Pocket Guide To The Cities Of Belgium And Luxembourg

8/3/2019 Pocket Guide To The Cities Of Belgium And Luxembourg

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o eKE T G UI DE TO

THE C IT IES OFBELGIUM ANDLUXEMBOURG

WAR DEPARTMENT. WASHINGTON, D. C.


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For 2MI' 0/ Milital'!! Pereonnel onl!!. Xot 10 be1'epubn~11'r1. in ieh o! 01' in pad. ieithout the

co ; I. ~ e /l t o f the rr'm'DepadmelltPl'elJ(/I'ed by

ARMY IXFORJllTION BRANCHINFORi\fATIO AND EDU ATI N DIY .'r K. A. S. F.XITED STATE ARMY

ATTENTIONAbout the only thing in this honld{>t that call be mmrantee-lis the terrain. Th rost of it is up to the fortunes or mi fortunes-uf war. 11any of the town,' am] 'lti('~ desci-ibed here have beenhom bed and : : ;hp lled hy tu nl' we appronehed, and shelled b y theenemy as he retreated. And manv uf them will till show themarks of the d struction "Lit d upon them when the e lnnsls '" 1'f'being conquered and occupied by the Germans.The short hi. terical notes and city plans concerning most of thetowns ar orrect as of the outbreak of tl1P war. But the chances

of war were still happening in .many pla -es . .vhen thi pocket gutlwent to press.You may find that .u-t treasures described and lo('atf'll ill the epages hnv bern looted 01 " de: troyed, arul it nmy be, y ars before.those that can bl' ]'P,tOI'Pll UP


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III

ANTWERPA visit to ~\J~'IWERP will oon -ouvinco yOIl thai its atmospherei. 0 indivi Iual that it inno way resembles other citi s, either inB lgium or inEUl'ope. Apart from b ..ing one of th world mostim portnnt luubors, Antwerp is an imposing: town with "wideavenues and magnificl'l1 buildings. At the same time it i B 1-gium's greatest commercial city and one of 11m'proude -t centersof culture. But, before trying to understand the Antwerp oftoday Jon must know omething of the story of ye rerday.Th history of Antwerp i the history of the CITELDT. for it is

the C urs of this riv r whi h ha influenced the life of the city touch an ext nl that it hn become the pul-ebeat of it inhabitants.Dnrine th middle-age the srrowth of ~\.ntw rp Wl1 sl \Y. Later011. however, in the Renai . once per-iod. Antwerp achieved a 1 ader-ship ill economic activity probably attained by no other city before.The natural deepening of III watere in the channels 1 hus improv-ina the access to the harbor, wa one of the most important factorseoutributing to thi npremacy. The day s of the Spunish Furyinaugurated a 2DD-yen!' stagnation in the development of the harbor.


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The closing of the mouth of the ScheIdt obtained by the Dutch inthe Treao/ of Muuster in 1048 sealed the fate of the city, and itwa only III1792, when the Treaty of The Hagu was ign ed, hatth cheldt was reopen ad, After Belgium's separation from Bol-land, the coast f Dutch Flanders, which forms he south bank oftl~eWe .tem Scheldt, remai?ed in Dutch possession to the greaill appointment of the Belgians. It was not until 1850 t hat Ant-werp began to approach the importance of its chief rivals. Sincethen however, canals to the Ludustrial hinterland of Charleroihave boonbuilt und extensive dock systems have been constl'nded.Until- the outbreak of this war, Antwerp was a harbor whichranked with Rotterdam, Hamburg, and New YOlk and in 1938011110. t 12,000 entering vessel, were r gister d. Antwerp i 110t a'larsre a c 11te1' of population a the zreat rival POl'S of Rott rdamand Hamburg, 111193 the population of the commune numb T d~i3.317. How V6r, th population of 'the ugglomemtion," hat1 Antwerp together with the five adjoining commune ofBerchem Borgerhout, Deurne, Hoboken and Merksem was492.65 -1 :. 'Ithas been said that sight-seeing is a highly organized wayof rushing past a huge number of beautiful things that might:2

be pen if only time wer taken to look at 11 1 ill and finclout whatthey ttl'. But Antwerp oil' r i :ueh a collection of int re ringviews that no matter how inexp ri need a travell l'Y u are, youwill enjoy every minute of your tay in this city.The medieval city uf Antwerp zrew IIp on tIlE' risht bank of theicheldt, uround thc TEE". 01 - ' citad 1 . II of th ancient build-iug. are found within the walls of the old city which were re-placed in 1 59 by the prominent lint" of inner boul \,Hl'US. De. pitethe size of the area so enclosed-more t han 5 1 : > : quare miles-theL1itriets of prime importance to yon as a traveller lie compara-tively close together.You will probably arrive in AnhTeq) at the CEN'rRAL TATION,and if so, yon "ill be at once in the heart of t11(>ity.The Central +ation or ntraal tation, as it is call din Flemish,with its lofty dom N.3 feet high. offer a foretaste of the city'smonumental character. Howey r. th station's exit for passengersarrrvinz in Antwerp is far Ie _ impressive than it. front, entran -e ,and con equently once ont. ide the building yon would do well to goback to the station's main entrance at the DE KEY!'EULEI (Av nuede Keyser) . This broad tree-shad ed a"enue js the first of a seriesof thoroughfares runuins westward to the Old Town. In im-

