Top 15 Must-Visit Attractions in Verviers, Belgium

For hundreds of years up to the 1950s, Verviers was an internationally recognized name for high-quality fabrics such as woollen cloth.

The wealth generated by this industry is evident in the grand city hall, the Neoclassical mill complex housing the city’s textile museum, the Grand-Théâtre opera house, and the impressive collections at Verviers’ fine arts museum.

Additionally, Verviers holds the title of Walloon Capital of Water due to its numerous fountains and as the base for two regional water authorities.

This water connection originates from the Gileppe Dam, a remarkable feat of civil engineering constructed to support Verviers’ textile trade in the 1870s.

1. Centre Touristique Laine & Mode

The “Aqualaine” association operates two attractions in the city center, focusing on water “aqua” and wool “laine”. The Maison de l’Eau, located within the tourist office for the Pays du Vesdre, provides insights into Verviers’ fascinating relationship with water and details the construction of the nearby Gileppe Dam in the 19th century.

The Centre Touristique Laine & Mode, situated in the historic former Dethier-Bettonville spinning factory (1804), examines Verviers’ woollen cloth history from social, economic, and technological perspectives.

The permanent exhibition titled “From thread to fashion” offers a multisensory experience, recreating the sights, sounds, and smells of a mill during Verviers’ industrial peak.

A wealth of authentic machinery from that era is available for viewing, with informative explanations provided by an audioguide.

Moreover, the museum showcases various media emphasizing significant milestones in fashion history.

Every few years, a new immersive temporary exhibition is introduced, with “Terre en Vue” (Land Ho) focusing on the voyages that transformed the world, spanning from the Vikings to Columbus and Cook, until 2021.

2. Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Céramique

This 17th-century hospital, remodeled in 1912, houses a rich and diverse array of art and applied arts, much of which is connected to Verviers and its surroundings.

The museum’s collection has evolved from that of its founder, painter, historian, and collector Jean-Simon Renier, who in the 19th century gathered a wide variety of engravings dating back to the 1500s, alongside ceramics, sculptures, and paintings.

Verviers’ wealthy industrialists from the 19th and early 20th centuries presented invaluable collections of paintings (1600s-1900s), but the museum is particularly noted for its ceramics.

Among the most exciting and comprehensive collections in Belgium are Chinese porcelain, delftware, Raeren stoneware, as well as significant pieces from Brussels, Andenne, Strasbourg, and prominent manufactories in Germany and Austria.

A section is also reserved for modern and contemporary art and ceramics.

3. Hôtel de Ville

The Neoclassical Louis XVI-style city hall serves as a testament to the city’s prosperity in the latter half of the 18th century.

It dominates Place du Marché behind the “perron”, a monument symbolizing Verviers’ freedom within the Prince-Bishopric of Liège.

Completed in 1780, the Hôtel de Ville features nine bays with the middle three projecting outward and flanked by stairways.

Above the entrance is a beautifully curved pediment displaying Verviers’ coat of arms, accompanied by a frieze revealing the city’s motto, “Publicité Sauvegarde du Peuple”, established just after Belgian independence in 1830, highlighting the public nature of the Municipal Council’s sessions.

Crowning the building is a bell tower that chimes the city’s anthem, the Barcarolle de Verviers, every quarter-hour.

4. La Chocolaterie Darcis

A prominent name in Belgian confectionery, Jean-Philippe Darcis, a patissier and chocolatier born in Verviers, has achieved notable recognition.

Among his many accolades, he received the International Belgian Chocolate Prize in 2001, granting him the lifelong title of Ambassador of Belgian Chocolate.

Darcis boutiques can be found throughout Belgium and have expanded internationally to Japan and Spain.

At the brand headquarters in Verviers, visitors can explore a chocolate museum that begins deep within a Mayan temple before transporting them onto the deck of the caravel of Conquistador Hernán Cortés and into a bourgeois Empire-era French salon.

Guests can enjoy an early-20th-century chocolate shop, learn about the health benefits of chocolate, and conclude their visit with a look inside Darcis’ workshops to observe skilled chocolatiers at work.

