Editing Verviers

{{Short description|Municipality in Liège Province, Belgium}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2019}}
{{confuse|text=[[Verbier]] in Switzerland}}
{{Infobox Belgium municipality
|name             = Verviers
|native_name      = {{native_name|wa|Vervî}}
|picture          = Verviers JPG02.jpg
|picture-width    = 250px
|picture-legend   = ''Palais de Justice'' (courthouse)
|map              = Verviers Liège Belgium Map.svg
|map-legend       = Location of Verviers in the [[Liège Province|province of Liège]]
|arms             = Héraldique Ville be Verviers.svg
|flag             = Verviers Belgium.svg
|region           = {{BE-REG-WAL}}
|community        = {{BE-FR}}
|province         = {{BE-PROV-LG}}
|arrondissement   = Verviers
|nis              = 63079
|pyramid-date     = 1 January 2006
|0–19             = 25.89
|20–64            = 56.99
|65               = 17.11
|foreigners       = 9.46
|foreigners-date  = 1 July 2005
|mayor            =	Muriel Targnion ([[Socialist Party (Belgium)|PS]])
|majority         = [[Socialist Party (Belgium)|PS]]-[[Reformist Movement|MR]]-Nouveau Verviers
|postal-codes     = 4800, 4801, 4802
|telephone-area   = 087
|web              = [http://www.verviers.be/ www.verviers.be]
|coordinates      = {{coord|50|35|N|05|51|E|region:BE|display=inline,title}}
}}

'''Verviers''' ({{IPA|fr|vɛʁvje|-|LL-Q150 (fra)-Manestra-Verviers.wav}}; {{langx|wa|Vervî}}) is a city and [[Municipalities in Belgium|municipality]] of [[Wallonia]] located in the [[Liège Province|province of Liège]], Belgium.

The municipality consists of the following districts: [[Ensival]], [[Heusy]], [[Lambermont, Wallonia|Lambermont]], [[Petit-Rechain]], [[Stembert]], and Verviers. It is also the center of an agglomeration that includes [[Dison]] and [[Pepinster]], making it the second biggest in the province and an important regional center, located roughly halfway between [[Liège]] and the [[Belgium–Germany border|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".<ref name=Belgium>{{cite web|url=http://www.belgium.be/fr/adresses_et_sites/communes/verviers.jsp|title=Verviers|date=8 January 2016}}</ref> The seats of the two Walloon public institutions for water distribution and water treatment are located in the town.<ref name=Belgium /><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wallonie.be/fr/evenements/verviers-capitale-de-leau|title=Verviers, capitale de l'eau – Portail de la Wallonie|website=wallonie.be}}</ref>

== History ==

=== Early history ===
Various flint and bone fragments, as well as [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] 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 I|Clovis]]'s [[Salian Franks]] 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]] kings, who maintained a [[Vicus (Rome)|vicus]] in neighbouring [[Theux]]. It was also slowly Christianized by the monks of the nearby Abbey of [[Stavelot]].

Late in the 10th century, [[Charles the Simple]] ceded the [[Marquisate of Franchimont]] to [[Notker of Liège]], one of Notker's final steps in consolidating the [[Prince-Bishopric of Liège]]. Liège took direct control of the [[marquisate]] in 1014, an act which was confirmed by emperor [[Frederick I, Holy Roman Emperor|Frederick Barbarossa]] and by [[Pope Adrian IV]] in 1155.

=== 15th century to the present ===
[[File:Vue de Verviers. Joseph Fussell (1818-1912).jpg|thumb|left|View of Verviers in the mid-19th century. Watercolor by Joseph Fussell.]]

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]] raging in the neighbouring [[Netherlands]]. The size of the town, however, remained relatively modest.  It was only in 1651 that the expansion of the [[fulling|fulleries]] led to Verviers being recognized as one of the [[Prince-Bishopric of Liège|prince-bishopric]]'s ''bonnes villes'' (main cities).