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portance, De K yserlei i to Antw I'P what Fifth Avenns is toNew York. fO matter where you 0'0 in Antwerp, you will findthat most ot the streets witl lend you to this avenue, 'Walkingdown De Keyserlei past many of the city s best hotels vou cometo the TE~~mt.'iII.MTS(Place Tenivrs) and thus cro: tI l lin ofAntw rp' big avenues, Named after the countries which wereB~lgit'l1l s nllies in tl,le first IIInrld "'ar, these avenue are plantedWLUl It quadruple line of tree and embellished with zardens.Coul inuinrr on the De KeysE'l'i i, however, aud walking tm~ard theSChl'I(~t,you come to the ~fF;:III, which, commercially and topn-~raphlc~llly, forms the ce~lter of the old town. During the day-t nul' tlii broad street Will be as crowded us De Key. erIei butafter bu iues hour's, tlw Ieir imore 01' less ell'S rted. 'Tlw R~YALPALA El and th COMMl


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Iistsuinz to the music of a military band. The' OWN' HALL, withHs more than 250 foot long Renaissance fat;ade occupie: the we rternside of !.he GROOTE M.\llKT. Here vou will be able to admire t,llepicturesque group of (Tuild HOllse~ datinz mainlv from the 15thand 16th centuries. Among the other buildinns ~hi('h you shouldmake a point to see especially are the Pr:..l l~T1;-MOlUITUS .Ma stnr,the hO.llse of the 10th c'ntlll',Y printer, Christopher Plaut in, whereyou WIll find not only WOI"lUi printed b y his own house. but alsobooks bearing the imprints of Gutenhurg, Aldus of Venice. Elzevir(If Amsterdam and other historic names. The ROY.~L IUSEm.[ OF.A.RT ,,Fer you one of the best collections of mastt>l'piel'e" in Europe.DOll t forget that A.ntwerp is th' birthplace of Rubens. and wasalso the home of Metsys, "ran Dyck, Jorde-ailS. Teniers aud otherworld famous masters,Ifyou want to relax. or if you seek sorue recreation, YOU shouldvisit one of Antwerp' .. well kept parks. The N.\OnTlO.\.LEPARKknown for its giant trees .. and the REITERE: 'HoF PARK with jt~charming lakes, are among the best known, and both can be reachedb,l ' bus 01' tram from the Central 'tation. During" the winterseason you may wunt IO pay 11 visit 10 ntwerp's OPERA ROUSE 01'attend the eoncevts given frequently in one of its big concert halls,

A . visit to the FLEMISH TllEA'llU'; may be less interesting, especiallyjf you don't understand the language,On a nice summer day you can go to the beach on the left bankof the Scheldt. It. will give you an opportunity to sec the \Y Otunnels under the Scheidt one for foot passenrrers, the other forcars. Ifharbor 'inspection is allowed you mny be interested inone of the boat excursions along the docks of the Schehlt.Prior to the war Antwerp kept up tlJe same high standardsof food as all other Belgian cities, Rc trional specialties are thel'ntates Frittes (French Fried potatoes) which are sold 011 thestreet corners ; and asparagus, iiit is in season. Among thedrinks, beer is Antwerp's favorite, although wine during mealsis not uncommon, especially if you are lucky enough to be invitedfor dinner at the house of an Antwerp family. liyou visit theleft bank of the Scheldt you should try their clams (mossclen)and eels, especially the dish caned uPalingin't groen."As a last remark it may be well to remind you that Antwerpis a Flemish cHy, bu as a res nlt of the development of its har-hal' its inhabit nuts are cosmopolit an and thus t here is a goodchance Lh!lt you will be able to find many persons who will under-stand English.

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BRUGES

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No one can ever claim to know BeIJil1m 'without haying iite 1BRUGP..s. The peculiar charm of thi 'ity is due partly to the-pr s-ence of so many canals and I artly to its wealth of Metlieval andRenai sance buildings. Notwith tanding the development ofmodern indu tries Bmaes has manag d to r tain it beauty andi, to date le s spoil d than other citie by moll )"11 con -t.ruction andl>o-calleu progress,The cily of Brug s, the name of whil'h i derived from the word'bridge,') is said to e l f ! e back I\S far as the seventh century, Duringthe h"yeHth century, thanks to its proximity to the inl tto the. ea,Bruaes b came one of < HI' pe's greatest -ommercial centers. Ledby Pieter de oninck, a weuv r and .Ian Breydel, a butcher, thePI' ple If Bmges revolt d aga in tthe French aovernor of Elan-del'S Ja qu de hatillon, anti rna a '1' d a n thos unable to pro-nonnce th lilicnlt Fl uri h WOl' 1 I "'chi]] 11Vrien I' ( hi ld andFriend). The, ilting-up of til inlet to th sea was the pr-incipalfactor inBruges' rapid decline durinu the fifteenth and sixteenth

