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Seraing (; ) is a
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
and
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
of
Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...
located in the province of Liège,
Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. The municipality consists of the following districts:
Boncelles Boncelles (; ) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Seraing, located in the province of Liège, Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland re ...
,
Jemeppe-sur-Meuse Jemeppe-sur-Meuse (, literally ''Jemeppe on Meuse''; ) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Seraing, located in the province of Liège, Belgium. It was a separate municipality before the merging of municipalities in 1977. ...
,
Ougrée Ougrée (; ) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Seraing, located in the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. It was a separate municipality before the merging of municipalities in 1977. Olympic swimmers Béatric ...
, and Seraing. With
Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
,
Herstal Herstal (; ), formerly known as Heristal, or Héristal (), is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city of Wallonia located in the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. It lies along the Meuse river. Herst ...
, Saint-Nicolas,
Ans Ans or ANS or ''variation'', may refer to: Places * Ans, Belgium, a municipality in Belgium * Ans, Denmark, a village in Denmark * Angus, Scotland, UK; a council area by its Chapman code * Ainsdale railway station, England, UK (by station cod ...
, and
Flémalle Flémalle (; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia within the Liège Province in Belgium. As of 2024, it has a population of 27,002,https://view.officeapps.live.com/op/view.aspx?src=https%3A%2F%2Fstatbel.fgov.be%2Fsites%2Fd ...
, it forms the greater Liège
agglomeration Agglomeration may refer to: * Urban agglomeration, in standard English * Megalopolis, in Chinese English, as defined in China's ''Standard for basic terminology of urban planning'' (GB/T 50280—98). Also known as "city cluster". * Economies of agg ...
(600,000 inhabitants). To the south of Seraing are the
Condroz The Condroz () is a natural region in Wallonia, the French-speaking part of Belgium, located between the Ardennes and the Meuse. Its unofficial capital is Ciney. The region preserves the name of the Condrusi, a Germanic tribe which inhabited ...
and the
Ardennes The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France. Geological ...
regions. In addition to its steel factories, Seraing is home to the
crystal A crystal or crystalline solid is a solid material whose constituents (such as atoms, molecules, or ions) are arranged in a highly ordered microscopic structure, forming a crystal lattice that extends in all directions. In addition, macros ...
manufacture
Val Saint Lambert Val Saint Lambert is a Belgian crystal glassware manufacturer, founded in 1826 and based in Seraing. It has the royal warrant of King Albert II. Pre-history – Vonêche glassworks In 1795 during the War of the First Coalition which brought ...
, which has been operating on the site of an old
Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...
abbey since 1826. The site of the
Arcelor Arcelor S.A. was the world's largest steel producer in terms of turnover and the second largest in terms of steel output, with a turnover of €30.2 billion and shipments of 45 million metric tons of steel in 2004. The company was created in 2002 ...
steel company, previously known as
Cockerill-Sambre Cockerill-Sambre was a group of Belgian steel manufacturers headquartered in Seraing, on the river Meuse, and in Charleroi, on the river Sambre. The Cockerill-Sambre group was formed in 1981 by the merger of two Belgian steel groups – SA Cocke ...
, is the former summer residence for the
Prince-Bishopric of Liège The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was situated for the most part in present-day Belgium. It was an Imperial Estate, so the bishop of Liège, as ...
.


History


Antiquity and Middle Ages

Several skeletons, potshards, weapons, and jewels were discovered here, dating from the 5th and 6th century, attesting to Seraing being inhabited in
Frankish Frankish may refer to: * Franks, a Germanic tribe and their culture ** Frankish language or its modern descendants, Franconian languages, a group of Low Germanic languages also commonly referred to as "Frankish" varieties * Francia, a post-Roman ...
times. The first mention of ''Saran'' dates from 956, when a
Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty ( ; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charles Martel and his grandson Charlemagne, descendants of the Arnulfing and Pippinid c ...
farming domain extending on both sides of the river
Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...
and owned by someone named Saran was donated to the abbey of
Sint-Truiden Sint-Truiden (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality located in the Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium. With more than 41,500 inhabitants, it is on ...
. The whole territory soon passed to the
Prince-Bishopric of Liège The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was a Roman Catholic ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was situated for the most part in present-day Belgium. It was an Imperial Estate, so the bishop of Liège, as ...
. In the 11th century, Prince-Bishop Henri I of Verdun used a house in ''Seranus'' to entertain guests. Throughout the
Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...
, the inhabitants of Seraing owed allegiance to
Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...
, pledging to defend the fluvial approach to the city in case of invasion, in exchange for tax exonerations. The first wooden bridge across the river, which replaced the ferry, was built in 1381.


