In September 1970, the Maison de la Culture, which houses the Library and the Cultural Centre of Liège “Les Chiroux”, was inaugurated. A late witness to modernist, even brutalist, architecture, the Chiroux-Croisiers architectural complex, with the Kennedy Tower, is thus celebrating its 50th anniversary, when it is about to undergo a profound change, with the forthcoming relocation of the Library and then of Ethias.

To echo this anniversary and the neighbourdhood’s future disruptions, the Cultural Centre proposes an exhibition that highlights the urban and architectural changes that the district and the city have known since the Thirty Glorious.

The exhibition brings together historical documents and photographs that trace and remind the hopes, utopias, and setbacks of modernist architecture. The spectacular images of Francis Niffle (1914-2007), who documented the great past architectural realisations of the city (the Cité administrative, the Droixhe housing complex, the Palais des Congrès, etc.), will form the backbone of an exhibition that gathers other old marks and present images. Indeed, several private and public archives have been used to create the presented selection. From the Niffle Funds, kept by the GAR-Archives of Architecture (ULiège), other sources have been added as well as a set of contemporary photographs, particularly those of Robin Nissen, who led a documentary mission in the very footsteps of Francis Niffle…

The evolution of the city, with its ambitions and its renunciations, and particularly that of the Chiroux-Croisiers neighbourdhood, which is currently undergoing a big transition, is at the centre of this exhibition.

Languages of the activity: French or English (open visit).

An exhibition conceived and produced by the Cultural Centre of Liège “Les Chiroux”.

With the precious collaboration of the GAR-Archives of Architecture (ULiège), the Department of Urbanism of the City of Liège, the Museum of Walloon Life, the Ulysse Capitaine Library, and COGEPHOTO.

We particularly thank those who helped us in our research, advised us or contributed to the content of the exhibition by making their creations or documents available, including Aloys Beguin, Laurent Brück, Sébastien Charlier, Maurizio Cohen, Bénédicte Dochain, Anne Drechsel, Robin Dufayard, Jean-Pierre Ers, Cédric Grandjean, Claude Warzée, Marc Wendelski.

This event is free and on registration (limited entries).

Following the current measures, please note that the Covid Safe Ticket will be required to participate in this event.