The Perron stands on the Place du Marché in the heart of Liège's old city, an elaborate fountain topped by a column and the Three Graces clutching a pine cone. It has been the symbol of the city's civic liberties since the Middle Ages, when the right to erect a perron in the main square was the mark of a free commune.
The present version was designed by sculptor Jean Delcour in 1697, replacing an earlier pillar that had been destroyed during the Burgundian occupation. The fountain's base has four lions, and the surrounding octagonal basin is original. The square around it — Place du Marché, with its old town hall (La Violette) and the handsome row of guild houses — is the most animated square in the old city.