The end of the 18th century was troubled by the [[French Revolution]]. 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]] (1815). Verviers was at the eastern end of the [[sillon industriel]], the industrial backbone of Wallonia. Although the Napoleonic wars brought economic uncertainty, the textile industry continued to grow throughout this period. Industrialist [[William Cockerill]] brought his knowledge of the machines already in British industry and introduced mechanization to the factories of [[Iwan Simonis]] starting a new era in the Verviers textile industry.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Gutmann |first=Myron P. |title=Toward the Modern Economy: Early Industry in Europe, 1500-1800 |publisher=[[Alfred A. Knopf, Inc.]] |year=1988 |isbn=0-394-34312-3 |edition=1st |location=New York |pages=194–206}}</ref> Thereafter, roads were paved, gas lighting was installed, and the city doubled in size thanks to the [[Industrial Revolution]]. After [[World War I]], Verviers could share with [[Bradford]] the title of "Wool Capital of the World".

[[File:111-adc-2448.webm|thumb|Film of US First Army headquarters with [[George Patton]] on 3 November 1944 in Verviers]]

== 2021 floods ==
On the night of 14-15 July, the Vesdre burst its banks and caused massive water damage. There was an exceptionally heavy rainfall that night and the dam of the reservoir at Eupen was opened. The human and material damage was incalculable. People spoke of greater damage than during World War II.{{Citation needed|date=September 2024}}

== 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 architecture|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 [[Gothic Revival architecture|Neogothic]] style.
*The city has a number of interesting fountains and thematic strolling paths.

== Notable people ==
*[[Jean-Jacques Andrien]], film maker (1944)
*[[Bertrand Baguette]], racing driver (born 1986)
*[[Christian Beck (poet)|Christian Beck]], writer and poet (1879–1916)
*[[André Blavier]], poet and critic (1922–2001)
*[[William Cockerill]], industrialist, settled in Verviers in 1799
*[[Mathieu Crickboom]], violinist (1871–1947)
*[[Pierre David (mayor)|Pierre David]], twice mayor of Verviers (1771-1839)
*[[Pierre De Meyts]] (b. 1944), physician and biochemist 
*[[Brandon Deville]], football player (born 1993)
*[[Jacques Drèze]], economist (1929-2022)
*[[Marc Duez]], racing driver (born 1957)
*[[Albert Dupuis]], composer (1877–1967)
*[[Emile Fabry]] (1865–1966), artist and painter.
*[[Philippe Gilbert]], road racing cyclist (born 1982)
*[[Green Montana]], rapper (born 1993)
*[[René Hausman]], [[comic strip]] scenarist (1936-2016)
*[[Jean Haust]], linguist and philologist (1868–1946)
*[[Max Houben]], athlete (1898–1949)
*[[Steve Houben]], jazz saxophonist and flutist (born 1950)
*[[Insoumise et dévoilée|Karima]], writer (born 1976)
*[[Jean-Marie Klinkenberg]], [[linguistics|linguist]] (born 1944)
*[[Marc Lacroix (biochemist)|Marc Lacroix]], breast cancer researcher (born 1963)
*[[Guillaume Lekeu]], composer (1870–1894)
*[[Roger Leloup]], [[comic strip]] scenarist (born 1933)
*[[Raymond Macherot]], [[cartoonist]] (1924–2008)
*[[Maurane]], [[music|singer]] (1960–2018)
*[[Philippe Maystadt]], politician (1948-2017)
*[[Dominique Monami]], tennis player (born 1973)
*[[David Murgia]], actor (born 1988)
*[[Nornagest]], musician and writer (born 1977)
*[[Henri Pirenne]], historian (1862–1935)
*[[Maurice Henri Léonard Pirenne]], vision scientist  (1912-1978)
*[[Pierre Rapsat]], [[music|singer]] (1948–2002)
*[[Eliane Reyes]], pianist (born 1977)
*[[Georges Ruggiu]], [[Radio Télévision Libre des Mille Collines|radio presenter]] during the 1994 [[Rwandan genocide]] (born 1957)
*[[Albert Sambi Lokonga]], footballer (born 1999)
*[[Lucy Sante]], 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]], [[Formula One]] driver (born 1961)
*[[Henri Vieuxtemps]], composer and virtuoso violinist (1820–1881)
*[[Violetta Villas]], singer (1938–2011)
*[[Charles Weerts]], racing driver (born 2001)
*[[Yvan Ylieff]], politician (born 1941)

== Education ==
=== Tertiary education===
Tertiary educational institutions include:<ref>"[http://www.verviers.be/vivre-a-verviers/enseignement/ecoles-superieures Ecoles supérieures ]." Verviers. Retrieved 9 July 2017.</ref>
* 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:<ref>"[http://www.verviers.be/vivre-a-verviers/enseignement/ecoles-secondaires Ecoles secondaires ]." Verviers. Retrieved 9 July 2017.</ref>
* Athénée royal Thil Lorrain Verviers 1
* Athénée royal Verdi
* [[Centre scolaire Saint-François-Xavier]]
* 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

