Braine-l'Alleud

Coordinates: 50°41′N 04°22′E / 50.683°N 4.367°E / 50.683; 4.367
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Braine-l'Alleud
Brinne-l'-Alou (Walloon)
Municipality
Flag of Braine-l'Alleud
Flag
Coat of arms of Braine-l'Alleud
Coat of arms
Location of Braine-l'Alleud
Map
Braine-l'Alleud is located in Belgium
Braine-l'Alleud
Braine-l'Alleud
Location in Belgium
The municipality of Braine-l'Alleud in Walloon Brabant
Region
Wallonia
ProvinceWalloon Brabant
ArrondissementNivelles
Government
 • MayorVincent Scourneau (MR)
 • Governing party/iesMR
Area
 • Total52.32 km2 (20.20 sq mi)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total39,837
 • Density760/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Postal codes
1420, 1421, 1428
NIS code
25014
Area codes02
Websitewww.braine-lalleud.be

Braine-l'Alleud (French pronunciation:

municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of Brussels
.

The municipality consists of the following districts: Braine-l'Alleud (including the hamlet of Sart-Moulin), Lillois-Witterzée, and Ophain-Bois-Seigneur-Isaac. Bordering Flanders, the town is home to a minority of Dutch speakers.

The famous Lion of Waterloo, where the eponymous battle took place, is in the territory of Braine-l'Alleud.

History

Middle Ages

Several archaeological finds point to

medieval French word designating exempt land (English allod
). The latter name was added to the former to distinguish this community from two neighbouring ones also called Braine.

At the beginning, the franchise might not have been much more than a right to local administration. By 1489, however, the local lord enjoyed complete juridical power on its territory, which was still formally part of the

fiefdom obtained from the Duke of Brabant
.

Battle of Waterloo

In 1815, part of the fighting that took place at the Battle of Waterloo actually occurred on the territory of Braine-l’Alleud. The town's church of Saint-Étienne became a field hospital.

Sights

Sport

Braine l'Alleud is home to

RCS Braine
football club, founded in 1913 and one of the oldest continuously existing clubs in the country.

The city also has a successful women's basketball club, BC Castors Braine.

The free-to-play, 18-hole Parc du Bourdon disc golf course is situated 1 kilometer from Braine L'Alleud train station.[2]

Folklore

  • Both Ophain and Braine-l'Alleud host yearly carnivals featuring giant puppets like in most other Belgian towns.

Famous inhabitants

Transportation

  • Rail: Braine l'Alleud has its own railway station part of the SNCB/NMBS network, served by the line number 124. See Braine-l'Alleud railway station.
  • Bus:
    Société Régionale Wallonne du Transport (SRWT) (Walloon Regional Transport Company)
    operates under the name of "TEC Brabant Wallon".

It is served by the following 10 bus lines:[3]

Line From Via Via To
Line 36 Braine-l'Alleud Wavre
Line 40 Uccle Alsemberg Braine-l'Alleud
Line 65 Braine-le-Comte Virginal B.S.I Braine-l'Alleud/Nivelles
Line 66 Braine-l'Alleud Nivelles
Line 67 Braine-l'Alleud Barrière Braine-l'Alleud Railway Station
Line 75 Braine-l'Alleud Waterloo
Line 114 Braine-l'Alleud Halle
Line 115 Braine-l'Alleud Tubize
Line 3 Rapido Bus Waterloo Braine-l'Alleud Ottignies Louvain-de-Neuve (LLN)
Line W Brussels Waterloo Braine-l'Alleud
  • Taxi: Multiple taxi services exist and pick up and drop off around the town.
  • Bicycle: Dedicated bicycle paths exist in the surroundings.

International relations

See also: List of twin towns and sister cities in Belgium

Twin towns – Sister cities

Braine-l'Alleud is

twinned
with:

References

  1. ^ "Wettelijke Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2018". Statbel. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  2. ^ Parc du Bourdon in Braine L'Alleud, DGCourse Review.
  3. ^ "Office website including details in French about how to get to Braine-l'Alleud". Retrieved 19 December 2015.
  4. ^ "National Commission for Decentralised cooperation". Délégation pour l’Action Extérieure des Collectivités Territoriales (Ministère des Affaires étrangères) (in French). Archived from the original on 2013-11-27. Retrieved 2013-12-26.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Braine-l'Alleud.
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