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~entnrics, This explain' w u : r almo i every impor ant buildinsr111 Bruges dates back to the period of it zreatest wealth durins th:1300' and 1400s. t:> t:>. Bruges is lh.e capital of the province of W sl F'landeu and had.Ul ~h(>da . ,s pl'lnto the puhl i c ever'S duy. On the- Gnoors M


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B~guine Imler (Begiujnhof) which is well worth u vi it. Abridz crosses from the outh side of the Berruinuo-e to the bank ofthe i )U:NNEWATEU 01" Luke of Lure.In the Northeas tern part of the city you may want to vi it suchbuildings a the fifteenth century CITIZEN .;;) HOUSE. the GUIDOGEZELLEMu EUl\l, and the JEllU ,\LEiUCHURCH.For those who want to know more about the inner life of Brugesit suffices to stroll along the picturesque ide treets, where thennmerou: ], ceworkers lin>, Bruges' real pirit does not lie exclu-.'1"ely in the hi toricul value of its ancient building. but UlRO inthe iurple and CllRl'ILIU10' ntmo phere of it narrow windingstreets.Mo,t rrnvellers. once in Bruges, take the opportunity to make oneX(,II1'8io11o ZEF.BRUOf:E.ess than 25 miles away. Zeebrugge is afamily re ort on the Belgian w acoast. The MOLE. which becamecelebrated during the first TI"ol' ld Will' . i. 1% miles long and thefavorite walk uf tourists, Itwa: here during the first World Warthat the British pel'iol'lllecl a daring ad of strategy. Feinting abig scale attack on Zet'brugge with the cruiser Vindictive, theBriti h moved in the obsolete cruisers Intrepid aud Iphigeniafilled withconcrete, and sank them in the channel of the canal.12

efi'ectiycly sealing it, und tlnu ruuderinz it useless to the Germnnsas a submarine ba. e.There is no uight lite.i 1IBruues although 1he theater and llUJl~el'-O1r movie bon. es make it pus iblc to spend an agreeabl > venmg.Bruges i. a Flemish city, but many of its inhabitants understandEnglish fairly well.

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B R U S S E L SBELGIUM is only a small country, ~U1dyou will get an ideu of itscompactness when you realize that the distance between the farthestpoints is less than a hundred miles. Itwill, however, interest youto see how many interesting and picturesque places are packedwithin the boundaries of his small nation, and it will astonish youyen more when you discover how each locality has succeeded illmaint:uning its own characteristics. A visit to the great city ofBarn SELS , capital 01 Be llY iu ll l will be a striking example of thisand will show you how the Belgian towns have managed to bemodern and progressive without snerificing their ancient heritage.Because of its location on the trade route b tween ruges anclCologne, Brussels was, from 131:3, the residence of the Counts ofLouvain and the Dukes of Brabant. Under the Burgundinus(1406-77) .Brus els was the cell of bri lliant courf.s and UDder theRap buras it became the capital of the Netbcrlnncls which then in-eluded both Holland and Belgium. 1J11695, during the bombal'll-ment by the French, much of the lower town wa destloyed. In1 30,Brussels was the scene of the first trprising again t OleDutch

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regime, "ince, then Brussel~ has been ~he capital of the indepeud-ent Belgian kingdom, and 111 the period before the outbreak ofthe seco~1(l~orJd lrar, Brll~sels was by fur thE' largest center o rpopulat Ion 111the country with a total of 936,000 inhabitantaBrussels is situated in I he hilly valley of the little river SENNE,Apart from heing Belgium's most important city, seat of the Gov-ernment. and residence of the royal family. Br'llssels is generallyrecognized b y all who know it well as one of the most ~hurmln""and at the sarue time oue of the gaye~t places to live, ""The city is divided into the Upper Towu, with ir s Roy.\.L P.\L.\C

and Goverumcnt offices, and the Lower Town, which is tile centerof commerce anr] entertainment.Ohunces are thut you will alTire in Brussels at the NORTH STA-

TION. which brings YOll into the 10w(,1" town section at the PLACECll.\.lU.E, RoafER, From here you curt take yrlTll' choice and walkeither altmg the beautiful BOULO:\'.\RD ADOLF M.\x. with its numer-ous sidewalk cafes, or along the old and nurrow RUE NEU\,E atyour left.The Boulevard will lead YOII to the PL.\CE Bnorcnsns, centerof !lC'ti\'ily, aud one of the squares where you will want to strolland listen to lind watch a busy town,' .