Industrial development

The name of the town changed several times throughout its history, with the current spelling only being set in the 18th century. At around that time, various factors combined to attract industrial investors to Seraing: the advent of the
Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution, sometimes divided into the First Industrial Revolution and Second Industrial Revolution, was a transitional period of the global economy toward more widespread, efficient and stable manufacturing processes, succee ...
, the proximity of the river
Meuse The Meuse or Maas is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...
, and the discovery of coal at Ougrée. The first ironworks were founded there in 1809. John Cockerill and his brother
James James may refer to: People * James (given name) * James (surname) * James (musician), aka Faruq Mahfuz Anam James, (born 1964), Bollywood musician * James, brother of Jesus * King James (disambiguation), various kings named James * Prince Ja ...
revolutionized the steel industry by using
blast furnace A blast furnace is a type of metallurgical furnace used for smelting to produce industrial metals, generally pig iron, but also others such as lead or copper. ''Blast'' refers to the combustion air being supplied above atmospheric pressure. In a ...
s and coke instead of traditional
charcoal Charcoal is a lightweight black carbon residue produced by strongly heating wood (or other animal and plant materials) in minimal oxygen to remove all water and volatile constituents. In the traditional version of this pyrolysis process, ca ...
. These inventions would be the basis for his new company, John Cockerill & Cie established in Seraing in 1817. Over the next decades, many more metallurgical plants and foundries were built in this area, which became an integral part of Wallonia's industrial backbone, the
sillon industriel The ''Sillon industriel'' (, "industrial furrow") is the former industrial backbone of Belgium. It runs across the region of Wallonia, passing from Dour, the region of Borinage, in the west, to Verviers in the east, passing along the way throug ...
. Glassworkers found the proximity of a cheap source of coal attractive. The
Val Saint Lambert Val Saint Lambert is a Belgian crystal glassware manufacturer, founded in 1826 and based in Seraing. It has the royal warrant of King Albert II. Pre-history – Vonêche glassworks In 1795 during the War of the First Coalition which brought ...
started its operations in 1826. Seraing was the first location in Belgium where
the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, informally known as the LDS Church or Mormon Church, is a Nontrinitarianism, nontrinitarian Restorationism, restorationist Christianity, Christian Christian denomination, denomination and the ...
built in Belgium. Work began on the building in 1927 and completed before the end of 1930.Jenson, Andrew. ''Encyclopedic History of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints''. (Salt Lake City: Deseret News Press, 1941) p. 269


Recent developments

In the
2012 Tour de France The 2012 Tour de France was the 99th edition of the Tour de France, one of cycling's Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours. It started in the Belgian city of Liège on 30 June and finished on the Champs-Élysées stage in the Tour de France, Champs ...
, Seraing acted as the finish of
Stage 1 Stage, stages, or staging may refer to: Arts and media Acting * Stage (theatre), a space for the performance of theatrical productions * Theatre, a branch of the performing arts, often referred to as "the stage" * ''The Stage'', a weekly Brit ...
.


Politics and administration


List of mayors

* 1977–1988: ( PS) * 1988–1993: (PS) * 1994–2000: Jacques Vandebosch (PS) * 2000–2005: Guy Mathot (PS) * 2005–2006: Jacques Vandebosch (PS) * 2006–2018: (PS) * 2018–2023: (PS) * 2023–present: (PS)


Sights

*The
Val Saint Lambert Val Saint Lambert is a Belgian crystal glassware manufacturer, founded in 1826 and based in Seraing. It has the royal warrant of King Albert II. Pre-history – Vonêche glassworks In 1795 during the War of the First Coalition which brought ...
site includes the old
Val-Saint-Lambert Abbey Val-Saint-Lambert Abbey ( French: ''Abbaye du Val-Saint-Lambert'') was a Cistercian abbey in the Prince-Bishopric of Liège. It is situated in the Walloon municipality of Seraing, on the right bank of the Meuse, in Belgium, about south-west of ...
and the crystal manufacture, where glass workers still blow, carve, and etch the world-famous pieces of art. The neighbouring castle houses a glass museum. *The Cockerill castle used to be the summer residence of the prince-bishops of Liège, then a hospital under
Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...
, a powder magazine, and the personal property of
William I of the Netherlands William I (Willem Frederik; 24 August 1772 – 12 December 1843) was King of the Netherlands and List of monarchs of Luxembourg, Grand Duke of Luxembourg from 1815 until his abdication in 1840. Born as the son of William V, Prince of Orange, ...
, who ceded it to the Cockerill family in 1817. *Besides the Cockerill castle, the historic centre of the city also includes the city hall and the main church, which harbours 12th-century
baptismal font A baptismal font is an Church architecture, ecclesiastical architectural element, which serves as a receptacle for baptismal water used for baptism, as a part of Christian initiation for both rites of Infant baptism, infant and Believer's bapti ...
s. *The forested region south of Seraing offers a multitude of strolls and hikes.


