Liège has been an important city since the early Middle Ages. It was the capital of the Principality (prince-bishopric) of Liège, which remained an independent state until the French Revolution. In the 19th century it became an early centre of industrialism. The central area of Liège presents itself as a rather interesting mix of a historic town centre (dotted with a few extremely brutalist buildings from the 1960s and 70s), a rather elegant new town with wide boulevards, tall apartment buildings (some Art Deco) and a few pretty parks. The outskirts of Liège consist mainly of large industrial complexes and working-class areas, sprawling over the hills that surround the city. http://wikitravel.org/en/Liege