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TIle PLACE DE LA MONNAlE, with i t > ; famous OPERA H0l:1SE-TI.IEAT.RE ROY.\L DELA MO~N-\IE-alltl (he impressive classicallystyled STOCK ExCHANO:E Bun.IUNG, is just a stone's throw from thePlace Broucksre. The center of interest to you as traveller, how-ever. will be the GRANDE PUCE, which is without a doubt one ofthe finest squares un the CUll linen t. This squa re has seen a _gl. 'CIl tdeal of Brussels history. Formerly the cent ral mad,et place, ithas now b ecome a mecca for tourists. Its picturesque OunnnAL1..',the TOWN HALL with its carved spire and the :MAISON ou Ror are Itfew of its most beautiful buildings,The TOWN HALL ( - ot~l de V ille), w i 111its niedieva 1 fnmt, occu-pies most 01 the south side of the square, and "'!IS Quilt. during theyears 1402-54. This building with its historic portraits andeighteenth century tapestry, can be visited every day of the week.Each of the houses of the Guildhal 'ls hns its individual characterand the fjl1!liJlt HALL 01;' TlnJ BONr;\IEN (1111111be1"6) will undouht-edly attract YOll most.Itis also in this part of the town that you will find the stat ueof Jiamdkil1 Pis which Iias become the mascot of all Binxellois.The tradition goes that this statue was erected by a thankful fatherafter the recovery ~f his lost child. The father made a vow that

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if his child were returned to him, he would build a fountain on thepot where hi. on was found and surmount it with a tatue depi t-ing the litt le boy in the exact attitude in which he was discovered.Go and see Manm7 t i' l 1 P# and you will know inwhat position hewas found.The Ul>PER TO\'TN cen ers around the PLdCE ROYALE. In the mid-dle f thi 'quare is the tatue of Godfrey deBouillon, leader of thefirst e r n . ade. From here yon enter the elegant court quarters andthe radiating streets of the upper town. The ROY.\L LIBRARY. Bel.giuru's uationallibrary, and the MUSEID.I OF MODEHN AnT are bothlocated in that part of the city. The Mrrssoxr OF OLD M:.\sTERS,which tank among the be t art collection in Europe, is nearbyand can he reached by following the Rue d la Regence in the di-rection of the Law Courts. Past this Ull eum is the CHUROH OFXOT I l :E D. i .~ rn 'Du" -. AFlLON,. construction of which was begun in 1304and n o t finis bed until the 16th centurv. The PAWl DE JUSTICE(Law Court J . which went up in flame. .durinz the German retreatin September 1944: wa aid. to have been the largest architecturalcreat ion of the nineteenth century. The R oY ,\L P A LA C E, erectedin the first part of the nineteenth century. and the ParliamentHCHls( ' a re nlso situated in that p art VI the city.18

I\Ifyou want to admire another perfect specimen of Gothic arch-itecture, yon should vi, it the Colleziute Church of aints Michaeland Gudula commonly known as TE. G U D U L E , the principalchurch of Brussels.Alnong Brussels) parks, the CINQU..I..NTEN.URE i one of the best

known. Itis laid out in formal gardens and ornamented ,vithsculpture. The PALAI DECINQUANTENAIRE, an impressive buildingcomprising six parts and one of Brussels' landmarks, is on theeast side of the Parle.Apart from Brussels itself. a visit, to the immediate surroundingsof the city is more than worth ,vhile. The FORE,T OF SOIGNE. ,which stretches Irom nhesouthern edge of Brn e1 to the village ofWATERLOO. and the BOIS DELA C_\MBlUl are favorite re orts of Brus-selsvresidents, A vi it to the village of ~Watedoo will place you inthe heart of the bnttlefield where the final defeat of Napoleon tonkplace. The BURGH to the right of the main road contain a rue-morial to British troops killed in the battle of Waterloo, a bust ofWellington. and numerous tablet to the memory of British offi-cers. Opposite is the house-s-now n cafe-called ':All Quarrier-General de "\Velli.ngtoJl."in which Wellingron slept 0]1 the en oftile battle.

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f YOl l vi it Bruss 'J" during the S UU lm r month y ou must notmiss a trip a1011g the picturesque road to the village o f TERYEUREJ. "' ,some six miles outside Brussels, The beautiful park of Terveurenwill soon put you in a romantic mood. while the ONGOMu Elmoffers you one of the world's most intere tillg coll trona of colonialart and life.Bru sels CUll, up p l y any kind of recreation Y011 want from sport:to night-clubs, from concert by world-famous orchestras andsolei ts to operas and theater. ue of the more characteristicforms of recreation, however is sitting in one of the numeroussidewalk cafes. t i here j hut you will learn to know Brussel.and it people best, because ,i ( is h 1'6 that the Bruxellois sips his( 'l iP of coffee or glass of beer while watching the I')asers-by tellinghis companion the latest gossip of the day: 01' flirfing with a charm-i)]~ Bruxelloi e.Eating out in Brussels used to be a recreation in itself. Re-member that especially in Brussels the most unpretentious lookingplaces often have the be t cooking. When you want to give yourpm e a breathing spell, ther are plenty of ill more mode t placewhere you can get a satisfactory mea] at very reasonable prices,Beer is the most popular drink with your meal, while the best.20

qUfllities of French wines can be obta ined in aU good reo taurants,A cafe {iltl'e, coffee in an individual drip 1}0~, is usua lly servedafter meals.As you probably know, Belgium has two national languages:French and Flemi h. Bru sels is situated on the horde I' of the1 ln gu is ti c l in e and th erefore it i. a bilingual city. Mo s t memberuf tile 1"'0 perous clu es use French in their daily COllver a tion.while Flemi his iuore widely u ell b~' the inhabitants f th outerdistricts and the working classes, Bru sels is the center of Bel-gium's dense communice tion yslel11aud you will therefore haveno difficnlty in traveling from here to any O T the other Belgiancities, If.on are not hurried, Iljourney by Vicinau (u era s be-tween a trolleycar und n train), is ideal for sighl seeing.

