Malmedy Attractions

The little town of Malmédy (Latin "malmundarium" = cleansed from evil ones) is in the province of Liège at the confluence of the Warche and Warchenne on the southern slope of the thickly wooded and scenically very charming Hohe Venn. About 90 per cent of the inhabitants are Walloons who speak French or the local Walloon dialect; about 10 per cent are German speakers. The varied history of Malmédy, which is due in no small measure to its situation in the frontier region of Belgium, has for a long time led to economic disadvantage of the area. This could only be improved after the Second World War. Several new industries arose so that today canneries, a paper factory, and a dairy are the most important industrial concerns of Malmédy. In addition the town developed into an important educational center. The well-tended town and the wooded surroundings have also contributed to the prosperity of the place and tourism is now an important economic factor.

For a long time Malmédy was a source of dispute between France, the Netherlands and the German kingdom, and has changed its national allegiance several times in the last 200 years.

The town developed from an abbey founded in 648 by St Remaclus, the Bishop of Maastricht, and from the ecclesiastical town of Malmédy-Stavelot. Malmédy lived in constant rivalry with neighboring Stavelot for pre-eminence in this independent and self-governing principality. In 1690 French troops almost completely destroyed the town and in 1795 it was incorporated into France. After the defeat of Napoleon I it was annexd in 1815 to Prussia and not until 1925 did it become Belgian. In 1940 the town was occupied by German troops and in 1944 was attacked in error by U.S. bombers when parts were destroyed, although it had by then been occupied by American forces.