Soumagne

Soumagne (, ) is a municipality of Belgium. It lies in the country's Walloon Region and Liège Province. On September 1, 2008, Soumagne had a total population of 15,894. The total area is 27.14 km2 which gives a population density of 585 inhabitants per km2.
The actual Soumagne is made of several municipalities that were merged in 1977 during the reorganization of the Belgian territory:
History.
From the end of the 19th century until the 1960s, Soumagne was a flourishing municipality with numerous coal mines and a large Cooperative factory.
After the end of coal mining, the mines were cleaned and residences as well as shopping areas were built. Some buildings are kept and transformed into tourism activities (such as "le domaine du Bas-Bois").
Since 1980, the higher number of people leaving big cities (Liège and Verviers) for more rural municipalities, with the E40 motorway passing on its territory, Soumagne recovered from the loss of coal mining and the end of the Cooperative. In that period, houses are built due to a new, and young, population settling down in Soumagne. A lot of new shops and commercial centers opened and small companies are emerging.
Attractions.
There are a few touristic points in Soumange (among others):