Ourthe (, nl, Ourte, german: Urt) was a

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of the

French First Republic In the history of France, the First Republic (french: Première République), sometimes referred to in historiography as Revolutionary France, and officially the French Republic (french: République française), was founded on 21 September 1792 ...

and French First Empire in present-day Belgium and Germany. It was named after the river Ourthe (Oûte). Its territory corresponded more or less with that of the present-day Belgian province of

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

and a small adjacent region in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It was created on 1 October 1795, when the Austrian Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège were officially annexed by the French Republic. Before this annexation, the territory included in the department had lain partly in the

Bishopric of Liège In church governance, a diocese or bishopric is the ecclesiastical district under the jurisdiction of a bishop. History In the later organization of the Roman Empire, the increasingly subdivided provinces were administratively associate ...

, the Abbacy of

Stavelot Stavelot (; german: Stablo ; wa, Ståvleu) is a town and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Francorchamps and Stavelot. It is best known as the home of Sp ...

- Malmedy, the Duchies of Limburg and Luxembourg, and the County of Namur. After

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

was defeated in 1814, most of the department became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands as the province of

. The easternmost part ( Eupen, Malmedy, Sankt Vith, Kronenburg,

Schleiden Schleiden is a town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It lies in the Eifel hills, in the district of Euskirchen, and has 12,998 inhabitants as of 30 June 2017. Schleiden is connected by a tourist railway to Kall, on the Eifel Railway between Col ...

) became part of the Prussian

Rhine Province The Rhine Province (german: Rheinprovinz), also known as Rhenish Prussia () or synonymous with the Rhineland (), was the westernmost province of the Kingdom of Prussia and the Free State of Prussia, within the German Reich, from 1822 to 1946. It ...

; part of this (Eupen, Malmedy and Sankt Vith) was taken back into Liège province after the First World War, under the Treaty of Versailles.

Administration

The Chef-lieu of the department was

. The department was subdivided into the following three arrondissements and

cantons A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, t ...

: *

: Dalhem,

Fléron Fléron (; wa, Fléron) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Fléron had a total population of 16,088. The total area is which gives a population density of 1,172 inhabitants per km². F ...

, Glons, Herve,

Hollogne-aux-Pierres Hollogne-aux-Pierres ( wa, Hologne-ås-Pires) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Grâce-Hollogne, located in the province of Liège, Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the King ...

(4 cantons),

Louveigné Louveigné ( wa, Lovgné) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Sprimont, located in the province of Liège, Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country ...

, Seraing and Waremme. * Huy:

Avennes Avennes is a village and district of the municipality of Braives, located in the province of Liège in Wallonia, Belgium. Avennes was settled by the Franks The Franks ( la, Franci or ) were a group of Germanic peoples whose name was first ...

, Bodegnée, Ferrières,

Héron Héron (; wa, Héron) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. Geography Héron is located on the river Mehaigne. The municipality consists of the following districts: Couthuin, Héron, Lavoir, and Waret-l'� ...

, Huy, Landen and

Nandrin Nandrin () is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Nandrin had a total population of 5,539. The total area is 35.90 km² which gives a population density of 154 inhabitants per km². The ...

. * Malmedy: Aubel, Néau,

Kronenbourg Kronenbourg Brewery (french: Brasseries Kronenbourg, German: ''Kronenbourg Brauerei'', ) is a brewery founded in 1664 by Geronimus Hatt in the Free Imperial City of Straßburg, Holy Roman Empire (today Strasbourg, France). The name comes from the ...

, Limbourg, Malmedy,

Saint Vith St. Vith (german: Sankt Vith ; french: Saint-Vith ; lb, Sankt Väit ; wa, Sint-Vit) is a city and municipality of East Belgium located in the Walloon province of Liège. It was named after Saint Vitus. On January 1, 2006, St. Vith had a total ...

Spa A spa is a location where mineral-rich spring water (and sometimes seawater) is used to give medicinal baths. Spa towns or spa resorts (including hot springs resorts) typically offer various health treatments, which are also known as balneoth ...

, Verviers and Vielsalm.

Prefects

The Prefect was the highest state representative in the department.

Secretaries-General

The Secretary-General was the deputy to the Prefect.

Subprefects of Huy

Subprefects of Liège

The office of Subprefect of Liège was held by the Prefect until 1811.

Subprefects of Malmedy

References

{{Authority control Former departments of France in Belgium Former departments of France in Germany 1795 establishments in France History of Liège Province