5. Musée d’Archéologie et de Folklore

Located in an 18th-century townhouse on Rue des Raines, this museum features an intriguing mixture of delicate decorative arts from the 1700s and 1800s, objects relating to historical trades in Verviers, and captivating prehistoric, Roman, and Merovingian archaeological finds.

The property, dating back to around 1750, showcases a Louis XV style enriched with portraits and furniture, including exquisite ebony cabinets adorned with ivory, tortoiseshell, alabaster, and mother of pearl.

Additionally, the museum houses three pianos—two from the early 19th century in Empire style and one from 1892 that belonged to local composer Guillaume Lekeu, who passed away just a day after turning 24 years old.

Visitors can also view weapons from the 18th and 19th centuries, along with an extensive collection of lace produced in Verviers, complete with information about the various bobbin and needle techniques used.

6. Église Notre-Dame-des-Récollets

This church, constructed in the mid-17th century, was associated with a convent for the Franciscan Recollects order, which is how it received its name.

Built from limestone, featuring a single-aisled nave, the church has undergone numerous changes, notably the completion of the bell tower in 1892. At ground level, this created a space for a pilgrimage chapel to the Virgin Mary, which houses the church’s most renowned fixture.

The Notre-Dame des Récollets, a Marian statue carved in the 17th century, was initially set in a niche on the building’s facade. Following an earthquake that struck the Verviers area in 1692, the statue was deemed miraculous. According to tradition, the figure of Jesus held in her right arm adjusted its pose to face Mary with a smile, while she was believed to have lifted her left arm to clasp his right hand.

This event was interpreted by the residents of Verviers as a symbol of divine protection for the city, leading to numerous miracles attributed to the statue.

7. Domaine Provincial de Wégimont

Situated in a scenic location west of Verviers on the Herve Plateau, this leisure complex is located within parkland surrounding a 17th-century château.

The Domaine de Wégimont operates seasonally, open from early May to early September.

The main attractions include a series of swimming pools heated to 26°C, complemented by an arboretum, mini-golf, barbecue facilities, natural woodlands, a camping area, and a historic series of fish-rich ponds.

For a dose of culture, the château houses an art gallery dedicated to local Liège artists, open on Saturday and Sunday afternoons.

8. Parc de l’Harmonie

Founded by the Société Royale d’Harmonie in 1829, this area was acquired for their clubhouse, which was complemented by the establishment of a surrounding park.

This park features various trees, including horse chestnuts, with one becoming notable for its trunk circumference of over five meters, making it one of the largest in Wallonia.

Subsequently, an elegant octagonal bandstand, constructed in 1854, was introduced, designed in an Oriental style with slender, decorative iron columns.

Importantly, the park holds historical significance as the venue where the first Fête de Wallonie was celebrated in 1913, commemorating the Belgian Revolution of 1830—a celebration that now occurs annually across the Walloon region on the third Sunday of September.

9. Parc de Séroule

This park, located to the south of Verviers, encompasses the estate of a long-demolished castle.

Parc de Séroule offers ten hectares of rolling greenery, providing a peaceful escape close to the city center.

The landscape features grasslands, orchards, forests, a quaint brook, and a mosaic of ponds, with one area crossed by a newly renovated boardwalk.

During summer, check the calendar for the Journée Gonflable (inflatable day), which features bouncy castles and stalls offering traditional treats like chips and candyfloss.

10. Château de Franchimont

Within a mere 15 minutes from Verviers, visitors can discover the dramatic ruins of an 11th-century castle situated on a panoramic outcrop overlooking the Hoëgne Valley.

This castle served as a stronghold for the Principality of Liège during the 1000s and underwent modifications to meet evolving military requirements across the centuries.

The last upgrades prior to the castle becoming obsolete due to gunpowder warfare involved a low circle of artillery casemates constructed under Prince-Bishop Érard de La Marck in the 16th century.

Today, the Château de Franchimont stands as a captivating visitor attraction featuring an exhibition housed within an artillery tower and an illustrative audioguide detailing the site’s history.

