Liège, city, Belgium

Liège, Du. Luik, Ger. Lüttich, city (1991 pop. 194,596), capital of Liège prov., E Belgium, at the confluence of the Meuse and Ourthe rivers, near the Dutch and German borders. Greater Liège includes the suburbs of Herstal Herstal (hĕr`stäl), Fr. Héristal, commune (1991 pop. 36,451), Liège prov.
..... Click the link for more information. , Ougrée Ougrée (

grā`), town, Liège prov.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Grivegnée. The commercial center of the industrial Meuse valley, Liège is also an important transportation hub. It is located on the Albert Canal Albert Canal, waterway, c.80 mi (130 km) long, N Belgium, from the Meuse River to the Scheldt River; constructed 1930–39. The canal connects the important industrial region around Liège with the port of Antwerp , Belgium.
..... Click the link for more information. and on the Liège-Maastricht Canal and is the center of a road and rail network connecting Belgium and Germany. Manufactures include metal goods, armaments, motor vehicles, electrical and electronics equipment, chemicals, glass, and furniture.

The city is modern yet retains some historic buildings, including a cathedral (founded 971), the Church of the Holy Cross (10th cent.), the Church of St. Denis (10th–11th cent.), and the 16th-century Palace of Justice (the former residence of the prince-bishops). The city is the cultural center for Belgium's French-speaking population. It has a university (founded 1816) and a music conservatory. The composer César Franck Franck, César Auguste (sāzär` ōgüst` fräNk), 1822–90, Belgian-French composer and organist.
..... Click the link for more information. was born there.

History

A growing trade center by the 10th cent., Liège became the capital of the extensive prince-bishopric of Liège, which included most of Liège Liège (lyĕzh), Du. Luik, Ger. Lüttich, province (1991 pop.
..... Click the link for more information. prov. and parts of Limburg and Namur provs. This ecclesiastical state, part of the Holy Roman Empire, lasted until 1792. The strongly fortified city, key to the Meuse valley, suffered numerous sieges in its history. In the Middle Ages, Liège was a leading cultural center with important textile and metal industries.

In the late Middle Ages it was torn by bitter social strife. In the 14th cent. the workers (organized in guilds) won far-reaching concessions from the nobles and the wealthy bourgeoisie and began to take part in the city's government. The episcopal functionaries were placed (1373) under the supervision of a tribunal of 22 persons, 14 of whom were burgesses. This Peace of the Twenty-Two remained, albeit with interruptions, the basic guarantee of the constitutional liberty of the inhabitants of Liège until 1792. In 1465 the city became a protectorate of Burgundy; two years later, Charles the Bold, duke of Burgundy, abolished the citizens' communal liberties. The citizens of Liège, encouraged by Louis XI of France, rose in rebellion, but Charles forced Louis to assist him in suppressing the revolt and then sacked the city (1468).

As an episcopal principality, Liège remained technically a sovereign member of the Holy Roman Empire after the Netherlands passed (1477) under Hapsburg rule (see Netherlands, Austrian and Spanish Netherlands, Austrian and Spanish, that part of the Low Countries that, from 1482 until 1794, remained under the control of the imperial house of Hapsburg . The area corresponds roughly to modern Belgium and Luxembourg.
..... Click the link for more information. ). In fact, however, the prince-bishops were dependent on the Spanish kings and, after 1714, the emperors. Liège flourished under prince-bishop Erard de la Marck in the 16th cent. and became a center for arms manufacture. In 1792 the French under Dumouriez entered the city. In the 19th cent., Liège was a center of Walloon particularism (see Walloons Walloons (wŏl
..... Click the link for more information. ), rapid industrial growth as one of the earliest modern steelmaking centers, and social unrest.

In World War I its fortifications, reputed to be among the strongest in Europe, fell (1914) to the Germans after a 12-day siege. In World War II, Liège was again taken (May, 1940) by the Germans. It was liberated (May, 1944) by U.S. forces, but during the Battle of the Bulge Battle of the Bulge, popular name in World War II for the German counterattack in the Ardennes, Dec., 1944–Jan., 1945. It is also known as the Battle of the Ardennes. On Dec.
..... Click the link for more information. (Dec., 1944–Jan., 1945) it suffered considerable destruction from German rockets. In the 1950s and 60s, the decline of the steel industry led to massive unemployment, and Liège was again a center of social and political unrest.

Liège, province, Belgium

Liège (lyĕzh), Du. Luik, Ger. Lüttich, province (1991 pop. 999,646), 1,526 sq mi (3,952 sq km), E Belgium, bordering on Germany in the east. The chief cities are Liège Liège, Du. Luik, Ger. Lüttich, city (1991 pop. 194,596), capital of Liège prov., E Belgium, at the confluence of the Meuse and Ourthe rivers, near the Dutch and German borders.
..... Click the link for more information. (the capital), Verviers Verviers (vĕrvyā`), commune (1991 pop. 53,482), Liège prov., E Belgium, on the Vesdre River and at the foot of the Ardennes.
..... Click the link for more information. , Herstal, Huy Huy (üē`), Du. Hoie, commune (1991 pop. 18,197), Liège prov., E Belgium, on the Meuse River; founded in the 9th cent.
..... Click the link for more information. , and Seraing Seraing (sərĕN`), city (1991 pop. 60,838), Liège prov., E Belgium, on the Meuse River, near Liège.
..... Click the link for more information. . The province is French-speaking (see Walloons) except in the eastern districts of Eupen Eupen (oi`pən), town (1991 pop. 17,161), Liège prov., E Belgium, on the Vesdre River, near the German border.
..... Click the link for more information. and Malmédy Malmédy (mälmādē`), commune (1991 pop. 10,291), Liège prov., E Belgium, near the German border.
..... Click the link for more information. , located near the German border, where the German language prevails. Liège is part of the industrial Meuse valley and of the agricultural Ardennes plateau. Some dairy farming and lumbering are in the province. The leading manufactures include machinery, armaments, and textiles.

Liège

Flemish Luik

City (pop., 2000 est.: 185,639), eastern Belgium. Located at the confluence of the Meuse and Ourthe rivers, it was inhabited in prehistoric times and was known to the Romans as Leodium. It became a town when St. Hubert transferred his see there in 721, and it was noted as a centre of learning in the Middle Ages. Annexed to France in 1795, it was later assigned with the rest of Belgium to The Netherlands in 1815. A centre of the successful revolt for Belgian independence in 1830, it is now an industrial research centre and a major port.