THE FREE REPUBLIC

[EDIT/LEI: Liège, August 15]
The Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Liège’s major feast day, known as La Fête de Marie, is the time to be in Outre-Meuse. Outre-Meuse is the special part of Liège and in 1927 a group of journalists and local personalities from the quarter decided, after a visit to Paris and looking at the free community of Montmartre, that they would set up a similar structure in Outre-Meuse; and so they set up the Free Republic. This year, a little before the Fête de Marie, they elected a new president, Christian Elaerts, who will be the 8th president of the association. His mandate lasts until the new elections in March 2010. He’s had a varied career in the construction industry and is well known by business people in the area. In fact, his chip shop at the Place des Berghes was very much appreciated by the world of gastronomy and known for its very special welcome, which is something that everyone experiences in Outre Meuse on this special day — particularly after they’ve drunk a few glasses of Pékét.

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