216 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp271–3 and pp297–9
P Place St-Lambert
Junction of Rue Joffre and Rue
Léopold. Palais des Princes-
Évêques # 10am–6pm Tue–Sun,
11am–6pm Sun. Archéoforum
Tel (04) 2509370. # 10am–6pm
Tue–Sat, 11am–6pm Sun. & 8 =
http://www.archeoforumdeliege.be
The vast central square of
Liège, Place St-Lambert, is
dominated by Palais des
Princes-Évêques, (Palace
of the Prince-Bishops) a
mainly 18th-century build-
ing in Neo-Classical style.
It now houses the Palace
of Justice and other
govern ment offices, but
visitors can explore its
16th-century Renais sance
courtyard, which has
not able relief sculp tures
on the columns. The
square was the site of the
huge Cathédrale St-Lambert, a
major pilgrimage centre built
in honour of St Lambert of
Maastricht, who was murdered
here in AD 705. Liégoise rev-
olutionaries des troy ed the
cathedral between 1794 and
1803, but its foundations, some
A busy port-city straddling the River Meuse, Liège has a
20th-century industrial air peppered with medieval and
Baroque exuberance. It is known as La Cité Ardent (The
Hot-Blooded City), a reference to its fractious history as
part of the fiercely independent Principality of Liège.
The Coeur Historique (Historic Heart) of the city lies to
the north of the River Meuse, around the parallel roads
Féronstrée and Rue Hors-Château. Tiny dead-end alleys
called Impasses thread north from here, and steps
climb up to the old Citadelle, with its panoramic views
and interesting hill walks. The Place St-Lambert is the
city’s main square, overlooked by the Palais des Princes-
Évêques. A modern commercial area lies to its southwest,
which is served by the Gare du Palais train station.
E Musée de la
Vie Wallonne
Cour des Mineurs 1. Tel (04)
9:30am–6pm Tue–Sun.
¢ 1st week in Jan. & 9 =
http://www.viewallonne.be
One of the best folklore and
local history museums in the
country, the Musée de la
Vie Wallonne (Museum of
Walloon Life) is housed in a
former convent, which was
recently modernized. The
courtyard is in the austere
style of late 17th-century
Mosan (that is, of the Meuse)
architecture, while the interior
provides a fascinating tour of
daily life in this region until
the recent past. The large col-
lection features historic crafts
and indus tries, furniture and
dom estic wares, religious fet-
ishes and medical equipment,
as well as antique posters, old
photographs that can be seen
through antique stereoscopes,
and some splendid oddities
such as a real guillotine,
which was last used in 1824.
E Musée de l’Art Wallon
Féronstrée 86. Tel (04) 2219231.
# 1–6pm Tue–Sat, 11am–6pm Sun.
& 8 = http://www.museeart
wallon.be
Spiralling floors in a 1970s
building display the perma-
nent collection of the Musée
de l’Art Wallon (Museum of
Walloon Art), which is spiced
with a few gems. It featuresP Le Perron
Hôtel de Ville, Place du Marché 2.
A symbol of civic liberty in
the principality, Le Perron
is a large stone pillared
monument with fountains
and balustrades, topped
by a single column. The
first perrons date from the
11th century, when town
guilds bought liberties
from their rulers, and
laws and judgements
were announ ced in front
of them. The association
of Le Perron with Liège’s
independence was
so strong that when
Charles the Bold suppressed
the city’s rebellion in 1468,
he took the column back to
Bruges. It was not restored
till his death. The cur rent
monument is from the late
17th century, and is crown ed
by the Three Graces and the
symbol of the authority of theprince-bishops, a pine cone
and cross. Nearby, the elegant
red Hôtel de Ville dates from- Its beautiful Italianate
entrance hall has a balcony
supported by expressive wood
sculptures of classical gods.
Carving atop
Le PerronRoman remains and a history
of the city can be seen at
Archéoforum, a subterranean
museum under the square.The elegant façade behind Hôtel de Ville in Liège’s Coeur Historique
Liège 1
19th-century art on display at the
Musée de L’Art Wallonne