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Liège, Belgium

The city of Liège (French Liège, Wallonia Lîdje, Dutch Luik and German Lüttich) is the capital city of the province of Liège in eastern Belgium.

It is the administrative center of the province and the region. Located in the east of Belgium near the border with the Netherlands and Germany, 25 km south of Maastricht (the Netherlands) and 40 km west of Aachen (Germany). It is part of the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion, with a population 3.7 million inhabitants. It is a major economic and cultural center of Wallonia.

CITY LEADERSHIP

Mayor: Willy DEMEYER

The City Council comprises the mayor, 9 deputies and the president of CPAS (Public Centre for Social Affairs)

City Assembly: 49 members (including even members of the City Council.)

HISTORY

According to archaeological research, the territory of Liège was inhabited as early as 200,000 years ago. The history of the city itself begins around the year 705, when Maastricht Bishop St. Lambert was murdered in the town. With the approval of the Pope, his successor St. Hubert moved the seat of the bishopric from Maastricht to Liège and became the first bishop of the Bishopric of Liège. It later became the capital of the Principality and Bishopric of Liège, which existed from 980 to 1795. In 1795, the principality and bishopric was annexed by France, and after the Battle of Waterloo, it became part of the United Dutch Kingdom. Since the Belgian revolution in 1830 (a rebellion against the Dutch king in Brussels),the city has been  part of Belgium.

GEOGRAPHY AND DEMOGRAPHY

LOCATION: The city of Liège, Lutych in Czech, is located in the eastern part of Belgium.

SIZE: The Liège metropolitan area covers an area of 265 km2, making it the largest urban area in Wallonia and the third largest conurbation in Belgium (after Brussels and Antwerp).

POPULATION: 190,000 live in Liege proper, while the greater conurbation of Liège has approximately 600,000 inhabitants

CLIMATE: Belgium has a temperate oceanic climate, which is characterized by mild winters, very hot summers and high rainfall throughout the year.

ECONOMY

  • Agency for Economic Development Liège
  • Chamber of Commerce
  • CESRW - Committee on Economic and Social Affairs Walloon Region
  • Subregional Committee for Employment and Learning

EDUCATION (SCHOOL IMPORTANT EDUCATIONAL CENTRE)

The city is home to the only public francophone university in Belgium, founded in 1817.

The University of Liège offers degrees in nine faculties:

  • Faculty of Philosophy
  • Faculty of Veterinary Medicine
  • Faculty of Law and School of Criminology
  • Faculty of Psychology and Education
  • HEC Management
  • Faculty of Medicine
  • Institute for Human Rights and Social Sciences
  • Faculty of Applied Sciences

On March 29, 2007 in Liège, the University awarded an honorary doctorate to Václav Havel for his lifelong efforts to promote shared responsibility of the individual for the state of society and the world. Ambassador to Belgium V. Müller gave representatives of universities a letter of thanks from Vaclav Havel. In his gratitude for the honorary doctorate Vaclav Havel focused on the theme of the coexistence of various  globally connected civilizations and cultures and the position of Europe in relation to these connections.

CULTURE AND TOURISM

  • MUSEUM
  • THEATRE
  • ROYAL OPERA Wallonia
  • LIBRARY
  • PHILHARMONIC

SPORT

Liège is not only a cultural metropolis, but has plenty to offer to athletes as well.  Its numerous parks and the river banks of the Meuse River are ideal for walking or cycling trips. Probably the best view for tourists is from the old citadel, which top can be reached by climbing 373 stairs. As for the natural beauty around Liège, Sart Tilman Nature Reserve, which covers an area of 240 hectares, is a must-see. There it is possible to admire a variety of animals and plants. Families with children will enjoy the opportunity to visit the city botanical gardens.

ATTRACTIONS

March 2009
- Official opening of the Grand Curtius Museum

year 2008 - 2009
- The participation of renowned scientists, philosophers, politicians at international conferences

CITY PARTNERS OF LIÈGE

  • Aachen, Cologne (Germany)
  • Esch-sur-Alzette (Luxembourg)
  • Lille (France), Krakow (Poland)
  • Lubumbashi (Congo)
  • Maastricht, Rotterdam (Netherlands)
  • Nancy (France)
  • Pilsen (Czech Republic)
  • Porto (Portugal)
  • Quebec City (Canada)
  • Saint-Louis (Senegal)
  • Turin (Italy)
  • Volgograd (Russia)

HISTORY OF PILSEN–LIÈGE RELATIONS

After the liberation of Pilsen in 1945 representatives of the 17th Rifle Regiment, who were part of the U.S. military, approached Pilsen city leaders with a proposal to establish a partnership with the city of Liège, where the founders of the 17th Rifle regiment came from.

First contacts were established in 1947 and continued until 1965, when a partnership agreement was signed in Pilsen between the two cities. But in subsequent years, the cooperation didn’t develop much, probably because of diminished interest from the city of Pilsen.

After 1989, the representatives of the 17th Rifle Regiment began to visit Pilsen regularly each year to celebrate the liberation of the city and the end of World War II in 1945. Belgian veterans also tried to revive the mutual contacts. They established a literary competition called the Jan Palach Award for French-speaking students. They were at the inception of the idea of a partnership between St. Bartholemew‘s Cathedrals in both Liège and Pilsen and  maintained constant contact with the leadership of both cities.

In 2007, delegations of representatives of the City of Pilsen visited Liège in order to restore relations and determine the future of the partnership.

USEFUL LINKS

 

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