Wondertour #7 Flémalle → Liège
A Wondertour along the Meuse
This cycling route takes you from La Châtaigneraie in Flémalle (BE) to SPACE Collection in Liège (BE). The route takes you along the Meuse past an abundance of beautiful historic and contemporary architecture. There is a lot to see and visit along the way: museums, a botanical garden, an aquarium and other attractions. The distance is relatively short, with som much to see.
Tour highlights
Start: La Châtaigneraie (Flémalle), Google Maps
Set up in 1979, La Châtaigneraie occupies a small manor house (1830 - 1840) bordered by age-old chestnut trees. Exhibitions range from a retrospective of a historical nature to the most contemporary expression, passing through all the techniques. In this way, La Châtaigneraie confirms its purpose as a place for promoting artists as well as the wish to create a place for meetings and awareness. The Centre publishes historical works and monographs.
Maison des Terrils Google Maps
The Maison des Terrils (Steenbergenhuis) is housed in what was a former wash house from 1907 between the Terril du Gosson 1 and 2 slag heaps, the result of the coal mining of the same name. The place also focuses on the special fauna and flora that you can observe when climbing these man-made hills. A unique place where the industrial past is accompanied by biodiversity.
Liège - Guillemins Station Google Maps
Liège-Guillemins Station is the main railway station of the city of Liège. The station is at the end of several railway lines and one of the stops of the high-speed line between Brussels and Cologne. The station had to be upgraded to accommodate the requirements of the high-speed line. Following an international competition, the project of the well-known architect Santiago Calatrava was chosen as the final design. The station is made of steel, glass, white concrete, and Belgian blue stone, and has a monumental roof measuring160 m in length and 35 m in height. The grand opening of the station took place in 2009.
La Boverie Google Maps
La Boverie is housed in the Palace of Fine Arts of Liège. Designed for the 1905 World Fair, this building from 1905 was designed by the architects Charles Étienne Soubre and Jean-Laurent Hasse. It also includes a new modern wing designed by architect Rudy Ricciotti. It exhibits temporary exhibitions and its permanent collection with works of Gerard de Lairesse, Jean-Auguste-Dominique Ingres, Claude Monet, Adrien de Witte, Vincent van Gogh, Henri Evenepoel, Camille Pissarro, Paul Gauguin, and many others.
Grand Curtius Google Maps
The Grand Curtius, which was opened to the public in March 2009 after years of renovation, is located in the historic heart of Liège on the banks of the Meuse. The museum complex - set up around a building of the Mosan Renaissance, which was built in the late 16th - to early 17th century for Jean de Corte, aka Curtius, a wealthy dealer in arms and gunpowder - covers more than 5,000 m² and houses an exceptional collection of 7,000 years of history: weapons, glass, religious and Mosan art, decorative arts, and archaeology.
SPACE Collection Google Maps
Launched in 2002 by artist Alain De Clerck, SPACE Collection is building a network of European cities linked by a transborder collection of contemporary art. The works are acquired thanks to interactive sculptures. In Liège and Maastricht, the two first culture machines made the purchase of 122 works possible. Situated in the historical centre, the exhibition space takes place in an old apartment that has been repurposed as an experimental space. The art centre regularly hosts events, lectures, and shows.
