Liège International Exposition (1905)
World's fair held in Liège, Belgium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
The Liège International Exposition (French: Exposition universelle et internationale de Liège) of 1905 was a world's fair held in Liège, Belgium, from 27 April to 6 November 1905[1][2]: 416 just eight years after a previous exposition held in Brussels. Intended to show Liège's industrial importance, the fair also marked 75 years of Belgian independence[1] and 40 years of King Leopold II's reign.[2]: 178
| 1905 Liège | |
|---|---|
Poster for the exhibition | |
| Overview | |
| BIE-class | Universal exposition |
| Category | Historical Expo |
| Name | Exposition universelle et internationale de Liège |
| Building(s) | Palais des Beaux-Arts de Liège |
| Area | 21.08 hectares (52.1 acres) |
| Visitors | 7,000,000 |
| Participant(s) | |
| Countries | 29 |
| Location | |
| Country | Belgium |
| City | Liège |
| Venue | Parc de la Boverie |
| Coordinates | 50°37′43.98″N 5°34′32.56″E |
| Timeline | |
| Opening | 25 April 1905 |
| Closure | 6 November 1905 |
| Universal expositions | |
| Previous | Louisiana Purchase Exposition in St. Louis |
| Next | Milan International (1906) in Milan |
The exposition received 7 million visitors, covered 52 acres and made 75,117 Belgian francs.[2]: 415
Participants and exhibits
Twenty-nine countries were official participants, from Europe: Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria, Denmark, France, Greece, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg, Montenegro, Norway, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Sweden, Switzerland, and the United Kingdom; from Africa: Egypt and Congo Free State; from America: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, Cuba, and the United States; and from Asia China, Japan, Persia and Turkey. Germany and Spain were unofficial participants[1]
There was an exhibition of medieval and Renaissance art, L'art ancien au Pays de Liège, as part of the event.[3] Ulrikke Greve' Nordenfjeldske Kunstindustrimuseums Vævskole contributed tapestries which won a gold prize.[4]
Legacy
The Palais des Beaux Arts building was left to the city, and housed the Musee d'Art Moderne et d'Art Contemporaine.[2]: 179 After closing in 2013, in May 2016 it reopened, with a contemporary glass extension, as La Boverie.[5]
Music
A piece by Jean-Théodore Radoux entitled Cantate pour l'inauguration de l'Exposition universelle de Liège, 1905, with words by Jules Sauvenière, was written for the expo.
