Around the Fortified Walls of Liege

The Collegiate Church of Saint Barthélemy is definitely my favourite church in Liege. It has a special place in my heart since I attended the Episcopal College of Saint Barthélemy nearby during my teen years and I visited that church several times with my old school. I was able to witness its various stages of renovation from 1990 to 2006.

The recently renovated Collegiate Church of Saint-Barthélemy is one of the most ancient religious buildings of Liege. It was built outside of the fortified surrounding walls (Hors Château). It is one of the seven Collegiate Churches of Liege (with Saint Pierre, Saint Paul, Saint Jean, Saint Denis, Saint Martin, and Sainte-Croix churches) and the last one consecrated (in 1015).

It was built in coal sandstone, from the late 11th century and was achieved at the end of the 12nd century. Except the neoclassical portal, it has more or less kept its original state even though there were several additions and extensions over the centuries. The church constitutes a precious witness of the Romanesque architecture of rheno-mosan style (twin towers with triangular pediments and losange roofs).

The Collegiate Church of Saint Barthélemy contains one of the universal masterpieces of the medieval gold- and silversmiths’ art, considered one of the Seven Wonders of Belgium: the brass baptismal font dating to the beginning of the 12th century and saved during the French Revolution.

This amazing baptismal font supported by ten beefs (they were previously twelve of them) presents five scenes: Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan River, the Predication of Saint John the Baptist, the Baptism of the Catechumens, the Baptism of the centurion Corneille and the Baptism of philosopher Craton.

In 1990, the inside of the church was really dark and some parts of the aisles and the altar were damaged and the baptismal font was not highlighted. Nowadays, after several years of renovations, the church walls were repainted with their original colours (red and white), and the inside is much more attractive to the bare eyes. It has become in a few years one of the most attractive churches of Belgium and many couples living in Liege wish to marry in it.

To visit the baptismal fonts, it costs 2 euros and the church is open Monday to Saturday from 10am to 12pm and 2pm to 5pm; Sunday from 2pm to 5pm.

Staircases, alleyways, and sidestreets, stunning views and secret corners abound only a few steps from Place Saint Lambert, the historical heart of Liege. The Hillsides of the Citadel (Coteaux de la Citadelle in French) stretch over several dozens of hectares on a slope south of the Meuse river.

With its more than 60 historical monuments, the Hillsides contain numerous testimonies of the ancient cityscape. The starting point and undoubtedly the most striking point of the Hillsides is the Montagne de Bueren a 376-step staircase built in memory of the 600 Franchimontois who fought for the independence of Liege in 1468 against Charles the Bold. When I walk in the Gardens around the Hillsides, I do not climb the Montagne de Bueren but I take a narrow alleyway (Impasse des Ursulines) on my left at the bottom of the stairs. There are several listed heritage sites around this lane and many beautiful gardens (sometimes closed to the public). During the day, after having climbed the stairs in the Impasse, I find a small door on my left and enter the Terrasses (Terrace gardens) around a muddy path and if I am lucky that day, the gate to the Cour des Minimes, just above the Terrasses will be open. It will be where I will have one of the most beautiful views on the city, and especially on the Palace of the Prince-Bishops in the hypercentre.

After the visit of these gardens, I will climb En Pierreuse, one of the most picturesque streets of the city and one of its most active neighbourhoods. It houses many working class families, freelance people (lawyers, businessmen, etc), and students: a melting-pot of different social classes living together in perfect harmony. On top of En Pierreuse, I will take another street on my right to get to the top of the Montagne de Bueren where I will have the most beautiful panoramic view on the city.

It is possible to carry on the visit of the Hillsides of the Citadel by remaining on top of the hill and walking along the Boulevards du 2eme Lancier and du 3eme Génie and go down through the Bois des Carmélites. I do not like doing this this extra walk too much because it reminds me of gym classes when I was at school (I had to run all the way to the top of Montagne de Bueren, then along the Boulevards and go down through the Bois des Carmélites, in about 15-20 minutes: extremely exhausting for me!).

On the first Saturday of October, the Hillsides of the Citadel are magically illuminated with thousands of candles and a pyrotechnic display. For the occasion, several museums and historic buildings in the area are exceptionally open in the evening. It is extremely crowded during that night and everyone is partying within the neighbourhood, drinking pekèt (the local liquour). It is where you can witness the true party spirit of Liege.

Located in Hors Château, the Museum of Walloon Life is ideally located between Place Saint-Lambert and the Hillsides of the Citadel in the lovely Cour des Mineurs, next to the Church of Saint-Antoine (currently being renovated). When the museum reopens in 2008, the entry will probably vary between 2.50 and 3.80 euros.

From the information I could gather, the new museum will be separated into five themes: discovering Wallonia and its inhabitants, economic life, social life, daily life, spiritual life and trainings. Other spaces will complete the site: the guillotine room, the glazed gallery equipped with multimedia tools and a wing reserved to temporary exhibitions.

I have visited the old museum several times with my school (I attended a college in the same street). One century ago, the idea of being interested in the lodging, the clothing, the work, the food or the people's beliefs was revolutionary: only the facts and gestures of the important people were worthy to enter in history. The first collections were collected in April 1914. From 1923, the museum was lodged in a dependence of the Curtius Museum (Musée Curtius) on Quai de Maestricht. This situation lasted until 1970.

At the end of the 1960s, the Belgian Government decided to renovate the ancient convent of the Minimes Brothers (seriously damaged by a bomb in 1944) to finally offer an adequate space to the Museum of Walloon Life. The first rooms opened their doors to the public in 1970.

