# Prince-Bishops' Palace (Liège)

- **Country:** Belgium
- **Coordinates:** 50.646111, 5.573333
- **Location Text:** Liège

The Prince-Bishops' Palace is a historic landmark situated on Place Saint-Lambert in the centre of Liège, Belgium. Originally constructed around 1000 CE by Bishop Notger, the structure served as the residence for the Prince-Bishops of Liège and once faced the monumental Cathedral of St. Lambert. The building has a turbulent history, having been destroyed by fire in 1185 and again in 1505 following a sack by Burgundian forces. The current iteration of the palace was commissioned in 1526 by Bishop Érard de La Marck and completed by the end of the 16th century. While the main structure reflects its Renaissance origins, the principal southern facade was rebuilt in the Louis XIV-Regency style after a fire in 1734, with a matching west wing added in 1849 to accommodate provincial administration.

Architecturally, the palace is renowned for its magnificent courtyards. The great courtyard is surrounded by galleries featuring arcades supported by sixty massive yet elegant columns, each displaying extraordinary decorative variety. A second, more intimate courtyard exists within the interior but remains closed to the public except during special heritage events. In recent years, the site underwent a vast extension project to consolidate dispersed judicial institutions, which was completed in mid-2011. Today, the building no longer serves as a religious residence but functions as a vital civic hub, housing both the Provincial Palace, which serves as the government building for Liège Province, and the Palace of Justice of Liège.

![Photo of Prince-Bishops' Palace (Liège)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/8/8a/Prinsbisschoppelijk_paleisLuik2010-02-04.jpg)

**Source:** https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prince-Bishops'_Palace_(Liège) (Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)