Ourthe (department)

Department of Ourthe Département de l'Ourthe (French) Departement Ourte (Dutch) Departement der Urt (German)
1795–1814
Flag
Ourthe and other annexed departments
Status	Department of the French First Republic and the French First Empire
Chef-lieu	Liège 50°27′N 3°57′E / 50.450°N 3.950°E / 50.450; 3.950
Official languages	French
Common languages	Dutch, German
Historical era	French Revolutionary Wars
• Creation	1 October 1795
• Treaty of Paris, disestablished	30 May 1814
Population
• 1796[1]	325,278
• 1800[2]	327,121
• 1812[3]	352,264
Preceded by Succeeded by Austrian Netherlands Prince-Bishopric of Liège Princely Abbey of Stavelot-Malmedy Province of Liege
Today part of	Belgium Germany

Ourthe (French: [uʁt], Dutch: Ourte, German: Urt) was a department of the French First Republic and French First Empire in present-day Belgium and Germany. It was named after the river Ourthe (Oûte). Its territory corresponded more or less with that of the present-day Belgian province of Liège and a small adjacent region in North Rhine-Westphalia in Germany. It was created on 1 October 1795, when the Austrian Netherlands and the Prince-Bishopric of Liège were officially annexed by the French Republic.^[4] Before this annexation, the territory included in the department had lain partly in the Bishopric of Liège, the Abbacy of Stavelot-Malmedy, the Duchies of Limburg and Luxembourg, and the County of Namur.

After Napoleon was defeated in 1814, most of the department became part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands as the province of Liège. The easternmost part (Eupen, Malmedy, Sankt Vith, Kronenburg, Schleiden) became part of the Prussian Rhine Province; part of this (Eupen, Malmedy and Sankt Vith) was taken back into Liège province after the First World War, under the Treaty of Versailles.

The Chef-lieu of the department was Liège. The department was subdivided into the following three arrondissements and cantons:

• Liège: Dalhem, Fléron, Glons, Herve, Hollogne-aux-Pierres, Liège (4 cantons), Louveigné, Seraing and Waremme.
• Huy: Avennes, Bodegnée, Ferrières, Héron, Huy, Landen and Nandrin.
• Malmedy: Aubel, Néau, Kronenbourg, Limbourg, Malmedy, Saint Vith, Schleiden, Spa, Stavelot, Verviers and Vielsalm.

The Prefect was the highest state representative in the department.

The Secretary-General was the deputy to the Prefect.

The office of Subprefect of Liège was held by the Prefect until 1811.