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GHENTGHENT, situated at the confluence of the rivers Lys and 'c~heldtisthe capital of En ,t Flanders. N " ( , other to\ n hu played ,,0 im-portant a role in ~lemi 1 1 history as Ghent, which explains whyit ha. at present one of the richest. collection of buildings andmonuments latina from every nge.Founded in 980, Ghent was successivelv one of the world's ma illcenters of grain trade and the weuviug indu try, Duriuc theeleventh century. the well insr indu 'h'Y brought the city an un-surpassed prosperity which ended in the fourteentb century withthe growtll of wool manufncturing in Euglaud. During the Hun-dred Years Wnr, Jncou ran .L rtevelde, friend and confidant ofErhral'rl II of Englnnd, 'ecured the ueutrulity of Flanders. thusinsuring a supply of wool to England. A a sinated a


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li,olJ a gainst the rule of Emperor Charles V. U11!il that time~xheJlt h~d been one of ~e leading cities in Europe and (luringtha~ period the- w:a_~thof. the Ghffilt Burghers wasequalled bytheir turbulent spm t of independeuee. WHh the outbreak ofthe f : , 1 i6">iOUS~l ' i fes in. the ~etherlands the fortunes of the city5u1fe led :1 decline. After 1(14 Ghent. formed part of the AllS -tr.mn Neth.erh\nc1s. In1814 it WlS incorporated in lhe Kingdomof ~e United l\TeiJl(!l'jallfls aULI after 1830 it became part ofBelgium..Ghent with ~lS population of 164~OOOs the second port of Bel-

b"U!ll. There rs perhaps no other town of its size in the worldwhich can boas. ! : .?f such a succession of towel 's and spires andturrets. _Gb.ellts~Jl(lu~i~ial CCll t .er h.as been developed primarilyut the outskirts of the C I t y , leaving 1 1 1 peace its beautiful monu-ments.The principal approach from the station to the city is the

KOl'l.'I'RLJK~C~ STEJ::N\I:EG. From here youcan visit the CIT~c\DELPAIUI, w h 1 1 ' : " 1 IS noted for its beautiful lawns and fiowerO"ardensa~d the MUSE~ OF,FINE ARTS, which although not comparable'~lth .the g.a~lerlesof Brllsse~s and Antwerp is still worth a visit,especially if you are fond of lihe old Dutch and Flemish masters.

The KOl ITER, or PLACE D .\ n: r. lX s . . is tjle market place which youreach soon after walking through the Kortrijksche 'Leenweg, theNEDERKOU'l'E. and the SCllOUW8un:O PuATS. On your way you maytake time out to admire the ABBEY OF Brtocns, which is now trans-formed into an i nte re stin g .d .n CRAOO LOG IO .A L.MUBJ i JUM) and theclassical ear1y 19th century construction of the LAW COURTS. TheS TATE UNIVERSITY of Ghent. founded in 1815 is not to o distant.Once there, you ate in the neighborhood of the fourteenth centuryBELFRY, or Belfort as it is called in Flemish. with its famouschimes, At the base of th e tower is the CLlYrH TOWER. TIle Bel-try has a cast iron steeple on the top of which is a gold dragonwhich, according to tradition. was brought from Constantinopleeither by the Varangians or by the Emperor Baldwin after theLatin conquest.Among the other important buildinzs is the C.\TITEDR..I.L OF ST.BAVON. Its interior, one of the most richly decorated of anychurch , contains the masterpiece of the Vall Eyek Brothers, "TheAdoration of the Lamb:' However, there were reports duringthe Will' tilat this famous altarpiece had been stolen by the Ger-mans. The TOWN IL\_[,Lwith its two-part facnde. om' in Gothicstyle dating froru 1518 and that facing the market in Renaissance

