Last modified: 2003-07-18 by ivan sache
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![[Flag of Anthisnes]](../images/b/be-wlgan.gif)
by Ivan Sache
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The municipality of Anthisnes was formed in 1977 by the merging of
the former municipalities of Anthisnes, Hestreux, Hody, Lagrange,
Tavier and Villers-aux-Tours, encompassing the 21 villages and
hamlets of Anthisnes, Baugnée, Berleur, Coibehay, Hestreux,
Hody, Houchenée, Lagrange, La Ramée, La Rock, Les
Floxhes, Limont, Moulin, Rapion, Targnon, Tavier, Tolumont, Viegeay,
Vien, Villers-aux-Tours and Xhos.
The municipality has 4,000 inhabitants and an area of 3,707
hectares.
Arable land and forests represent 61% and 21% of the municipality
area, respectively.
The name of Anthisnes might come from Anteus, the owner of
a Roman villa (an agricultural estate). At that time, the
Roman way between Reims and Cologne crossed the territory of
Anthisnes.
In 946, Anthisnes became an ecclesiastical domain. From 1125, the
fief known as Antina belonged exclusively to the abbeys of
Waulsort. The powerful prince-bishops of
Liège could not percieve any tax
on this fief until 1686. In 1664, Guillaume Natalis, abbey of the St.
Lawrence's church in Liège, bought the fief of Anthisnes. In
1768, the prince-bishop of Liège exchanged Anthisnes for other
domains with the prince of Stavelot.
When the county of Logne and the principality of Stavelot-Malmédy were incorporated into France in 1795, the villages of Anthisnes and Vien were merged into a municipality of the department of Ourthe, which later constituted the Belgian province of Liège.
Stone extraction was the main industry in Anthisnes. Extraction of
small granite started in the area of Anthisnes in the Middle Ages in
order to built fortresses and later churches and farms. Industrial
extraction of stone started in Anthisnes around 1875. There were in
1896 four quarries in Anthisnes, hiring 200 workers and 17 horses.
The annual production was 2,700 cubic meters of freestone, that is 17
% of the production of the province of Liège. An other 655
cubic meters of rubber stones were also produced, as well as 77,000
cobblestones. The quarries of small granite were located in Anthisnes
whereas sandstone was extracted in Tavier and Villiers-aux-Tours for
cobblestone production.
This industry reached its peak in 1909, with 819 workers hired by
fifteen quarries. Stone extraction started to decline after the First
World War, during which cheaper substitute materials were
popularized. After the Second World War, the quarries of Anthisnes
hired foreign workers, Italians and then Portuguese.
Today, there are only three quarries still in exploitation in La
Hazotte, Sprimont and Résimont, hiring 20 workers.
During the golden age of stone extraction, the small granite of Anthisnes was used to build several monuments such as the Central Post Office in Liège, the columns of the bridge of Fragnée (1905), the monument of the fifteenth anniversary (cinquantenaire) in Brussels and the statue of King Albert I on the starting point of the Albert Canal in Liège.
Source: Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 8 February 2003
The flag of Anthisnes is horizontally divided green-white-green, with two yellow disks placed horizontally in the upper green stripe, three black ermine spots placed horizontally in the white stripe, and one yellow disk placed in the lower green stripe, all these elements being placed close to the hoist.
The flag was adopted on 4 April 1996.
Source: Flags of the Low Countries
Jarig Bakker & Ivan Sache, 8 February 2003
![[Arms of Anthisnes]](../images/b/be)wlgan.gif)
by Ivan Sache
The arms of Anthisnes are shown on the municipal website, placed on a shield with a semi-circular shape.
Ivan Sache, 8 February 2003