Folklore

*According to an old local legend, witches () abound in the Seraing area. The ''macrales'' have been resurrected in the year 2000 and are now a regular staple of the local folklore. *Like many other towns in
Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...
, Seraing has its own giant puppet: Li Rayeû d’class. *Seraing also counts a number of colourful associations, including a coopers’ brotherhood, whose goal is to revive the wineries of the Val Saint Lambert abbey, and the “Gay Boulet” brotherhood, whose mission is to popularize
Boulets à la Liégeoise The ''boulet à la liégeoise'' (; or more regionally called ''boulet sauce lapin'', ''boulet (sauce) chasseur'', or ''Boulets'') is a Belgian cuisine, Belgian dish made from balls of mixed minced pork and beef in a sauce containing Liège syrup. ...
, a local recipe.


Notable people

* John Cockerill,
British British may refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * British people, nationals or natives of the United Kingdom, British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies. * British national identity, the characteristics of British people and culture ...
entrepreneur Entrepreneurship is the creation or extraction of economic value in ways that generally entail beyond the minimal amount of risk (assumed by a traditional business), and potentially involving values besides simply economic ones. An entreprene ...
and founder of the
Cockerill-Sambre Cockerill-Sambre was a group of Belgian steel manufacturers headquartered in Seraing, on the river Meuse, and in Charleroi, on the river Sambre. The Cockerill-Sambre group was formed in 1981 by the merger of two Belgian steel groups – SA Cocke ...
steel company (1790–1840) *
Eugenio Barsanti Eugenio Barsanti (12 October 1821 – 19 April 1864), also named Nicolò, was an Italian engineer and Catholic priest who, together with Felice Matteucci, invented the first internal combustion engine in 1853. Their patent request was granted in ...
,
Italian Italian(s) may refer to: * Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries ** Italians, a Romance ethnic group related to or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom ** Italian language, a Romance languag ...
inventor of the
internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal comb ...
(1821–1864) *
Leo Anton Karl de Ball Leo Anton Karl de Ball (November 23, 1853 – December 12, 1916) was a Germany, German-Austrian astronomer. He is credited by the Minor Planet Center as "K. de Ball" for his (sole) asteroid discovery, but seems to be best known as Leo de Ball. ...
,
astronomer An astronomer is a scientist in the field of astronomy who focuses on a specific question or field outside the scope of Earth. Astronomers observe astronomical objects, such as stars, planets, natural satellite, moons, comets and galaxy, galax ...
(1853–1916) *
Julien Lahaut Julien-Victor Lahaut (6 September 1884 – 18 August 1950) was a Belgian politician and communism, communist activist who served as president of the Communist Party of Belgium from 1945 to 1950. An important figure during the German occupation o ...
,
communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...
(1884–1950) *
Louis-Clément Picalausa Louis-Clément Picalausa (17 April 1898 – 19 November 1969) was one of Belgium's first Scouts and a Scout novelist, chief scout of the Boy-Scouts van België until 1940. The landscape of the Belgian Ardennes inspired him in the writing of his ...
, Scout novelist (1898–1969) *, (1901–1922) *
André Renard André Renard (; 25 May 191120 July 1962) was a Belgian trade union leader who, in the aftermath of World War II, became an influential figure within the Walloon Movement. Born into a working-class family, Renard was as a metalworker in the L ...
(Secretary-General of the
General Federation of Belgian Labour The General Labour Federation of Belgium (, , FGTB; , , ABVV) is a socialist national trade union federation in Belgium. It was founded in 1945. It is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation and has a membership of 1.5 million ...
and leader of the 60-61 General Strike) (1911–1962) *
Christian Piot Christian Piot (born 4 October 1947) is a Belgian retired football goalkeeper who won the Belgian Golden Shoe in 1972 while at Standard Liège. He played 40 times and scored 1 goal for the Belgium national team between 1969 and 1977, starting ...
,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
(b. 1947) *
Jean-Pierre and Luc Dardenne Brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne (; born 21 April 1951) and Luc Dardenne (born 10 March 1954), collectively referred to as the Dardenne brothers, are a Belgian filmmaking duo. They write, produce, and direct their films together. Their work tend ...
,
filmmakers Filmmaking or film production is the process by which a motion picture is produced. Filmmaking involves a number of complex and discrete stages, beginning with an initial story, idea, or commission. Production then continues through screenwritin ...
(b. 1951 and 1954, resp.) *
Laurette Onkelinx Laurette A. J. Onkelinx (born 2 October 1958) is a Belgian politician from the Francophone Socialist Party. She was the Deputy Prime Minister – Minister of Social Affairs and Public Health in the Belgian federal government, i.e., the Di Rupo ...
,
politician A politician is a person who participates in Public policy, policy-making processes, usually holding an elective position in government. Politicians represent the people, make decisions, and influence the formulation of public policy. The roles ...
(b. 1958) *
Michel Preud'homme Michel Georges Jean Ghislain Preud'homme (born 24 January 1959) is a Belgian retired association football, footballer and Manager (association football), manager who played as a Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper. Currently, he is vic ...
,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
goalkeeper In many team sports that involve scoring goal (sport), goals, the goalkeeper (sometimes termed goaltender, netminder, GK, goalie, or keeper) is a designated player charged with directly preventing the opposing team from scoring by blocking or i ...
(b. 1959) *
Gilbert Bodart Gilbert Bodart (born 2 September 1962) is a Belgian football manager and former player. Playing career Bodart was born in Ougrée, Belgium. A goalkeeper, he played a long time with Standard Liège. Bodart also played 12 times with Belgium from 1 ...
, football
coach Coach may refer to: Guidance/instruction * Coach (sport), a director of Athletes' training and activities * Coaching, the practice of guiding an individual through a process ** Acting coach, a teacher who trains performers Transportation * Coac ...
(b. 1962) *
Marc Tarabella Marc Tarabella (born 11 March 1963) is a Belgian politician who has been serving as a Member of the European Parliament for the French Community of Belgium with the Parti Socialiste, part of the Socialist Group. In February 2023 he was charged ...
, politician (b. 1963) * Fabrizio Cassol,
saxophone The saxophone (often referred to colloquially as the sax) is a type of single-reed woodwind instrument with a conical body, usually made of brass. As with all single-reed instruments, sound is produced when a reed on a mouthpiece vibrates to p ...
and
aulochrome The aulochrome is a woodwind instrument invented by Belgian François Louis and first prototyped in 1999. It consists of two soprano saxophones that can be played either separately or together. The name comes from Greek ''aulos'' (name of the most ...
player (b. 1964) * Marc Laho, opera singer (b. 1965) *, politician (b. 1972) *
Michaël Goossens Michaël Goossens (born 30 November 1973) is a Belgian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. Club career Born in Ougrée, Seraing, Goossens started playing professionally with R.F.C. Seraing at the age of 16, then moved to ...
,
football Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
striker (b. 1973) *
Viktor Klonaridis Dorian Victor Klonaridis (, born 28 July 1992) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger or a second striker for Greek Super League club Lamia. Career AEK Athens Klonaridis emerged from the AEK Athens academy as a young prodig ...
, football player (b. 1992) *
John Wartique John Wartique (born 25 June 1990 in Seraing) is a racing driver from Belgium. He currently competes in the European Ferrari Challenge having previously raced in the GP3 Series The GP3 Series, or GP3 for short, was a single-seater motor raci ...
, racing driver (b. 1990)


