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Kayakers on the River Semois, meandering through Eastern Wallonia’s green landscape

The immaculately maintained and serene Abbaye d’Orval, a functioning Cistercian monastery

BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION

Throughout much of its

history, Liège traced a
path different from that

of the rest of Belgium.
Ruled by prince-bishops

since the 10th century, it was
a principality of the Holy Roman

Empire, but was fiercely proud of
its autonomous status. Its territory

stretched at times right across the
central band of Belgium to the

French border. Liège retained its
prince-bishops until they were over-

thrown by rebels during the French
Revolution in 1789–94. In 1830, it

joined Belgium in the struggle for
independence. The Belgian industrial

revolution also began near Liège,
kick-started by the English entrepre-

neurs William and John Cockerill, who
brought the age of steam to Wallonia’s

textile industry in the 1800s and set
up iron mills just outside the city.

Maps have been repeatedly
redrawn in the border areas between

Belgium and its neighbours. The

Province of Luxembourg

formerly belonged to the

Duchy of Luxembourg, but

under the Treaty of

London of 1839, the

Duchy was split in two.

The eastern part became

an independent country,

the Grand Duchy of

Luxembourg, while the western part

was incorporated into Belgium.

Similarly, having been intermittently

in Belgian possession, Eupen and the

German-speaking community in the

Cantons de l’Est have been reclaimed

into the Province of Liège since the

end of World War II.

Over the years, the once sparsely

populated region of Eastern Wallonia

has become popular with holiday-

makers and outdoor enthusiasts. In

winter, skiers flock to the highest

areas of the Ardennes, around Spa

and the Haute Fagnes. Several

medieval castles, modern battlefields

and museums attract summer visitors.

EASTERN WALLONIA

K

nown above all for its slice of the Ardennes, Eastern Wallonia

is a dramatically hilly area of farmland and forests, threaded

by fast-flowing rivers and dotted with tranquil towns and

villages. Comprising the provinces of Liège and Luxembourg, this once

remote region now attracts many visitors, who come to walk or cycle

through the beautiful landscape or go kayaking on its swift rivers.