Liège

At the beginning of the 20th century, the world-famous author Georges Simenon was born in the city of Liege. But Liège is not only the birthplace of the world-famous man of letters, the city at the confluence of the Meuse and Ourthe rivers is also considered the origin of many of Belgium's culinary highlights. Liège boulettes with Lapin sauce, Liège waffles - and, according to some historical documents, even the popular French fries - are all originally culinary creations of the Liège area. Already under the Romans, the settlement Leodicum existed on the site of today's Liège. In the meantime, Liège has become a modern city, home to almost 200,000 inhabitants. The second largest city in Wallonia after Charleroi, Liège is considered the major Belgian city closest to the border with Germany. Liège is also known by the nickname Cité ardente - which means "fiery city." Belgium's culinary hotspot is also an important cultural center of the Western European country: in addition to the University of Liège, the Opéra Royal de Wallonie and the art museums La Boverie and Grand Curtius are located here. Among the notable sacral buildings of the city are the Gothic cathedral Saint-Paul, the Romanesque church Saint-Barthélemy and the Gothic basilica Saint-Martin. A magnet for tourists is the huge staircase Montagne de Bueren, which leads to the historic citadel of the city.