had a total population of 197,013. The metropolitan area has about 750,000 inhabitants. Its inhabitants are predominantly French-speaking, with German and Dutch-speaking minorities. Like the rest of Belgium, the population of minorities has grown significantly since the 1990s. The city has become the home to large numbers of Algerian, Moroccan, Turkish, and Vietnamese immigrants. Liège also houses a significant Afro-Belgian community. The city is a major educational hub in Belgium. There are 42,000 pupils attending more than 24 schools. The University of Liège, founded in 1817, has 20,000 students. Main sights The vast palace of the Prince-Bishops of Liège is built on the Place St Lambert, where the old St. Lambert's Cathedral used to stand before the French Revolution. The oldest rooms date from the 16th century. An archeological display, the Archéoforum, can be visited under the Place St Lambert. The perron on the nearby Place du Marché was once the symbol of justice in the Prince-Bishopric and is now the symbol of the city. It stands in front of the 17th century city hall. The seven collegiate churches of Liège: St Paul (raised to cathedral status as Liège Cathedral in 1802, after the demolition of St Lambert's Cathedral), It contains a treasury and Saint Lambert's tomb. St James (raised to collegiate status after the demolition of St Peter's Collegiate Church in 1811). Built in the flamboyant gothic style, with an early Renaissance porch. The statues are by Liège sculptor Jean Del Cour. Saint-Jacques contains 29 14th-century misericords. St Martin St Denis St John the Evangelist Holy Cross St Bartholomew The main museums in Liège are: La Boverie (Musée des Beaux-Arts) Museum of Walloon Life Museum of Walloon Art & Religious Art (Mosan art) The Grand Curtius Museum is an elegantly furnished mansion from the 17th century along the river Meuse, housing collections of Egyptology, weaponry, archaeology, fine arts, religious art and Mosan art. Other sites of interest include the historical city centre (the Carré), the Hors-Château area, the area, the parks and boulevards along the river Meuse, the Citadel, the 374 steps stairway "Montagne de Bueren", leading from Hors-Château to the Citadel, 'Médiacité' shopping mall designed by Ron Arad Architects and the Liège-Guillemins railway station designed by Santiago Calatrava. Liège's pedestrian zone is the biggest pedestrian zone of the Walloon Region and the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion; it is also the oldest in Belgium. The pedestrian zone progressively has grown since