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tyle of 1595-1621. shown be vi it d for it b autiful llJterivl'.ti. here that the Pacification of h nt was signed.The mm n OF , T. AbcIJAEL, buill ill th first part of the uPY 11-teenth century contain. man well known painting inr-lud ingill 'ern .ifixion" by Van Dyck. The ATLEOF THE ('0 NT OFIj'u 'DRRs, Gravenste 11. dutinp from the 12th rel1llTl''y flw['how-ing you a magnificent example of a me I ieval fnrrr 5S. is One ofh 11' landmarks. TIns medi val fortress the stronghold ofthe early counts of Elanders wa. restored to the city after SI'IT-ina for nearly 100 years as n factory. ] n the eastern part of j hecity you can visit t he . CASTLE OF GERARD 'fIlE DEVlL (124f i ) and tbLittle and Great Beguinages. The GRE.AT]::0 I ~\GE is on ofthe mo t interesting institutions of Ghent j 0 1 ' i ( 1 ' 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 y e t ablishedin 1234 Ileal' the Binges crate it wa transfsrr d in ]874 to thesuburb 0 1 ' t. Amandsb j'0. Th Beguinage ccnstrtut s a littlet wn ill it.' If,surroun led by wall am] a moat fill I nt aim nu-merou small houses, eizhteen conv 1 1 t and a church .Althoueh a description of bent sounds like an enumerationof bnildinsr . the individual history and aspect of en h one giye.the city alegendary character which sets it apart from all others,

Apurt from its beautiful ighrs, Ghe~lt does net offer you an!special recreation uch as ran be found I? Antwerp and Br;u ( , 1 : "Whil in Ghent l' member that you are IIIone of Flanders r atcitiesv so if you happen to know a f w words f French d~n 'tshow them off] r unl s. Ie P 1'50n to whom ou are. peakingha asked YOIl to do o.

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LIEGE

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LIEGELrsna. cultural center f French-speaking Belgium, is the capitala f the province of the ,lI1ll' name. with a pupulution of 250,000.Lik IUO of UlE.' Ftemish lawns, Lii g ,often call d the .apitul of'Wal loni l l , has gone through l lLal lY struggles since the Middle ,c\.gt'sill onler to pres rve that libertv so U ill' u the Belgians,The city of Liege wu founded b,Yfl.t. Lambert, ishop of 1I1I1a"-trrcht. III the fourteenth c('ntl1l', it became the capital of theprince-bishnpric of Liege, wh ich for four hundred yenr retainedits independence of the Southern J' t herland . trife b tweent IH ~citizens of Liege and til pri Ill' bishop ..va" freqn nt through-out that period. During l lr e last century Liege was, 11l'l'OUIIUeUby a rinz of fort. AI1U the city play < l au important role in Doththe fir t aud the present 'Yul'ld 'fill' ,Lierre enjuys a rernarkabl loc it ion at th confluence of theMlEU:iE and the OURTHE, at the base of slate hills rising steeply onall sid .The broad tree-lined .treat. which run parallel with the Meuseenclo the. inner city. The 'HURCH ('IF T. .\ ~, 011 a . quare to

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he right of the Bo LE"AllO D AVROY da es back to the ixteenth~en~ll'y and is a fine ~xanJ'ple of ~ate ethic tyl. l.part 1 ' 1 ' illIt richly ornainen ed interior pecial attention should b e ziv n toth 'Iain d-gla windows.The 'A'rIllillRAL OF '"'T. PAUL is a thirteenth century buildinrrwith orne additions from the me nth een 111'y. 11 LAw COUR'l~(Pnlai de .rustic ) is one of the most noteworthv buildinss ofLiege. Erected In 152(l b y Bishop Eberhard de J~ ' Marck a~ thepnlaos of the prince-bishop, it is ranged around two eurtvards,The eighteenth century TOWN HALL and COR Ex EA..!. Gl~aloe

hot h in the same nci ghborhood, and not too far away from therL th e 'rrADEL P.HIK. This park which is laid out at a heigh ofmol' than 0 00 feet on the wall foundations of the former citad 1off l' a spleu lid view ov r th ity, ),Th . A . J : ' . ElIIBOURO ~lu r, honed in an eirrhteenth century pa-

tri :u~n 1'( ',Iden('e, th HUB E OF" 'r. B.HTHOLOl'tIEW. a romuuer queba ilica of th 11 hand 12th centuri and the :'uRTIU M EUilLwhich contains a coilectiun of Roman anti Frunki 11antiquities,are three uther buildings of int rest. .?'h~ beauty of IJege however, is not limited to its magnificentbuildings and monuments. Its picturesque quays on the river

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Meuse am] their bridz , . linkinz the left ba nk of the M u: e wit hth i land bound d bv thai river and it, tribu iH'" th e urthe, ~T,L.ULBEllT QU.\lU:, ~h '1'0 pi 0 011 han maul' t'h ir h I111P" us int. Iarl square in Venice, the l lRKET Pr.,\('E with it. PsnnoxFOUl\'rAIN, are favorite tourist centers which yon sh iuld u t 111i;,s,Liege offers yon he, arne variety of recreation a most otherbig cities, During the "inter months you rna. go to th con-certs for wh ich Lie_g is famous, while the um 1 1 1 1 . ' r mnnths an'e pecially suited for excursions to the lovely Vesdre, Ourthe, nrulAmbl VI? valleys. Furthermore, the magnificent health resort (If 'PA, with it luxuriou: 'asino, p , 1 ' 1 . . " and avenue j" nu t too Iarfrom Liege. Decerub l'an d Januar~- fire excellent months lOl' anexcur ion to ELSE "1I0R- where yon call practice rour fnvuritewinter sport.

