Herve (Wallonian: Heve; Limburgish: Herf) is a city and region in Liège, Belgium, best known for its cheese of the same name.

Understand

The church tower of the Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste is a recognisable staple of Herve. The tower was part of a fortification before it became part of the church.

Herve is known to have existed since at least 898, but may have existed as early as Roman times, as a Roman settlement is known to have existed nearby. Its mediaeval history is mostly characterised by being the victim of wars. The city was quite large for its time during the 13th century, so it was a likely victim for plundering and arson. The latter of which happened in 1283 (thirteen years after becoming a city), again in 1465, and was plundered in 1487. During the 16th and 17th century, the city suffered under religious wars being fought, and stability only came in 1656 when the city came into the hands of the noble family d'Aspremont Lynden.

The town suffered again for a while under French forces sent to intimidate the Dutch Republic, but started blooming when Austrian overlordship was established in 1713. Until the end of the Duchy of Limburg in 1795, Herve was one of the five regional capitals of the Duchy. It spoke predominantly Walloon, unlike the rest of the Duchy, which spoke a Limbourgish dialect.

During the Brabant Revolution, the entirety of the Duchy of Limburg became part of the United Belgian States, which existed for most of 1790. It was on August 13th that year that the Battle near Herve happened, where the Belgian Patriots were defeated by Austria. When conquered by Napoleon five years later, the town became part of the Department of the Ourthe. After Napoleon, modern-day Belgium became a part of the United Netherlands, which disbanded formally in 1839, leaving Herve in Belgium.

During the First World War, invading Imperial German troops had some trouble progressing past Herve and nearby Battice, which prompted them to return to an old war tradition of burning down the city. Construction on a new, improved fort commenced during the Interbellum, though it fell to Nazi Germany in the span of twelve days.

The city has been active in the mining industry between 1594 and 1969. This initially started on a small scale, but industrialised rapidly once it could. The city has also made apple syrup for a large part of its existence.

Get in

Herve lies on the section of highway shared between the E40 and E42 around Liège. Access to Herve from most places will go via Liège, except for anything to its east.

From Liège, follow the E40/42 (A3) heading east towards Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle in French). After crossing the river Meuse, use the second available numbered exit, numbered 37. At this point, you are already in the Pays de Herve. Herve itself, though, requires right turn onto the Rue de la Clef (N3). The first roundabout you encounter, is the point where you enter Herve.

Coming from the south-east, navigate towards Trier or Wittlich. From both of those, head towards Bitburg using the A60 (Wittlich), or B51 (Trier). Where the A60 and B51 meet (exit 6, Bitburg), follow the A60 towards Sankt Vith. The A60 will become the A27/E42 at the Belgian border. Simply follow the A27 until it ends on a roundabout by the town of Battice. Take a left on the roundabout onto the N3, follow it through Battice, and once the road swerves to the right a bit, you're in Herve.

From Aachen, use the A44 heading for Liège (German: Lüttich). The A44 becomes the A3/E40 after the Belgian border. Follow it until either the first major interchange with the A27 or exit 37 a few kilometres further down the highway. For the first, follow directions described above, for the former, the directions above that.

See

In Herve

• 1 Église Saint-Jean-Baptiste (John the Baptist-church), Place de l'Eglise. 09:30-17:00. The imposing parish church of Herve, characterised by its heavy adjacent tower, which is a remnant of a previous fortification, which was part of the city defences - The tower served as its keep. The spires are a 17th century addition. (updated Apr 2024)
• 2 Six Fontaines, Rue des Six Fontaines. A public lavoir originally founded in 1783, with the current structure dating from 1894. The lavoir is fed by seven springs. Of them, one feeds a central fountain, the others have dedicated purposes based on their water quality, one supplies drinking water for horses, two serve to water to wash butchered meats in, one's to wash textiles in, and two provide potable water. Oral history says that the finest of sources is said to flow with wine during Christmas night, but those that have tried to confirm this, would have met death. (updated Apr 2024)
• 3 Fort Battice, Rue du Fort (Directly north of the interchange of the A3 and A27 highways.), ☏ +32 476 224 982. Fortification built between 1934 and 1937 to protect against a German invasion, as part of the Belgian extension to the French Maginot line. Tours are organised regularly, taking about three and a half hours, in which a lot of the fort that's still in working order, is put on display. (updated Apr 2024)

In Pays de Herve

• 4 Clermont-sur-Berwinne, Place de la Halle 22, Thimister-Clermont (10m east via the N3). Labelled as one of the prettiest towns of Wallonia, Clermont, a 13th century town dominated by its renaissance-style town hall, church and castle is only a 10-minute car ride to the east, or a 25-minute bike ride using RAVeL 38. (updated Apr 2024)
• 5 Abbey of Val-Dieu, Val Dieu 227, Aubel, ☏ +32 87 692 828. Cistercian abbey formed in the early 13th century, and notable for being the only abbey in Belgium to have survived the French revolution. Most of the building dates from the 17th and 18th-century. The abbey church itself was reconstructed in the 19th century, and was lifted to basilica-status after the Second World War. Large parts of the abbey can be seen during a guided tour, which can be combined with a beer-tasting in the brewery. (updated Apr 2024)

Eat

Fromage de Herve

Herve cheese (Fromage de Herve/Hervekaas) in its usual cubed packaging.

Fromage de Herve (Dutch: Hervekaas), known best in (American) English as Limburger, is a cheese originating from the Pays de Herve, the greater region around the city. The cheese has been made in the region since the fifteenth century, and is has a protected designation of origin (PDO), meaning that within the EU, only cheese made within this region may be branded as Herve cheese. You can distinguish the genuine cheese from non-genuine cheeses by the circular red-yellow label, which, since the region primarily speaks French, will have the label "Appellation d'origine protégée". Herve cheese comes in three variants: Soft, spicy (salted more and cured for longer), and Remoudou (richer and a more complex aroma). These cheeses are widely available in cheeseries (Fromagerie) and food fairs in the wider region, and may on occasion be sold in more conventional supermarkets.