Palais des princes-évêques (Palace of the Prince-Bishops)

The Palace of the Prince-Bishops, often presented as one of the biggest Gothic civil buildings in the world, today plays host to the law courts and the headquarters of the province’s government. In 1000 AD, Prince-Bishop Notger had the first residence of the prince-bishops built on this site. However, it was the reign of Prince-Bishop Érard de La Marck that, from 1526 onwards, gave the building its current appearance. Following a fire in 1734, the façade looking onto Place Saint-Lambert was rebuilt in the classical style. Between 1849 and 1853, the neo-Gothic wing in Place Notger (Notger Square) was added. 

The palace is made up of a series of courtyards and owes its layout to the Italian Renaissance, although most of the decorative elements are Gothic. The first courtyard is surrounded by four galleries with Gothic vaults supported by 60 columns, all of which are different and richly decorated with fantastical human figures and grotesque masks. They pay witness to the Renaissance humanist schools of thought and the discovery of the New World. The interior of the palace boasts many items that date back to the era of the Prince-Bishops, including the Prince-Bishop’s private apartments.

If the doors are open, feel free to enter the first courtyard of the palace.