3 Best Sights in Liège, The Meuse and the Ardennes

In a clever example of urban renewal, what was formerly a slum is now a beautifully restored residential square with a small-village feel. The facade of the red house at the north end of the square resembles a church and is connected by a small channel to a pyramidlike structure replicating Tikal, a Mayan ruin in Guatemala.

This bustling square is as old as Liège itself. For centuries it was where the city’s commercial and political life was concentrated. The 18th-century Hôtel de Ville is here, with its two entrances: one for the wealthy and one for the common people. A number of the old buildings surrounding it were among the 23,000 destroyed by German bombs. In the center stands the Perron, a large fountain sculpted by Jean Delcour, topped with an acorn—the symbol of Liège’s liberty.

Now a vibrant, bustling focal point, this square went through a long period of neglect after the Cathedral of St. Lambert, the largest cathedral in Europe, was destroyed during the French Revolution. At its center proudly stands a sculpture honoring both the murdered 8th-century saint and the future of Liège.