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Liège Province

Coordinates: 50°38′N 05°34′E / 50.633°N 5.567°E / 50.633; 5.567
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Liège (French)
Lüttich (German)
Luik (Dutch)
Lîdje (Walloon)
Province of Belgium
Flag of Liège (French)
Flag
Coat of arms of Liège (French)
Coat of arms
Official logo of Liège (French)
Brandmark
Location of Liège (French)
Coordinates: 50°38′N 05°34′E / 50.633°N 5.567°E / 50.633; 5.567
Country Belgium
Region Wallonia
Capital (and largest city)Liège
Government
 • GovernorHervé Jamar
Area
[1]
 • Total3,857 km2 (1,489 sq mi)
Population
 (1 January 2024)[2]
 • Total1,119,038
 • Density290/km2 (750/sq mi)
GDP
[3]
 • Total€34.715 billion (2021)
ISO 3166 codeBE-WLG
HDI (2021)0.908[4]
very high · 8th of 11
WebsiteOfficial site

Liège (French: [ljɛʒ] ⓘ; Walloon: Lîdje [liːtʃ]; Dutch: Luik [lœyk] ⓘ; German: Lüttich [ˈlʏtɪç] ⓘ) is the easternmost province of the Wallonia region of Belgium.

Liège Province is the only Belgian province that has borders with three countries. It borders (clockwise from the north) the Dutch province of Limburg, the German states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate, the Luxembourgish canton of Clervaux, the Belgian Walloon (French-speaking) provinces of Luxembourg, Namur and Walloon Brabant and the Belgian Flemish (Dutch-speaking) provinces of Flemish Brabant and Limburg.

Part of the eastern-most area of the province, bordering Germany, is the German-speaking region of Eupen-Malmedy, which became part of Belgium in the aftermath of World War I.

The capital and the largest city of the province is the city of the same name, Liège. The province has an area of 3,857 km2 (1,489 sq mi), and a population of 1.12 million as of January 2024.[5]

History

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The modern borders of the province of Liège date from 1795, which saw the unification of the Principality of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège with the revolutionary French Department of the Ourthe (sometimes spelled Ourte). (Parts of the old Principality of Liège also went into new French départements Meuse-Inférieure, and Sambre-et-Meuse.)

The province of Ourthe, as it was known then, was under French control during the reign of Napoleon, who visited the city during one of his campaigns. Napoleon ordered the destruction of its vineyards in order to prevent the Liège wine industry from competing with those elsewhere in France[citation needed].

Following Napoleon's fall from power in 1815, Liège became part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, while eastern half of modern Verviers became part of the Kingdom of Prussia. Liège University scholars helped to write the new Dutch constitution after the Napoleonic Wars[citation needed]. Despite these contributions there was a widespread perception among the people of Liège that they were discriminated against by the Dutch government due to religious and language differences.

In September 1830, rumors spread of a revolt in Brussels to expel the Dutch. Liège intellectuals responded to these events by contacting Walloon scholars living in Paris to discuss Belgian independence. A militia was formed to press these demands led by Charlier "Wooden Leg" leading (eventually) to the formation of an independent Kingdom of Belgium.

In the 19th century, the province was an early center of the Industrial Revolution. Its rich coal deposits and steel factories helped Belgium to form the basis of the region's increasing economic power.

During the 20th century, due to Liège's borders with Germany, it saw fierce fighting in both World Wars. In World War I, Liège's strong line of reinforced concrete military forts temporarily halted the German advance through Belgium, giving time to construct trenches in Flanders which subsequently saw some of the worst fighting of that war. It also saw some of the war's worst civilian casualties as the Imperial German Army performed collective punishments against local villagers for acts of resistance.[6] In 1925 the East Cantons and Neutral Moresnet, that had become part of Belgium as a result of the Treaty of Versailles, were absorbed into the province of Liège.[7]

In World War II, Liège was the site of major fighting during the Battle of the Bulge. There, the Germans orchestrated their final offensive move against the combined Allied armies. Malmedy and Saint-Vith in particular saw intense battles against the Nazis. Malmedy was the site of a Waffen-SS massacre of U.S. Army prisoners of war.

Liège's heavy industry thrived in the 1950s and 1960s[citation needed]but has been in decline since that time. Nevertheless, Liège remains the last city of Wallonia to maintain a functioning steel industry.[citation needed]

Liège continues to be the economic and cultural capital of Wallonia, with its university, medieval heritage and heavy industry[citation needed].

Politics

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Provincial Council

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2006–2012

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Allegory of Liège, Parc du Cinquantenaire, Bruxelles.

