastricht, who was murdered there in 705. As the commercial hub of the industrial Meuse Valley, Liège developed iron and steel foundries, glassworks, coal mines, armament factories, and copper refineries. (The grave accent in Liège was officially approved over the acute in 1946.) The cathedral (the former abbey church of Saint-Paul) contains the reliquaries of St. Lambert and Charles the Bold. The palace of the prince-bishops (built in the 15th century and repaired in the 18th and 19th centuries) is now the Palais de Justice. Liège is like a lliving architectural onion with layer upon layer of history lying just beneath the surface. The nobles failed in a sudden attack, and their armed party was burned to death by the populace in the church of Saint-Martin in 1312, an event known as Male Saint-Martin. © 2020 Lonely Planet. After it was granted a communal magistracy (1185) and citizens’ charter (1195), and the guilds were granted representation on the city council (1303), there was a struggle for power between the guilds and the nobles. (The grave accent in Liège was officially approved over the acute in 1946.) A chapel was built there to honour St. Its citizens played an important part in the Belgian Revolution in 1830. Articles from Britannica Encyclopedias for elementary and high school students. It became one of the most important river ports in western Europe and among the largest rail centres in Belgium; its airport is in nearby Bierset. The Royal Conservatory of Music (1887) is famous for the violin school established by Eugène Ysäye.