The HEI of the Province of Liège
Welcome to the Province of Liège
The trainings are organized in several locations, making it possible for you to discover the typical ‘treasures' of the Province of Liège.
The Province of Liège
Region of industrialization and thousand-year old principality, the Province of Liege is a land full of surprising contrasts.
- A unique geographical location together with a remarkable road, rail, air and sea transport network.
- High-quality natural sites and two national parks.
- A great architectural diversity of buildings, monuments and castles.
- Besides its commercial character, its folklore, its cultural facilities such as the ‘Opéra Royal de Wallonie' and the ‘Orchestre Philarmonique de Liège', the city of Liege also offers all the attractions of an arts city.
Places to visit or to discover in Liege and surroundings :
- Towns attracting a lot of tourists: Liège, Spa, Huy, Eupen, Malmedy, Verviers, Saint-Vith, Stavelot.
- Theme parks : ‘Domaine de l'Hirondelle', the Amusement Park of Telecoo, the Domain of Blégny-Mine, the ‘Domaine provincial de Wegimont, the Wild World of Aywaille.
- Wonderful lakes and rivers: the Meuse from Huy to Visé, the Lakes in Eupen, Bütgenbach, Robertville and the Gileppe, two yachting ports.
- Spa-Francorchamps a world famous motor circuit.
- About a hundred museums abounding in treasures.
- Many sports possibilities among which 14 alpine ski tracks, 33 cross-country skiing tracks, 7 golf greens, some 5,000 km marked walks and 12 marked moto circuits.
- Gourmet food.
Welcome to the Province of Liège where you are treated as a friend and offered the pleasures of an area referred to as ‘the Belgian South' or ‘Little Switzerland'.
For any tourist information please contact:
Maison du Tourisme du Pays de Liège
Quai de la Goffe 13 - 4000 LIEGE
Tel. : +32 (0)4 221 92 21
Email : info@visitezliege.be
Website : www.visitezliege.be
Liège
Liège, a millenary episcopal city and an economic and cultural metropolis, has now become the third largest river port on the continent. It is located in the heart of an extensive TGV (high-speed train) and motorway communication network.
All these extremely efficient means of communication enable this central area of the European Union to be an ideal land for business and research : logistics industry, biotechnology, space research… Electricity and metallurgy still hold a very important place, as well as information technology, computer animation, 3D, digital geographic systems…
A new railway station will host the TGV in a very near future.
The city of Liège is the landmark of discovery. The best place to start would be Place Saint-Lambert, in front of the Prince- Bishop's palace, now the home of the Palais provincial and the Palais de Justice (law courts). On one side, take a long look at the Place du Marché, the restored City Hall, the famous Perron and the Quartier Hors-Château.
In an opposite direction, walk up to the Opéra Royal of Wallonia. This is where the pedestrian area begins, one of the largest in Europe. It offers a vast choice of branded goods and a lots of cafés and restaurants.
Crossing over the Meuse, one of the most beautiful rivers in Western Europe, you will find yourself in Outremeuse, an island with its own strong character. Do not hesitate to ask for information about exhibitions, shows, sporting events etc. : there is always something on in Liège!
With this ideal context, some 60,000 enthusiastic young people (compared with 200,000 inhabitants in the city itself or 600,000 including the suburbs) study in various institutions such as schools, higher education institutions and university.
By doing this they perpetuate the memory of Charlemagne, who, according to history, was the first ever to make school attendance compulsory. Charlemagne was born in Liège, which was called ‘Northern Athens' in the Middle Ages.
And, last but not least, the ‘Liégeois' are considered to be Belgium's most jovial and hospitable people. As the sense of feast is so common in the Land of Liège, you will always have opportunities to share the good local mood.
Maison du Tourisme du Pays de Liège
Quai de la Goffe 13 - 4000 LIEGE
Tel. : +32 (0)4 221 92 21
Email : info@visitezliege.be
Website : www.visitezliege.be
Office du Tourisme de Liège
En Féronstrée, 92
4000 Liège
Tel. : +32 (0) 4 221 92 21
Fax : + 32 (0) 4 221 92 22
E-mail : office.tourisme@liege.be
Seraing
Seraing is an industrial town along the river Meuse that, together with Boncelles, Jemeppe and Ougrée forms a city of some 61,500 inhabitants. The historical centre is located near the IT Department of our HEI.