Children can engage in an interactive treasure hunt for added fun.

11. Barrage de la Gileppe

The majority of Verviers’ drinking water is supplied by the reservoir created by this historic dam, which was completed in 1878 after a decade of construction.

Located in the heart of the Ardennes, the Barrage de la Gileppe was originally built to support Verviers’ wool industry and has set an international standard for masonry gravity dams directed at large-scale water supply.

The dam was elevated between 1967-71, and besides providing industrial and drinking water, it stands as one of the few sources of hydroelectric power in Belgium.

Visitors have several reasons to make the brief drive east to the dam, beginning with the 15 kilometers of pathways and a two-kilometer educational trail, all set within a wooded area.

A 77-meter panoramic tower also offers enchanting views over the dam, reservoir, and the Hertogenwald forest.

Furthermore, at its completion, the structure was crowned with a majestic stone lion, carved by Antoine-Félix Bouré, standing at 13.5 meters tall, weighing 300 tons, and constructed from more than 180 sandstone blocks.

12. Fort de Tancrémont

Verviers serves as an excellent base for exploring the Fortified Position of Liège, a defensive system constructed in two phases to protect Liège from potential attacks.

A ring of forts was established between 1888 and 1891 near the city, while Verviers lies on a subsequent external ring created after World War I.

Southwest of the city, Fort de Tancrémont, which was bypassed by the German advances in 1940, remains well-preserved. This installation features five predominantly subterranean combat blocks.

On a self-guided tour, visitors can spend one to two hours traversing underground passages that connect gun positions, observation posts, magazines, troop quarters, and a command post.

13. Fort de Battice

Just north of Verviers lies Fort de Battice, constructed throughout the 1930s as part of the broader defensive strategy on the eastern edge of the Herve Plateau.

Due to its proximity to the German advance, Fort de Battice was besieged for a duration of 12 days.

Ultimately, the defense capitulated on May 22, 1940, incurring losses of 34 men, mostly due to an aerial assault on Block B.I’s sally port on May 21.

Upon arrival at Fort de Battice, one can begin to appreciate the magnitude of this structure.

Featuring over four kilometers of underground galleries, it is designed with a pentagonal plan, surrounded by an anti-tank moat on four sides, while the fifth side faces a railway.

The fort was manned by a garrison of 750 soldiers, most of whom were taken to labor camps in Silesia following its capture.

Guided tours are available on the last Saturday of each month from March to November, showcasing various remnants of the fort, including an eclipse gun turret, an ammunition elevator, generator, and positions for anti-tank and machine guns.

Adjacent to Block B.I, a memorial stands in honor of the fallen Belgian soldiers.

14. Grand-Théâtre de Verviers

As of early 2020, this exuberant Louis XIV-style opera house had been closed for five years, awaiting a renovation that was still in the planning stages.

The Grand-Théâtre, which opened its doors in 1892, features a majestic Italian-style auditorium richly adorned with gold leaf and exquisite ceiling frescoes within a dome.

Except for breaks during the First and Second World Wars, it hosted uninterrupted opera seasons until it was compelled to diversify towards the end of the 20th century, eventually becoming part of Verviers’ Centre Culturel institution.

The building was deemed unsound in 2015 and is still in search of a new purpose.

Meanwhile, the contemporary Centre Culturel building on Boulevard de Gérardchamps has emerged as the city’s central hub for theater productions, classical music performances, dance, comedy, film screenings, discussions, and workshops.

15. FiestaCity

Every year, tens of thousands flock to Verviers on the last weekend of August to attend a free three-day music festival.

Rather than being hosted in a field, FiestaCity’s five stages are situated in the heart of the city and feature a diverse lineup of artists, including national and international stars, well-known classic acts, and emerging talent.

Some of the prominent names that have graced the festival over the past decade include 10CC, Jethro Tull, Canned Heat, and The Stranglers, combined with beloved Belgian and French artists like Les Innocents, Cali, Beverly Jo Scott, Michel Fugain, Alain Chamfort, and Kid Noize.