City library - Huy

In the second half of the 19th century, the need to open a public library was expressed .

It is important to redefine the primary objective to understand the mentality of the time. As Mr Preud'homme, chairman of the committee responsible for creating a library, said at the inauguration:

"The administrative committee of the People's Library of Huy, responsible for organizing a collection of books intended primarily to improve the moral sense and education of the working class of this city, has just completed its work ( ...) The establishment of a people's library is a debt that every municipal government owes to the needy classes . After all, is not the library a powerful addition to school education? (...) With the freedom and the progress and development of the industry , the initial, preparatory education of primary school is far from sufficient; workers must be able to acquire special knowledge . Workers must be able to acquire special knowledge, which they can obtain from the people's library."

The year 1914
The number of books increased so much , mainly thanks to donations from old Hut families , that the library's space became limited: in 1914 the library had to be moved to an outbuilding of the Matthieu estate in Vankeerberghenstraat (probably the house known as the governor's house).

By decision of the mayor, the library premises were moved from Vankeerberghenstraat to Apleitstraat in 1942.

In the 1950s, the municipal public library was not the only institution of its kind: other libraries, often specialized, welcomed readers and researchers. The Maison du Peuple had a library that focused on social and labor issues; in 1958 the museum had its own library and in 1965 the slaughterhouse opened one with hundreds of books . Those interested in religious matters could visit the library of the deanery opposite the rectory , which was accessed through a small door that can still be seen today on the rue des Cloîtres, next to the base of the old bridge that was built in 1942. Maas was found.

The work that followed the "Grande Percée" (a traffic project intended to improve traffic flow in the city center) eventually led to a search for a new home for the library : the move from the Athénée to the Quai d 'Arona in 1980 opened the way to a larger, more suitable accommodation in the Quadrilatère. The new library therefore moved into the rue des Augustins in July 1987.

Willem Vandenameele