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Liège metro station, located on line 13 of the Paris Metro, is one of the smaller metro stations in the city, but it stands apart for its beautiful tiled murals on its walls. The station, which was originally called Berlin after Rue Berlin above ground, was renamed in the wake of World War 1. With a new name, it was redecorated with landscape murals to honour the soldiers who defended France in the critical Battle of Liège, as well as the Belgian city and province of Liège.

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History Of Liège Metro Station

The station was first opened as Berlin on the 26th February, 1911 as part of line 13. It was built with an unusual split design. Because of the narrow Rue Amsterdam running above, the stations were offset into separate single direction platforms. It is one of only two metro stations laid out like this, with the other being Commerce. For just 3 years it operated as Berlin, before closing in August of 1914 at the beginning of WW1. A few months later in December, with a completely different political landscape in Europe, it reopened with its new name of Liège. The Belgian armies at Liège proved to be critical in delaying the German advance into France, giving the French and English armies precious time to regroup.

It closed again at the onset of WW2, like much of the Paris metro. For decades it remained closed, considered one of Paris’ ‘Ghost stations’ that sat abandoned. It was not reopened until decades later, finally accepting passengers in 1968 with limited opening hours. Only in 2006 did Liège become fully open like the rest of the Paris metro.

Artwork Of Liège Metro Station

To honour the place and the name of Liège, the station was outfitted with tiled murals in 1982. The ceramic designs were created in the Belgian city of Welkenraedt, and depict landscapes and sights from the Liège province, and the coat of arms of Liège. The artists are both from Liège. Marie-Claire Van Vuchelen created the 9 tileworks for the southern direction, and Daniel Hicter the 9 for the northern direction. Van Vuchelen’s artworks are painted in white and blue, and Hichter’s works are painted in colour.

Places Depicted In Liège Metro Station

• The village of Coo in the Amblève valley, known for its waterfalls.
• The High Fens nature reserve in the snow.
• A view of the La Gileppe dam.
• The Note Dame of Momalle, an example of Romanesque architecture.
• The fort village of Limbourg, often considered one of the most beautiful villages in the country.
• The 16th century chateau Jehay-Bodegnée.
• The renowned motorsport racetrack of Spa-Francorchamps.
• Chokier-sur-Meuse, a hilltop castle with views of the river Meuse.
• The Palace of the Prince-Bishops.
• Views of the countryside at Hoyoux valley in Modave.
• Vesdre river valley, located in Nessonvaux.
• The 1574 Château de Wégimont castle.
• Perron of Liège, a column monument in the city.
• Verviers town hall.
• A landscape of the town of Huy, depicting the bridge and citadel.
• Liège Curtius house.
• Chateau de Colonster, a 14th entury castle in the Ourthe Valley.
• Visé town hall.

Using Liège Metro Station

Liége serves line 13 (light blue) of the Paris metro, and is located between Place de Clichy and Saint-Lazare. It is located between the 8th and 9th arrondissements. The opening hours for Liège metro are the same as the rest of the network – open from 5:30am to 1:15am (2:15am for Friday and Saturday evenings, and the night before public holidays). There are no unique opening or closing times for Liège metro station.

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One of Paris’ smallest metro stations, Liège, is also one of its most underrated. With relatively low passengers passing through every day, Liège metro is a nice place to admire some of the artwork which is available for all to see on its walls.