Verviers (; wa, Vervî) is a city and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

located in the province of Liège,

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. The municipality consists of the following districts:

Ensival Ensival ( wa, Enzivå) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Verviers, located in the province of Liège, Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Nor ...

, Heusy, Lambermont, Petit-Rechain, Stembert, and Verviers. It is also the center of an agglomeration that includes

Dison Dison (; wa, Dizon) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Dison had a total population of 14,243. The total area is 14.01 km² which gives a ...

and

Pepinster Pepinster ( or ) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 Pepinster had a total population of 9,560. The total area is 24.79 km2 which gives a population density of 386 inhabitants per km2. ...

, making it the second biggest in the province and an important regional center, located roughly halfway between Liège and the German border. Water has played an important role in the town's economy, notably in the development first of its textile and later its tourist industries. As a result, many fountains have been built in Verviers, leading it to be named Wallonia's "Water Capital". The seats of the two Walloon public institutions for water distribution and water treatment are located in the town.

History

Early history

Various flint and bone fragments, as well as

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD * Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lett ...

coins, were found in this area, attesting to the early settlements in the region. In the 4th century, the Romans had to deal with a constant push of Germanic tribes coming from the east. Successful at first at containing them, they finally had to concede defeat, allowing Clovis's

Salian Franks The Salian Franks, also called the Salians (Latin: ''Salii''; Greek: Σάλιοι, ''Salioi''), were a northwestern subgroup of the early Franks who appear in the historical record in the fourth and fifth centuries. They lived west of the Lowe ...

to occupy the region at the end of the 5th century. The Verviers area was covered with forests and became a hunting ground for the

Merovingian The Merovingian dynasty () was the ruling family of the Franks from the middle of the 5th century until 751. They first appear as "Kings of the Franks" in the Roman army of northern Gaul. By 509 they had united all the Franks and northern Gauli ...

kings, who maintained a

vicus In Ancient Rome, the Latin term (plural ) designated a village within a rural area () or the neighbourhood of a larger settlement. During the Republican era, the four of the city of Rome were subdivided into . In the 1st century BC, Augustus ...

in neighbouring

Theux Theux (; wa, Teu) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 11,571 inhabitants. The total area is 83.36 km², giving a population density of 139 inhabitants per km². ...

. It was also slowly Christianized by the monks of the nearby Abbey of

Stavelot Stavelot (; german: Stablo ; wa, Ståvleu) is a town and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Francorchamps and Stavelot. It is best known as the home of Sp ...

. Late in the 10th century,

Charles the Simple Charles III (17 September 879 – 7 October 929), called the Simple or the Straightforward (from the Latin ''Carolus Simplex''), was the king of West Francia from 898 until 922 and the king of Lotharingia from 911 until 919–923. He was a me ...

ceded the

Marquisate of Franchimont Franchimont Castle (french: Château de Franchimont) is a medieval castle in the municipality of Theux, Liège Province, Wallonia, Belgium. It sits at the western end of a small hill south of the village of Theux, a sub-municipality. History ...

Notker of Liège Notker (or Notger) of Liège ( la, Notgerus; c. 940 – 10 April 1008 AD) was a Benedictine monk, bishop (972–1008) and first prince-bishop (980–1008) of the Bishopric of Liège (now in Belgium). Life Notker was born around 940 and probably ...

, one of Notker's final steps in consolidating the

Prince-Bishopric of Liège The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was an ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was situated for the most part in present-day Belgium. It was an Imperial Estate, so the bishop of Liège, as its prince ...

. Liège took direct control of the

marquisate A marquess (; french: marquis ), es, marqués, pt, marquês. is a nobleman of high hereditary rank in various European peerages and in those of some of their former colonies. The German language equivalent is Markgraf (margrave). A woman wi ...

in 1014, an act which was confirmed by emperor

Frederick Barbarossa Frederick Barbarossa (December 1122 – 10 June 1190), also known as Frederick I (german: link=no, Friedrich I, it, Federico I), was the Holy Roman Emperor from 1155 until his death 35 years later. He was elected King of Germany in Frankfurt ...

and by

Pope Adrian IV Pope Adrian IV ( la, Adrianus IV; born Nicholas Breakspear (or Brekespear); 1 September 1159, also Hadrian IV), was head of the Catholic Church and ruler of the Papal States from 4 December 1154 to his death in 1159. He is the only Englishman t ...

in 1155.

