Li ci qu’ a l’ coûr al montêye l’ årè co al valêye
He who has the courage to go upstairs Will still have the courage to come down
Compared to Liège’s thousand-year history, the Montagne de Bueren is still quite young. Completed in 1883, the stairs were built to enable soldiers stationed in the citadel to reach the city centre without having to pass through Rue Pierreuse. At the time, this street had a notorious reputation and was a temptation for the garrison soldiers! Following the construction of the stairs, soldiers were even forbidden from using the Pierreuse passage.
The name Bueren evokes the struggle against the Dukes of Burgundy’s rule over the Principality of Liège. Although the people of Liège were always defeated in their confrontations with the Burgundians, in 1468 they once again decided to break free from their stifling control. By late October, the situation had become dramatic: Duke Charles the Bold and his army had set up camp on the outskirts of Liège, and its inhabitants were awaiting their punishment. A small group of men known as the ‘600 Franchimontois’, led by Vincent de Bueren, attempted a night-time attack.
When the offensive failed, the Burgundian troops stormed the city. The duke’s punishment was terrible: Liège was pillaged and burned to the ground.
In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the memory of the 600 Franchimontois was frequently invoked. At a time when historical references were ubiquitous, this episode was considered glorious and worthy of remembrance. In 1905, Henry Carton de Wiard wrote a historical novel about this dramatic period. Titled La Cité ardente, a reference to the city’s destruction, it has since become one of Liège’s nicknames. This nickname is all the more appreciated because it also reflects the temperament of its inhabitants.