Discover the rich history of Verviers, the town on the Vesder. Verviers is little known in Flanders, and that's a shame because the former industrial city is now a fascinating destination.

Text and photo Guido Elias

Verviers is primarily known for its industrial past, but in recent years the city has been undergoing significant renovations and the results of this revitalization are impressive. Verviers is located in a valley and is surrounded by sometimes steep terraces. The large presence of water is characteristic of the city: the Vesder river, of course, but in the city center, you will also find many fountains. You can follow them for a short city walk (4 km). Our walk is a bit longer at 8.3 km and takes you past the remnants of the once-thriving textile industry that brought great prosperity in the past. Come by train or park at the (payable) parking lot of the train station. 500 meters further begins our walk at the tourism office of Le Pays de Vesdre.

The Route

Meet at the tourism office of Le Pays de Vesdre on Rue Jules Cerexhe. When you leave the office, turn right towards Pont Léopold. Immediately cross the bridge, then turn left and right into the climbing Rue de la Station until the next roundabout. There you will find the chocolate museum. Cross the roundabout and follow Rue Aux Laines to the roundabout at Verviers-Central. Follow Rue de la Concorde and then turn right at X into the pedestrian and shopping area of Rue du Brou. Then left to Pont Saint-Laurent and to Place du Martyr. At the roundabout, take the third exit, Rue du Gymnase. After 300 m, turn right into Rue Masson and then right into Rue du Collège and left to the notable Pont aux Lions. Go straight ahead into Rue des Martyrs, left into Rue de la Banque (railway) and left into Rue Laoureux. At the end, turn right over Crapaurue and at the town hall, left over Mont du Moulin; straight through the roundabout into Rue Renier and then continue right through Rue des Alliés. Walk a piece and then right over Rue de la Paroisse to the square with the beautiful Sint-Remacluskirche. Turn right into Rue Saint-Remacle, then into Rue Saint-Anne and from there left to Rue de Limbourg/N61 (among others towards Eupen), out of the center. After a while, turn left into Rue de l’Epargne (arrow center). Over the bridge of the Vesder and then left take Rue Marie-Henriette and quickly right into Rue Raymond. Continue straight ahead over a path along the Vesder until you reach Rue Renier, but continue straight on the path for about 650 m. Finally, leave the Vesder, turn right and climb to Rue du Paradis, which you follow to the left until it goes right into Rue Haute. At the T, left over Rue Fonds de Loup and Rue des Fabriques to the Escaliers du Mont-Cenis, where you take the stairs on the left. At the top, go right along Rue de l’Enseignement, right into Rue des Prairies, and further along Rue Fyon briefly left into Rue de la Montagne and immediately right into Rue Spintay and along Rue de Hodimont until a larger roundabout, where it goes left into Rue de la Chapelle. After 200 m, turn left into Rue de la Régence (nearby you can visit the wool tourism center) and as soon as you arrive back down at the Vesder, you reach the starting point again.