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NORTH SEA. f...~ ,." ....... , . . . . . . . . .

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OSTEND TEND isBelzium's leading en ide re rt and the lara!", t t wu onthe Belgian coast. The city central po ition on Belz iuui' 41-mileNorth ea coast make it au easy starting poiu for visit to nchother well known beaehe II LJ. PA~~""E. BUNKENBF.R .E. and LEZOlITE. tend was a fishing village and a eaport loug before it becamea holiday resort. Fortified by the Prince of Oranze in 15 3, it wascaptured by the troop" of the Archduke Albert in 1604 after athree years siege. TlH' fuundatiom of Ostend n ~ it exist todaywere laid at the end of the Ia t century when the fortificurions werec1emoli rh d. Durinz he fir t World War 0 tend wa used b y theGerman u a ubmuriue ba e.Th touri t season ill 0 tend i" 1 ' IIIJuue t Septemb r. andalthough ili city ha mai Y picturesqu ight you had bettervi t nearby Bruges durin ti l winter months and 1'(,"(>1T(> you!'time off dW'illg the hot Augu: t dtlY fol' relaxnt iun at Ostend'sbeach. tHong the interesting buildings of the city mentionshould be made of the Goth ic CB1Tl!l HlIF :::;..,PETER .\:-,,) P .\UL. cou-

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ruining a chapel 11lHl mausoleum of QIIl'l'll Marie-Louise. firstqueen of' Belgfum, Th PLACE D_'unLE"' . with it 'iglneenth cen-lmy T WN H.-\LL wh r you will find a collection of painting. u ythe famous couteinporary Osten t ani t James Ensor. i al 0 worthyour time. owever, Ostentl i primarily a en'ide re ort. ItDTGUE. or PRO;)[EN.lHE, its CAS1NO, its bathing beach rm GllANDEPL.\GE are the cily~s reul centers of at truetion. O . tend offe1' nwid vari ty of recreation. The Casino is lenown for it festivalsand concerts of clu: sical wo),k with leading stars under the direc-tion of fnrnous conductors. Apllrt from this the Casino i knownIOl' it gnmiJlg rooms and dance hall .In th e afternoon th . idew :: ! 11 ;cafes on th e Promenade at tr a .tmost tourist 'at tention. A Clip of coffe 01' I Idish of ice cream iall you have to m-rlur. anti you can pend th afternoon watchinzthe pa:-s rs-h and observinz the millino crowds on the Leach.A. ev ning falls, a walk on the Promenade to view the sun . rtinzen th water will offer you a spectacle not S0011 to be fOl 'gotten~

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LUXEMBOURGI'he city of LCXJnIDOUllG gil e its name to the Grand- uchy~ l ,OOO iquar mil~, :30 , O o u inhabitants) of which it is th e cupitulnud by far flu' large t town. With its three s.lIbtlr~~ of (J-RUN~,('LAn EN and PFAFFENTEU.L it numbers 60.000 inhubitunts. It 15Ithe res-idence of the suvereian [Grnnd-Duches Charlotte}, thesent of gon'll'nmcnt. a lH I o f 11 ROl11 lw Catholic Bishop. French isthe 0 fficlal 1an rruag'l' but Germ an i. abo 1Iui n"1";:;i\i.' underst ond.n , .,The people however. commonly speak " l l l e - Luxcuibuurg tonguen Franki h dialect.The nauie Luxembourtr, formerly Liiterlbvr, u cleriYell from aFranki 11 word signifying 'Little Outpost" and recalls the giftbv 'hurle Martel f. fragment of the Ierovinginn Empire to tit~-\bbey f 't. Maximin at Trier. III H63. the "little outpo t" 'H~ceded by rh monks to Siezfried, an Ardenne" noble who became(he first count of Luxembourg. He laid the foundutiuus of thefortress which his uccesscr- eluboruted.Among the most noteworthy of thf' ruauy . ieges whie.1I thefortress of Luxerubotu g endured were t hose of lU 4. when u fell

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to Louis XIV, King of trance. and of 1794---179;),when it l'~~i!oledfor eient months the Re.olutionilry Arrnie of Eranee, From1 13 to 1 67 when it wa eli nantled inaccordance wilh the trentvof L udon, the o1'i1'e wa regarded a all inland Gibraltul'. .Lux mboura was invaded b. the Germans ill August, 19H.and wa occupied until 22 ~oyel1lLel' 1918, when it wus entered b yAmericun 1 '00p. It WU'"agnin invaded iJ J GeL'ma l lY O Il 10 Ma.,.1940. and Iiberated again b~' United 'tute:. oldiers, 12 'ep1em\1'I ',