During the 20th century, this conservatory of professions, customs, arts and popular traditions did not stop enriching its collections thanks to the investigations and the collection of objects, sometimes through purchases, but most often through donations. Nowadays, the Museum of the Walloon Life houses some 100,000 objects, more than 100,000 photographs and close to 60,000 documents. Besides the spaces reserved to the exhibitions, the museum had a consultation room, an animation service and a Theater of Liege Puppets (which will still be available in the new Museum).

With time, new scenographic tools appeared. In the meanwhile, the public’s habits had changed and they had gone from the simple folk interest for customs or dialects to a need of a more fundamental understanding of the world they were coming from, or even to an identity quest.

It is for this reason that the persons responsible for the Museum of Walloon Life undertook a renovation of the collections presentation, and also are striving to make it a society museum accessible to anyone (from Liege or not).

This museum is the perfect place to discover the ancient way of life of Liege inhabitants when Liege was still an independent Prince-Bishopric (between 972 and 1789).It is where I have learnt more about my ancestors and how they lived. A must while in Liege!

If you have come from Place Saint Lambert by walk to go to Hors Château, you will inevitably arrive on the Place du Marché where you will notice the Perron, a stone column on a tree-step pedestal with angles resting on lying lions and on top of the column, the Three Graces, a pine cone and a cross. Even though it is certainly not the most beautiful monument of Liege, it has a huge historical significance for the people of Liege and it is nowadays the symbol of the city and is represented on the armorials of the City and was also once on the coins of the Prince-Bishopric of Liege. Everyone (or almost) in Liege knows where the Perron is located and what it means to them: the freedom of Liege.

The origin of the Perron is obscure and probably pagan. The Perron (whose name probably comes from the Latin word pietra, meaning stone) was the symbol of the justice of the Prince-Bishop of Liege. Over the centuries, the Perron became the symbol of the liberties and local autonomy under the Ancien Régime (from the end of the Middle Ages to the French Revolution in 1789). It was once a pillory where during the Prince-Bishopric times, where justice was done, where new laws and edicts were promulgated and also where the prices were published and the banishments proclaimed. Until the French Revolution, an official act did not have any value if it was not "shouted" in front of the Perron.

In 1468, the duke of Burgundy Charles the Bold destroyed the city. He ordered that the Perron be disassembled to take it to Bruges where it was exposed as a witness of the extinction of the Pays de Liege (Country of Liege). In 1477, Charles the Bold was beaten with its army in front of Nancy (France). The following year, his daughter, Marie of Burgundy, restored the Perron to the inhabitants of Liege. The monument then became the emblem of the autonomy, the freedom and the privileges of the city.

Even though Liege and its former Prince-Bishopric are now an integral part of Belgium, many people in Liege still feel more Liégeois than Belgians and any person born and living in Liege will tell you that he would not live anywhere else. The Perron epitomises the pride of the inhabitants of Liege for their beloved city.

The Perron now rests on a trendy square, the Place du Marché, in front of the City Hall and is seen by thousands of people everyday. Some local associations and schools have adopted the Perron as their logo. I am really proud of my city and its symbol of liberty!

In front of the Perron (the symbol of Liege liberties), on Place du Marché, you will inevitably notice an imposing building painted in red: this is the Hôtel de Ville (City Hall) of Liege. The current building dates back to the 18th Century and is integrated in an homogeneous architectural set, between ancient houses with narrow facades dating back to the 17th and 18th Centuries.

In the 13th Century, magistrates charged of the local administration, willing to affirm their independence with regard to the Prince-Bishop of Liege, choose to hold their meetings in a high-class house on Place du Marché, designated by its engraved viola flower on its facade. Thus, the current Hôtel de Ville is affectionately nicknamed La Violette (The Viola) in reference to the first City Hall.

The Hôtel de Ville was where the mayors of Liege were elected and where the local regulations were published after having been "shouted" next to the Perron (see my review).

The original Hôtel de Ville was destroyed and rebuilt several times over the centuries. For instance, in 1468, Charles the Bold burnt it and it was only rebuilt from 1480; in 1691, the French Troops of Louis XIV bombarded it. The City Hall was not rebuilt before several years whereas all the houses in the district had been rebuilt in the meanwhile. The current Hôtel de Ville was built from 1714 to 1718 and many famous artists from Liege have brought their input to the building. The City Hall of Liege then became the prototype of the City Halls of the Pays de Liège (Country of Liege) and was a model for the city halls of Tongeren (30km) and Huy (30km), also cities belonging to the Prince-Bishopric of Liege.

Nowadays, the Hôtel de Ville of Liege also welcomes the new Kings of Belgium during their Joyous Entry, just after their enthronement. Indeed, it is now a well established tradition in Belgium: every new king must travel in every major Belgian city to meet its citizens. The entry into a major Belgian city is called a Joyous Entry.

The Hôtel de Ville of Liege is also where the unsatisfied citizens of Liege come and demonstrate their anger and frustration towards the new laws or projects, even though it is quite rare nowadays. The current mayor of Liege, Willy Demeyer is well respected and has improved the image of the city in the previous years. From an industrial grayish city in the 1960s, Liege has become a buzzing modern centre and the freshly renovated buildings all over Liege show the current transition of Liege into the 21st Century.

It is sometimes possible to visit the Hôtel de Ville, but only during special events (Journées du Patrimoine among others). Check at the Tourist Office, rue Féronstrée 92 when it is possible to see the interior. Otherwise, if you wish to get married in Belgium, you can choose the impressive City Hall of Liege for your wedding just for its beautiful interior!