== Demographics ==
Verviers has a significant Muslim population, with the proportion estimated to be approximately 25% as of 2020. Much of Verviers' Muslim community is impoverished, and suffers from resentment, causing those disillusioned to become attracted to [[Islamic extremism]] as seen notably during the [[2015 Verviers police raid]] on Islamists.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-07-10 |title=Deaths in Verviers |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/deaths-in-verviers/ |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=2015-01-18 |title=Belgian radical Islamists on margins among hometown Muslims |language=en |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/idIN149300276120150118 |access-date=2023-07-04}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Traynor |first=Ian |date=2015-01-16 |title=The Belgian connections to Islamic radicalism |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/jan/16/belgium-connections-extremism-verviers |access-date=2023-07-04 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

The migrant communities also suffer from significant unemployment, and are of mainly [[Turks in Belgium|Turkish]] and [[Moroccans in Belgium|Moroccan]] origin. Verviers also has Kurdish, Congolese, Chechen, Somali and Sub-Saharan African communities.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Quiet Belgian town shocked by Islamist battle |language=en |work=Bangkok Post |url=https://www.bangkokpost.com/world/457363/quiet-belgian-town-shocked-by-islamist-battle |access-date=2023-07-03}}</ref> Like its sister city of [[Roubaix]] in France, and [[Bradford]] in Britain, with similarly high Muslim populations, migrants from Africa and Asia moved in the 1960s to Verviers to work in industrial mills, and has suffered from subsequent poverty after its manufacturing was outsourced overseas.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Conroy |first=Erin |date=2015-01-25 |title=Social exclusion leaves Belgium ripe for extremism |url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/world/social-exclusion-leaves-belgium-ripe-for-extremism-1.118404 |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=The National |language=en}}</ref> Many migrants live in the Hodimont section of the town, where there are several Turkish restaurants, African shops, halal butcheries, and mosques.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2015-07-10 |title=Deaths in Verviers |url=https://www.politico.eu/article/deaths-in-verviers/ |access-date=2023-07-04 |website=POLITICO |language=en}}</ref>

{| class="wikitable sortable mw-collapsible"
! rowspan="3" |Group of origin
! colspan="2" |Year
|-
! colspan="2" |2023<ref>{{Cite web |title=Origin {{!}} Statbel |url=https://statbel.fgov.be/en/themes/population/structure-population/origin#figures |access-date=2023-07-03 |website=statbel.fgov.be}}</ref>
|-
!Number
!%
|-
!Belgians with Belgian background
|'''30,135'''
!54.64%
|-
!Belgians with foreign background
|'''18,286'''
!'''33.15%'''
|-
|Neighboring country
|1,430
|2.59%
|-
|EU27 (excluding neighboring country)
|3,602
|6.53%
|-
|Outside EU 27
|13,254
|24.03%
|-
!Non-Belgians
|'''6,735'''
!12.21%
|-
|Neighboring country
|570
|1.03%
|-
|EU27 (excluding neighboring country)
|1,694
|3.07%
|-
|Outside EU 27
|4,471
|8.11%
|-
|
|
|
|-
!Total
|'''55,156'''
!100%
|}

== Twin cities ==
*{{FRA}}: [[Arles]]
*{{GER}}: [[Mönchengladbach]]
*{{FRA}}: [[Roubaix]]
*{{UK}}: [[Bradford]]
*{{FRA}}: [[La Motte-Chalancon]]

== Gallery ==
<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''
</gallery>

== See also ==
* [[List of protected heritage sites in Verviers]]
* [[2015 anti-terrorism operations in Belgium]]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== External links ==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.verviers.be/ Official web site] (in French)
*[http://fr-fr.facebook.com/pages/Best-of-Verviers/190601164301766  Alternative Facebook site] (in French)
* {{cite EB9 |wstitle = Verviers |volume= XXIV  | page=188 |short=1 }}

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Verviers
|N  = [[Dison]]
|E  = [[Limbourg]]
|SE = [[Jalhay]]
|S  = [[Theux]]
|W  = [[Pepinster]]
|NW = [[Herve]]
}}
{{Municipalities in Liège}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Verviers| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Wallonia]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Liège Province]]