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Soumagne

Coordinates: 50°37′N 05°45′E / 50.617°N 5.750°E / 50.617; 5.750
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Soumagne
Soûmagne (Walloon)
Municipality
Location of Soumagne
Map
Soumagne is located in Belgium
Soumagne
Soumagne
Location in Belgium
Location of Soumagne in Liège province
Coordinates: 50°37′N 05°45′E / 50.617°N 5.750°E / 50.617; 5.750
Country Belgium
CommunityFrench Community
RegionWallonia
ProvinceLiège
ArrondissementLiège
Government
 • MayorBenjamin Houet (MR)
(SOUMAGNE DEMAIN)
 • Governing party/iesSOUMAGNE DEMAIN - ICI Soumagne - ECOLO +
Area
 • Total
27.19 km2 (10.50 sq mi)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total
16,888
 • Density620/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Postal codes
4630-4633
NIS code
62099
Area codes04
Websitewww.soumagne.be

Soumagne (French pronunciation: [sumaɲ], Walloon: Soûmagne) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Liège, Belgium.

On September 1, 2008, Soumagne had a total population of 15,894.[2] The total area is 27.14 km2 which gives a population density of 585 inhabitants per km2.

The municipality consists of the following districts: Ayeneux, Cerexhe-Heuseux, Évegnée-Tignée, Mélen, Micheroux, and Soumagne.

History

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From the end of the 19th century until the 1960s, Soumagne was a flourishing municipality with numerous coal mines and a large Cooperative factory. After the end of coal mining, the mines were cleaned and residences as well as shopping areas were built. Some buildings are kept and transformed into tourism activities (such as "le domaine du Bas-Bois").

During the German invasion of Belgium at the beginning of World War I, the Imperial German Army killed 118 civilians and burned 100 houses in the village as collective punishment for the Belgian Army’s resistance of the invasion from the nearby Fort de Fléron.[3]

Since 1980, the higher number of people leaving big cities (Liège and Verviers) for more rural municipalities, with the E40 motorway passing on its territory, Soumagne recovered from the loss of coal mining and the end of the Cooperative. In that period, houses are built due to a new, and young, population settling down in Soumagne. A lot of new shops and commercial centers opened and small companies are emerging.

Attractions

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There are a few touristic points in Soumange (among others):

  • the Evegnée fountain (natural fountain in a rural landscape)
  • Saint-Lambert church (built during the 13th century, burnt in 1694 and rebuilt)
  • "Domaine du Bas-Bois" (a former coal mine site)
  • Wégimont Castle (14th century construction changed through the centuries with a park transformed into a family amusement area)
Soumagne, church: église Saint Lambert

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Wettelijke Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2018". Statbel. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  2. ^ Direction Generale Institutions et Population, "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2009-04-19. Retrieved 2009-04-19.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ Hastings, Max (2013). Catastrophe 1914 : Europe goes to war (First American ed.). New York. ISBN 978-0-307-59705-2. OCLC 828893101.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
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