The City of Liège’s Palais des Fêtes, built on the banks of the Meuse at the entrance to the Albert Canal, is one of the last major remnants of the 1939 International Exhibition of Water Technology.

Designed by Jean Moutschen (probably in collaboration with his brother Joseph), the building stands out in the landscape as a gigantic rectangular prism punctuated by powerful buttresses and clad in large terracotta slabs. A shed-roof structure provides excellent natural lighting. Envisaged as a multifunctional space, the building was initially intended to house an ice rink, but Moutschen proposed a removable floor that would allow the venue to host exhibitions, fairs or performances. As with the Léonie de Waha secondary school project, carried out at the same time, the architect enlisted the services of visual artists to work on several façades. Adolphe Wansart, in particular, designed the monumental bas-relief that crowns the glazed façade of the main hall and depicts the history of industry and the arts in Liège. Abandoned for several years, the building awaits a new use.