International relations


Twin towns—Sister cities

Seraing is twinned with: *:
Douai Douai ( , , ; ; ; formerly spelled Douay or Doway in English) is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord département in northern France. It is a Subprefectures in France, sub-prefecture of the department. Located on the river Scarpe (rive ...
*:
Rimini Rimini ( , ; or ; ) is a city in the Emilia-Romagna region of Northern Italy. Sprawling along the Adriatic Sea, Rimini is situated at a strategically-important north-south passage along the coast at the southern tip of the Po Valley. It is ...
*: Châtel


See also

* Liège Science Park * The
Dardenne brothers Brothers Jean-Pierre Dardenne (; born 21 April 1951) and Luc Dardenne (born 10 March 1954), collectively referred to as the Dardenne brothers, are a Belgian filmmaking duo. They write, produce, and direct their films together. Their work tend ...
' films '' L'Enfant'' and ''
Deux jours, une nuit ''Two Days, One Night'' () is a 2014 drama film written and directed by the Dardenne brothers, starring Marion Cotillard and Fabrizio Rongione, with Christelle Cornil, Olivier Gourmet and Catherine Salée in supporting roles. The film is an int ...
''


References


External links

*
Postcards and old photographs of Seraing


{{Authority control Cities in Wallonia Sub-municipalities of Seraing Municipalities of Liège Province