Party Seats
Parti socialiste 32
Mouvement réformateur 24
Centre démocrate humaniste 13
Ecolo 11
Christlich Soziale Partei 2
National Front 1
Sozialistische Partei 1

2012–2018

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Party Seats
Parti socialiste 20
Mouvement réformateur 17
Centre démocrate humaniste 7
Ecolo 8
Parti du travail de Belgique 2
Christlich Soziale Partei 1
Sozialistische Partei 1

2018–2024

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[8]

Party Seats
PS-SP 17
Mouvement réformateur 15
Ecolo 12
CDH-CSP 6
Parti du travail de Belgique 6

Geography

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Rivers

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Economy

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The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 31.6 billion € in 2018, accounting for 6.9% of Belgium's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 25,200 € or 84% of the EU27 average in the same year. GDP per person employed was 108% of the EU27 average.[9]

Subdivisions

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The province has an area of 3,857 square kilometres (1,489 sq mi), which is divided into four administrative districts (arrondissements in French) containing a total of 84 municipalities.

Arrondissements

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The Province of Liège is divided into four administrative arrondissements:

Municipalities

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Map of the municipalities in Liège
Map of the municipalities in Liège
The Coo Waterfalls (municipality of Stavelot)

Municipalities that have city status have a (city) behind their name.

  1. Amay
  2. Amel
  3. Ans
  4. Anthisnes
  5. Aubel
  6. Awans
  7. Aywaille
  8. Baelen
  9. Bassenge
  10. Berloz
  11. Beyne-Heusay
  12. Blegny
  13. Braives
  14. Büllingen
  15. Burdinne
  16. Burg-Reuland
  17. Bütgenbach
  18. Chaudfontaine
  19. Clavier
  20. Comblain-au-Pont
  21. Crisnée
  22. Dalhem
  23. Dison
  24. Donceel
  25. Engis
  26. Esneux
  27. Eupen (city)
  28. Faimes
  29. Ferrières
  30. Fexhe-le-Haut-Clocher
  31. Flémalle
  32. Fléron
  33. Geer
  34. Grâce-Hollogne
  35. Hamoir
  36. Hannut (city)
  37. Héron
  38. Herstal
  39. Herve (city)
  40. Huy (city)
  41. Jalhay
  42. Juprelle
  43. Kelmis
  44. Liège (city)
  45. Lierneux
  46. Limbourg (city)
  47. Lincent
  48. Lontzen
  49. Malmedy (city)
  50. Marchin
  51. Modave
  52. Nandrin
  53. Neupré
  54. Olne
  55. Oreye
  56. Ouffet
  57. Oupeye
  58. Pepinster
  59. Plombières
  60. Raeren
  61. Remicourt
  62. Saint-Georges-sur-Meuse
  63. Saint-Nicolas
  64. Sankt Vith (city)
  65. Seraing (city)
  66. Soumagne
  67. Spa (city)
  68. Sprimont
  69. Stavelot (city)
  70. Stoumont
  71. Theux
  72. Thimister-Clermont
  73. Tinlot
  74. Trois-Ponts
  75. Trooz
  76. Verlaine
  77. Verviers (city)
  78. Villers-le-Bouillet
  79. Visé (city)
  80. Waimes
  81. Wanze
  82. Waremme (city)
  83. Wasseiges
  84. Welkenraedt

Nine municipalities of Liège form the German-speaking Community of Belgium. From north to south they are: Kelmis (43), Lontzen (48), Raeren (60), Eupen (27), Bütgenbach (17), Büllingen (14), Amel (2), Sankt Vith (64), and Burg-Reuland (16) municipalities. Malmedy (49) and Waimes (80) are municipalities with language facilities for German speakers. The other municipalities of Liège are part of the French Community of Belgium.

List of governors

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References

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  1. ^ "Be.STAT".
  2. ^ "Structuur van de bevolking | Statbel".
  3. ^ "EU regions by GDP, Eurostat". Retrieved 18 September 2023.
  4. ^ "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab".
  5. ^ "Structuur van de bevolking | Statbel".
  6. ^ Hastings, Max (2013). Catastrophe 1914 : Europe goes to war (1st American ed.). New York. ISBN 978-0-307-59705-2. OCLC 828893101.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  7. ^ O’Connell, Vincent (2013). ""Left to their own devices". Belgium's Ambiguous Assimilation of Eupen-Malmedy (1919-1940)" (PDF). Journal of Belgian History. XLIII (4): 16.
  8. ^ "Conseil provincial | Province de Liège". Mobilité durable | Province de Liège (in French). Retrieved 2018-11-14.
  9. ^ "Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018". Eurostat.
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