15th century to the present

The first mention of a textile industry in this area dates from the 15th century. One century later, the cloth industry took the place of the older metallurgical works, thanks in part to the

Eighty Years War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Re ...

raging in the neighbouring

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The size of the town, however, remained relatively modest. It was only in 1651 that the expansion of the fulleries led to Verviers being recognized as one of the prince-bishopric's ''bonnes villes'' (main cities). The end of the 18th century was troubled by the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are conside ...

. The annexation of Liège to France in 1795 caused a steep economic decline and unprecedented poverty. The city's fortunes rose again after the

Battle of Waterloo The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815, near Waterloo (at that time in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, now in Belgium). A French army under the command of Napoleon was defeated by two of the armies of the Seventh C ...

(1815). Verviers was at the eastern end of the

sillon industriel The ''Sillon industriel'' (, "industrial furrow") is the former industrial backbone of Belgium. It runs across the region of Wallonia, passing from Dour, the region of Borinage, in the west, to Verviers in the east, passing along the way throug ...

, the industrial backbone of Wallonia. Industrialist

William Cockerill William Cockerill (1759–1832) was a British inventor, entrepreneur, and industrialist. Designing and producing machines for new industrial textile manufacturing, he is best known for having established a major manufacturing firm in what is no ...

used British know-how to start a new era in Verviers' textile industry. Roads were paved, gas lighting was installed, and the city doubled in size thanks to the

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

. After

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

, Verviers could share with Bradford the title of "Wool Capital of the World".

Economy

Verviers was home to a thriving wool and textile industry that was renowned for its quality and contributed greatly to the growth of the town. However, as of the 1950s, the local factories could not face international competition and started closing one after the other which prompted the economic decline of the town. The economy has been slowly recovering since the mid-1990s but remains fragile. Several commercial complexes have opened in recent years in an attempt to revitalize the most affected areas.

Sights

*Verviers counts several museums, including the Wool and Fashion Tourist Centre, housed in a former factory with a Neoclassical-style façade. *The ''Grand Theatre'', also known as ''La Bonbonnière'', was built in the same style at the end of the 19th century, while the ''Grand Poste'' was built in the

Neogothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

style. *The city has a number of interesting fountains and thematic strolling paths.

Notable people

Jean-Jacques Andrien Jean-Jacques Andrien (born 1 June 1944) is a Belgian film director. Le Monde deem his film '' Le Grand Paysage d'Alexis Droeven'' (1981), to be ''the first great Film of a Walloon cinema'' ''This film addresses two problems; the first is that o ...

, film maker (1944) *

Bertrand Baguette Bertrand Baguette (born 23 February 1986) is a Belgian professional racing driver. In 2013, he won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the LMP2 class and the FIA WEC LMP2 class title. In 2017, he won the final running of the Suzuka 1000km in Super GT. B ...

, racing driver (born 1986) * Christian Beck, writer and poet (1879–1916) * André Blavier, poet and critic (1922–2001) *

, industrialist, settled in Verviers in 1799 *

Mathieu Crickboom Mathieu Crickboom (2 March 1871 – 30 October 1947) was a Belgian violinist, who was born in Verviers (Hodimont) and died in Brussels. Crickboom was the principal disciple of Eugène Ysaÿe, who dedicated to him his ''Sonata for solo violin o ...

, violinist (1871–1947) * Pierre David, twice mayor of Verviers (1771-1839) *

Brandon Deville Brandon Deville (born 17 February 1993) is a Belgian footballer who plays for Sporting Hasselt. He plays as a defensive midfielder. Career Deville was born in Verviers, Belgium. On 27 June 2012, Deville signed a two-year contract for French ...

, football player (born 1993) *

Jacques Drèze Jacques H. Drèze (5 August 1929 – 25 September 2022) was a Belgian economist noted for his contributions to economic theory, econometrics, and economic policy as well as for his leadership in the economics profession. Drèze was the first P ...

, economist (born 1929) * Albert Dupuis, composer (1877–1967) * Emile Fabry *

Philippe Gilbert Philippe Gilbert (born 5 July 1982) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who is best known for winning the World Road Race Championships in 2012, and for being one of two riders, along with Davide Rebellin, to have won the thr ...

