Tour aux Moxhons

The Moxhons tower, oldest remnant of the ramparts

The Liège audio-guided tour takes you up to the Moxhons tower, whose stone top appears above a low wall on the hill of Publémont. This is no ordinary tower: it is the oldest remnant of the ramparts of Liège, a unique witness to the birth of the principality around the year one thousand.

A thousand years of turbulent history

The tower was built more than a thousand years ago, under the episcopate of Notger, the very first prince-bishop. Its position on the hill of Publémont was strategic: it protected the city between two fortified gates now vanished. Its history was turbulent, marked in particular by the terrible sack of Liège in 1468 by Charles the Bold, which devastated much of the city.

What there is to see

Step back a little to take in the stone tower as a whole. Its square shape and massive masonry recall the defensive techniques of the early Middle Ages. An engraved stone, noted by old sources, attested to its name. Modest but essential, the Moxhons tower offers a direct contact with the fortified origins of Liège.

Practical information

The Moxhons tower stands on the hill of Publémont, in the historic Mont Saint-Martin district of Liège. It can be seen from the street, freely, as you climb. The area, on a slope, calls for good walking shoes.

Why is the tower so important?

It is the oldest remnant of the ramparts of Liège, built under Prince-Bishop Notger more than a thousand years ago. As such, it bears witness to the very earliest days of the principality.

What happened in 1468?

In 1468, Liège was sacked by the troops of Charles the Bold, a dramatic episode that long marked the city. The Moxhons tower came through that troubled period.