The statue of John Cockerill, founder of the iron and steel industry, the former residence of the Prince-bishops as well as the primary Church with its 12th-century baptismal funds are worth a visit.
Three castles are located in Jemeppe : the Château Antoine, the Château of Courtejoye and the Château of Ordange.
At the Château du Val Saint-Lambert, glass workers have been manufacturing crystal for 175 years. There, you can take part in a show course and a game course recounting the magic of crystal. You can also admire the glass-workers' know-how. The abbey, which is adjacent to the castle, was founded in 1202.
The Val Saint-Lambert is part of a tourist trip called the « Fire Route », which will also lead you to Cockerill Sambre's blast furnace and to the gas/steam turbine power plant.
Uphill, Seraing also houses a superb natural site, with a unique arboretum. The forest also offers six walk circuits.
Verviers
At the gate of the ‘Fagnes' and the Ardennes, Verviers is located in the heart of the Vesdre valley of which Victor Hugo said : « It is the most beautiful valley in the world. In the summer, on a clear day with a blue sky it is sometimes a ravine, often a garden, always a paradise. »
It should not be forgotten that the wool industry gave the region a world famous reputation : the numerous textile machines scattered in the city and the Tourist centre of wool and fashion recall that prestigious past.
Verviers is also a cultural town : concerts, operas, comedies are performed in the theatre in the city centre.
The surroundings are also attractive : the Hertogenwald forest, the dams and lakes (Eupen, la Gileppe), the little towns of Theux, Spa, Stavelot, Malmédy, the Ambleve valley and the beautiful plateau of the Hautes Fagnes.
Anyone with a sense of curiosity or a desire to relax will be fully satisfied.
La Reid
La Reid is part of the district of Theux. Not far from the better known town of Spa, Theux is located in the Hoegne Valley and is surrounded by woods and farms still in operation. No wonder that the agronomic training of the HEI is organized there.
Like Verviers, Theux used to have a flourishing textile industry. Like Liège, the old market square in the centre has a perron, symbol of liberties. The Town Hall dates from 1770.
While in Theux, visit the castle of Franchimont, built in the 11th century. It was destroyed aftter many vicissitudes around 1793. The ruins are worth a visit.
La Reid has a wildlife park with a lot of animals and especially many wolves.
Spa, the ‘pearl of the Ardennes' a spa town already known at the time of the Romans is a favourite place for tourists.The town has a casino, spas, a ‘Pouhon' of Peter the Great and many water springs and fountains. Water is bottled by the ‘Spa Monopole' company. Visits can be organized.
You can also visit the ‘Parc des 7 heures', numerous museums such as the museum of horse riding and the museum of the forest in the farm museum of Berinzenne. Every year in July, Spa organizes the ‘Francofolies' a famous music festival with a lot of well-known artists. No doubt you will enjoy life in that peaceful town.
Huy
Thirty kilometres from Liège, the small town of Huy lies at the confluence of three rivers, the Meuse, the Hoyoux and the Mehaigne.
On the banks of the Meuse, its quarters are dominated by the imposing fortress. A stroll in the streets takes the visitor right back to the past.
On the picturesque ‘Grand Place' you can see the Town Hall in Louis XV style and opposite the famous fountain ‘Li Bassinia' and its famous ‘Cwèrneù', an instructive reminder of the time when the city played an important political and military role.
Not far away, you can admire the collegiate church, the building of which started in 1311 and extended over two centuries. On display are some remarkable items of the Meuse school of silversmith which was famous all over Europe.
A few buildings still integrate bricks and blue stones, which was typical of the Renaissance period : the Batta house, the ‘Hotel de la Cloche', the tower of d'Oultremont are famous examples.
Last but not least, the hills nearby offer superb views of the town and nice walks.