City planning archives

Collection description

Collection

Country:: Belgium

Holding institution:: Archives of the City of Liège

Holding institution (official language):: Archives de la Ville de Liège

Postal address:: Rue de Velbruck 9, 4000 Liège

Phone number:: +32 4 221 66 55

Web address:: http://www.liege.be/culture/archives/le-service-des-archives

Email:: archives@liege.be

Reference number:: ArCity-Liege-Fonds Urbanisme

Title:: City planning archives

Title (official language):: Fonds Urbanisme

Creator/accumulator:: Ville de Liège; Stad Luik; City of Liège

Date(s):: 1879/2016

Date note:: Material continues to be added to this collection.

Extent:: 135,069 files

Scope and content:: In series 32.A1 (“administrative files”) of this fonds, specifically in the sub-series “building permits” (permis d’urbanisme), we find a file concerning the permit and building authorisation granted to the synagogue located in the rue de la Boverie (file number A 14 912). The file concerns the request for authorisation to build a synagogue in the rue de la Boverie in Liège, submitted by the board of administrators of the Jewish community of Liège on 23 June 1898. The earliest items date back to 1882, the most recent date from 1900. We mainly find correspondence exchanged between various provincial and municipal administrations, the police and the board of the Jewish community of Liège. We also note cost estimates for the furnishing of the synagogue, annotated plans, cross-sections and plans of the façade.

Administrative/biographical history:: The municipality is one of the levels of government with which citizens most often come into contact. Its tasks and competences were first established by the decree of 14 December 1789, and by the order of 19 Frimaire year IV [1795-96]. After Belgian independence, the legal framework was provided by the Gemeentewet of 1836 and later the ‘Nieuwe Gemeentewet’ (1988). Since 2002, the organic law regarding municipalities is a competence of the Regions. Until 1980, municipalities were supervised by the provincial and central authorities. Today, there is a division of powers between the federal and regional governments. A municipality is led by a mayor, who is also the head of the local police. He/she is assisted by a college of aldermen, selected from the municipal council. Currently, there are 589 municipalities in Belgium. Before the large-scale fusions in the 1970s – in other words, for a large part of Belgian history – there were 2359 municipalities. The municipality had/has, among others, competences regarding the management of its assets, institutions and staff; municipal revenue and expenditure; Civil Registry; health and safety in public places; urban planning and environment; public works; militia; education; elections etc. This is reflected in the sources held in municipal and city archives. Important general sources include the (sometimes published) minutes of meetings and records of the municipal council and college of aldermen (often indexed by subject). We also refer to all kinds of administrative reports and general correspondence. The series of sources of the Civil Registry (e.g. birth, marriage and death certificates, population registers, registers of arrival and departure) are crucial for historical research on individuals. Relevant for this guide are notably the alien registers (since 1933), and the alien files preserved in some larger cities. Of major importance are also the accounts, correspondence and other material regarding the recognised religions. They contain information on their operation, budgets, assets but also the appointment of ministers, donations to religious communities, various conflicts etc. Building permits and files regarding environmental permits contain information and usually blueprints of buildings. Lastly, in many municipal and city archives there are specific series of sources regarding policy during the First and Second World War. We mention e.g. the various anti-Jewish ordinances, documents regarding the spoliation of the Jews, the so-called Jodenregister (register of Jews), correspondence related to the implementation of the anti-Jewish policies etc. (J. Art & E. Vanhaute (ed.), Inleiding tot de lokale geschiedenis van de 19de en de 20ste eeuw, Gent, Mens & Cultuur, 2003; P. van den Eeckhout, “De gemeenten en de lokale openbare instellingen”, in P. van den Eeckhout & G. Vanthemsche (ed.), Bronnen voor de studie van het hedendaagse België 19e – 21e eeuw. Tweede herziene en uitgebreide uitgave, Brussel, Koninklijke Commissie voor Geschiedenis / Commission Royale d’Histoire, 2009, pp. 31-92.)

Access points: locations:: Liege

Subject terms:: Architectural drawings; Architecture; Jewish community; Synagogues

Access, restrictions:: Consultation requires the authorisation of the archivist of the city of Liège. Researchers are required to submit a request describing the subject of their research. The files can be consulted freely by the owner or future owner of the property in question.

Finding aids:: There is an unpublished list.

Yerusha Network member:: State Archives of Belgium

fullscreen: City planning archives

Collection

Downloads

Full record

Image fragment

Formats and links

Formats