, road racing cyclist (born 1982) * Green Montana, rapper (born 1993) * René Hausman, comic strip scenarist (1936-2016) * Jean Haust, linguist and philologist (1868–1946) * Steve Houben, jazz saxophonist and flutist (born 1950) * Karima, writer (born 1976) *

Jean-Marie Klinkenberg Jean-Marie Klinkenberg (born 8 October 1944) is a Belgian linguist and semiotician, professor at the State University of Liège, born in Verviers ( Belgium) in 1944. Member of the interdisciplinary Groupe µ. President of the International Asso ...

linguist Linguistics is the scientific study of human language. It is called a scientific study because it entails a comprehensive, systematic, objective, and precise analysis of all aspects of language, particularly its nature and structure. Lingui ...

(born 1944) *

Marc Lacroix Marc or MARC may refer to: People * Marc (given name), people with the first name * Marc (surname), people with the family name Acronyms * MARC standards, a data format used for library cataloging, * MARC Train, a regional commuter rail system of ...

, breast cancer researcher (born 1963) *

Guillaume Lekeu Jean Joseph Nicolas Guillaume Lekeu (20 January 1870 – 21 January 1894) was a Belgian composer. Life Lekeu was born in Heusy, a village near Verviers, Belgium. He originally studied piano and music theory under Alphonse Voss, the director of ...

, composer (1870–1894) * Roger Leloup, comic strip scenarist (born 1933) *

Raymond Macherot Raymond Macherot (30 March 1924 – 26 September 2008) was a Belgian cartoonist. Although not nearly as famous as fellow Belgian cartoonists such as Hergé or André Franquin, Macherot's work, both as artist and writer, remains highly regarded am ...

cartoonist A cartoonist is a visual artist who specializes in both drawing and writing cartoons (individual images) or comics (sequential images). Cartoonists differ from comics writers or comic book illustrators in that they produce both the literary an ...

(1924–2008) *

Maurane Claudine Luypaerts, better known as Maurane (; 12 November 1960 – 7 May 2018), was a Francophone Belgian singer and actress. Brought to light in the 1980s with her role as Marie-Jeanne in the second version of the rock opera ''Starmania'', ...

singer Singing is the act of creating musical sounds with the voice. A person who sings is called a singer, artist or vocalist (in jazz and/or popular music). Singers perform music (arias, recitatives, songs, etc.) that can be sung with or witho ...

(1960–2018) * Philippe Maystadt, politician (1948-2017) *

Dominique Monami Dominique Monami (born 31 May 1973) is a former tennis player from Belgium. She is her country's first ever top-10 tennis professional. Monami was born in Verviers. In 1995, she married her coach Bart Van Roost, with whom she has a daughter, an ...

, tennis player (born 1973) *

David Murgia David Murgia (born 16 March 1988) is a Belgian actor. He started his career in theatre in the early 2000s and has since gone on to appear in films. Theater Filmography References External links * 1988 births 20th-century Belgian ma ...

, actor (born 1988) * Nornagest, musician and writer (born 1977) *

Henri Pirenne Henri Pirenne (; 23 December 1862 – 24 October 1935) was a Belgian historian. A medievalist of Walloon descent, he wrote a multivolume history of Belgium in French and became a prominent public intellectual. Pirenne made a lasting contributi ...

, historian (1862–1935) * Pierre Rapsat,

(1948–2002) * Eliane Reyes, pianist (born 1977) * Georges Ruggiu,

radio presenter A radio personality (American English) or radio presenter (British English) is a person who has an on-air position in radio broadcasting. A radio personality who hosts a radio show is also known as a radio host, and in India and Pakistan as a rad ...

during the 1994

Rwandan genocide The Rwandan genocide occurred between 7 April and 15 July 1994 during the Rwandan Civil War. During this period of around 100 days, members of the Tutsi minority ethnic group, as well as some moderate Hutu and Twa, were killed by armed Hutu ...

(born 1957) *

Albert Sambi Lokonga Albert-Mboyo Sambi Lokonga (born 22 October 1999) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a central midfielder for La Liga club Sevilla, on loan from Arsenal. He came through Anderlecht's youth academy and made his senior debut with ...