1944.The palatial A. n. B. E. D. B ILOING. built ill 1919-22 inRenair sance . tvle, is lucater] 011 the ~\.n:~UE DE LA LmE.RTE t Frei-h eitsstra: e). 'It hou ~ the head o ff ic e o f lhe .A.citirie. Rlhlllics dBouebach, Eich. udelunge (United 'teelwork .. of Burbach. Eichand Dudelang ), the large. t in lustrial COI1Cel'U in the Grand-Duchyund one of the Large l in Europe. Further all1l1!!. 011 the sumeside of the Ayenue is the head officeof the TATIONAL RAn~ 0,., BXNLt(Caisse d' ~pnrgue, 'pnrkuS5e) which. like that of the OUILLX['1>[E-L ~-ElUBOunO RAILWAY, 01 po ill'. i ill medieval . t) Ie. ~- xt yliUeross the AOOLPHE BRIDGE (Pox'r ADoLPHE), It wn (1 < :.ig ne d b v'jourlle, cnrrin!'e!' of the Fr neh Rtdlw:t, U I 1903. In - siuglearch of 2 U ft. it pall"; the ravine nf the erru"se. The BOULE\' \.RD

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DU VIAD c, on the northern In-ink of the ravine I ads n the rightto the PLAn; DELA 0.- 1,{,1TIO~ where u monument r ises in ]1011u1'01 the Luxembourg volunteers killed in World War . Itis re-ported to have been de troyed b y the Nuzj" in 1942. Here also ian entrance to th P E T R U ' : ; E C A EMA'TE . n series of shellproofunderground gun-elllplacem nts and nn cling galler'ie fir t eon-strucr d by the 'p,llliHrd~ in IGH and 1',-11'111 d by subsequent d -f rulers of: Luxembourg, namely, the French, 11. u-ians andPrussians. These underaround fortification" which were bln 'tedout of the rock have H total length of 12miles and greurer diversitythun the catacombs of Rome or Paris,A short treet 1)11 the left of the Place d la Constitution 1 ad onthe right-hand sid 0 a fU1 '111er.Iesuit coUeg founded in 1594. Ittill bOI] .e. the .A.nd:NEE or grand-d ucal .olleae and the .1 A'l'ION,\LLmRA.RY (Biblictheque Nutionala) o r 0,000 volumes, The formercollege chapel, next dour constructed in 1618. ha become t116ATHEDRl\L F NOTRE- A IE. !has an int r ting Renais: an 'portal, i ts altar at' Renaissance whil the rest 01 the int rior i

ill gothic style. To the left of the entrance is the cenot aph of Jo1mthe Blind. Count of Luxembourg and Kinz of Bohemia, who waski lled !l 'r llcy (] 346). Beyond Ie Cathe Irul are the GOu:n :N~[E :N ' l '

O FFIC E (HO tel du Gou\'ernement)., pposite, the RU E D1] F ,-~i(Grab n trasse ) lend into th .pa~lOll. PLAOE VILLA" . (Wll-helmsplats) named a ft l' the eque t rtan 1 '1at ue (by lUel 'c le of Lyon )of William TI, King of Holland and Grand-Duke or Luxembourg.This square i the cene of weekly markets ~WedJlesd!l:V andaturdny) and is Hauke I ou th south by the nllleteel1t~l-centtll'YTOWN lLu...L (HMel de Ville). A pa sazc on the north S Ide of thsquare link. it with the Plu(:~ d'Armes .~Waffenplntz, rena~l1ed b ythe Xazi invurlers Adolf Hitler Platz ). In the PLACE D RJlIEis the MUNICIPAL. PALACE, nj~ucalled' Cercle,' in French reuais-sane style. and oppo ite monument u y Ii' derspiel ill honor ofthe Luxemboura po 1 DiC-K ; lid Lentz. North? the Plac~(1 ' rme is the 'ltiJ.'W'R ' (Grosstra e). the shoppiug center ofthe t awn,On the left the Grandrue extends to the Parle luid out in 1872,enclosinz the cit v all the north and west and divid icr it from thre identinl ubu:'b uf LI il'ERTsnERG. Among its zlude and finflower-beds=-Luxembourg i known as 'city of r ,.,('~)-are thestudios of the Broadca tinz . ta t ion (Radio Luxemb urg) near IIIcenter the itatue of Priuce-se Amelie b y h. Petre of Nancy, andat the 'northern end the Pescatore F0l11111a t ion . an institut ion 0 1 '

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the aged. A beautiful terrace in front of the latter command a with t h E ' BOCK (BOlIC) , a rock")' "peninsula" formed by a bend in


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magnificent view of the uburb of Pfaffenthal which preservesfragments of barrack and other buildings rected by Vauban.The house in whi h G ethe rayed durin~ his vi it to Luxem~oul'ginOct bel' 1792, can be een from here. In the wood, just oppo-ite, are three old powder t Wet' called the T:nOIS GL_\l\TO, (Till'ef'C01'11 ).The Grand'rue end on the right at the :HA.R IlE-_\ID-HER.BES

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Pocket Guide To The Cities Of Belgium And Luxembourg

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Transcript of Pocket Guide To The Cities Of Belgium And Luxembourg