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George Simenon (1903
- 1989), the creator of police detective MAIGRET. Simenon was
a very prolific writer. His enormous literary production has been
translated everywhere in the world. He wrote hundreds of novels and
stories, both under his own name or under a pseudonym. In 1931 he
started the series of Maigret stories. Of humble beginnings, he has
become one of the most popular novelists of the 20th century. |
 Liege,
daughter of the Meuse river. Liege is called 'La cité ardente', the
fiery city. A city at the crossroads of Northern and Southern European
culture. Liege is an old industrial centre which faces the challenge of
adapting to the 21st century. Nowadays Liege is a rapidly changing city
where old meets new. Take a walk through the old city centre and discover
the typical traffic-free alleys and shopping streets where terraces
abound. Visit the central St. Lambert square where a new modern Liege is
growing. Take a walk alongside the banks of the majestically flowing Meuse
river and see Liege from a distance.
The
symbol of the city is the 'Perron' at the 'Place du Marché'. The
monument represents the Province of Liege and the city freedoms. The
original Perron had been demolished by Charles the Bold of Burgundy. Mary
of Burgundy, however, had it reconstructed. The present Perron, designed
in 1697 by Jean Delcour, consists of a octagonal fountain with arcades in
which a column, carried by four lions, supports the Three Graces who carry
a pine cone. Close to the Perron is the town hall of Liege, known as 'La
Violette'.
 Close
to the Perron is the Place St. Lambert, Saint Lambert's square, with
the most awesome building of the city : the former palace of the
Prince-Bishops of Liege. It now functions as the Palace of Justice. The
construction of the present palace was ordered by Prince-Bishop Everard
van der Marck in 1526. The
palace shows a remarkable mixture of styles. The outside was
constructed in Italian Renaissance style, whereas for the interior the
Gothic style was used. Especially in the inner square one can see the
transition from late-gothic style to early Renaissance by looking at the
large, hefty, chandelier-like columns of the side-corridors. After a
visit to Liege, the French writer Victor Hugo wrote about the inner court
of the palace : 'Nowhere have I seen a construction so remarkable, serious
and grandiose at the same time'. The main facade which serves as entrance
to the palace from St. Lambert's square, was built in 1737 and shows the
quintessence of the French architectural style of the 18th century. The
interior decoration is still the original one and gives an overview of the
decorative arts in Liege from the second half of the 16th century until
the era of Louis XVI.: chimneys, Brussels wall tapestries, painted
wall-paper, etc.
The entire old city centre of Liege is one great collection of
beautiful old private houses, most of which are built in the typical Moan
style. Especially in the old streets 'Hors Chateau' and 'Feronstré'
the visitor needs eyes on his back to admire this wonderful old charm.
Also in both streets one is easily drawn away from the main road by
the numerous picturesque little alleys and dead end streets, 'Les Impassés"
where one quickly forgets that Liege is a large modern city with about
400.000 inhabitants.
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