, footballer (born 1999) *

Lucy Sante Lucy Sante (formerly Luc Sante; born May 25, 1954) is a Belgium-born American writer, critic, and artist. She is a frequent contributor to ''The New York Review of Books''. Her books include '' Low Life: Lures and Snares of Old New York'' (1991) ...

, writer and critic (born 1954) * Céline Scheen, classical soprano (born 1976) * Jacques Stotzem, fingerstyle guitarist (born 1959) * Jean Vallée, singer (1941–2013) *

Eric van de Poele Eric van de Poele (born 30 September 1961) is a Belgian racing driver and former Formula One driver. He participated in 29 Grands Prix, in 1991 and 1992. He is a three-times class winner at 24 Hours of Le Mans, and won three Formula 3000 races ...

Formula One Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship ...

driver (born 1961) *

Henri Vieuxtemps Henri François Joseph Vieuxtemps ( 17 February 18206 June 1881) was a Belgian composer and violinist. He occupies an important place in the history of the violin as a prominent exponent of the Franco-Belgian violin school during the mid-19th ce ...

, composer and virtuoso violinist (1820–1881) *

Violetta Villas Czesława Gospodarek (née Cieślak; 10 June 1938 – 5 December 2011), known by her stage name Violetta Villas, was a Polish and international cabaret star, singer, actress, composer and songwriter. Her voice was characterized as coloratura sop ...

, singer (1938–2011) * Charles Weerts, racing driver (born 2001) *

Yvan Ylieff Yvan Ylieff ( bg, Иван Илиев, ''Ivan Iliev''; born 8 March 1941) is a Belgian politician of the Francophone Socialist Party. Ylieff was born in Verviers, Liège, to a Bulgarian emigrant family. He graduated in history before engagin ...

, politician (born 1941)

Education

Tertiary education

Tertiary educational institutions include: * Haute Ecole de la Province de Liège (Construction) * Haute Ecole de la Province de Liège - Bachelier en soins infirmiers * Haute Ecole CHarlemagne Verviers * HELMO Verviers

Primary and secondary schools

Secondary schools include:Ecoles secondaires
" Verviers. Retrieved 9 July 2017. * Athénée royal Thil Lorrain Verviers 1 * Athénée royal Verdi *

Centre scolaire Saint-François-Xavier Center or centre may refer to: Mathematics *Center (geometry), the middle of an object * Center (algebra), used in various contexts ** Center (group theory) ** Center (ring theory) * Graph center, the set of all vertices of minimum eccentric ...

* Ecole Polytechnique - Enseignement de la Province de Liège * Institut Notre Dame * Institut Provincial d'Enseignement Secondaire (IPES) * Institut Provincial d'Enseignement Secondaire Paramédical de Liège - Huy - Verviers * Institut Sainte-Claire *Institut Saint-François-Xavier 2 * Institut Saint-Michel * Institut Technique Don Bosco

Twin cities

Arles Arles (, , ; oc, label=Provençal, Arle ; Classical la, Arelate) is a coastal city and commune in the South of France, a subprefecture in the Bouches-du-Rhône department of the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region, in the former province ...

Mönchengladbach Mönchengladbach (, li, Jlabbach ) is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine, halfway between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border. Geography Municipal subdivisions Since 2009, the territory of Mönchengladba ...

Roubaix Roubaix ( or ; nl, Robaais; vls, Roboais) is a city in northern France, located in the Lille metropolitan area on the Belgian border. It is a historically mono-industrial commune in the Nord department, which grew rapidly in the 19th centur ...

*: Bradford *: La Motte-Chalancon

Gallery

File:Verviers hotel de ville.jpg, City Hall File:Verviers, kerk1 foto2 2009-04-30 13.42.JPG, Church File:Verviers, Notre Dame des Récollets foto3 2011-09-10 14.05.JPG, Church: Notre Dame des Récollets File:Verviers, verkeersplein met monumentale panden foto2.JPG, Roundabout with monumental houses File:Verviers JPG01.jpg, The Ortmans fountain File:Verviers JPG03.jpg, The ''Grand Poste''

References

External links

Official web site
(in French)
Alternative Facebook site
(in French) {{Authority control Cities in Wallonia Municipalities of Liège Province