Sint-Genesius-Rode

Coordinates: 50°45′N 04°21′E / 50.750°N 4.350°E / 50.750; 4.350
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Sint-Genesius-Rode
Rhode-Saint-Genèse (French)
Flag of Sint-Genesius-Rode
Coat of arms of Sint-Genesius-Rode
Location of Sint-Genesius-Rode
Map
Sint-Genesius-Rode is located in Belgium
Sint-Genesius-Rode
Sint-Genesius-Rode
Location in Belgium
Location of Sint-Genesius-Rode in Flemish Brabant
Halle-Vilvoorde
Government
 • MayorPierre Rolin (IC-GB)
 • Governing party/iesIntérêts Communaux – Gemeentebelangen, Engagement 1640
Area
 • Total22.75 km2 (8.78 sq mi)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total18,296
 • Density800/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Postal codes
1640
NIS code
23101
Area codes02
Websitewww.sint-genesius-rode.be

Sint-Genesius-Rode (Dutch: [sɪnt xeːˌneːzijʏs ˈroːdə] ;[2] French: Rhode-Saint-Genèse, pronounced [ʁɔd sɛ̃ ʒənɛːz] ) is a municipality located in Flanders, one of three regions of Belgium, in the province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the town of Sint-Genesius-Rode only, and lies between Brussels and Waterloo in Wallonia. On January 1, 2008, the town had a total population of 18,021. The total area is 22.77 square kilometres (8.79 sq mi), which gives a population density of 791 per square kilometre (2,050/sq mi).

Politics

The official language of the city is Dutch, historically the majority language of the population. However, Sint-Genesius-Rode is in linguistic flux, as it is one of the most evenly divided between the two languages. There is no linguistic census in Belgium, but based on the support Francophone parties receive, the French-speaking population of Sint-Genesius-Rode is estimated to be about 64%.[3]

As in several other municipalities on the periphery of

Francophones in the Brussels periphery. The Flemish viewpoint is that these facilities existed temporarily in order to assist those French-speakers who already had come to live there to help them integrate in the Flemish region and eventually learn the Dutch language. Nonetheless, the law states clearly that the facilities are not temporary.[citation needed
]

Today, this particular municipality remains a controversial topic of local and national politics. On May 31, 2010, its city council voted a motion asking that it be reassigned from the

Brussels Capital Region
as a threat to the language and cultural rights of Flemish residents, and that a precedent would be set that would invite further Francophone migration to other municipalities with facilities. They also view this tendency as the extension of an already prevalent Francophone influence on the capital region.

The current system of facilities was settled by Flemish politicians in 1963. A large majority of French speakers did not agree with this evolution. The previous system, also proposed by the Flemish politicians but accepted by the French speakers, relied on decennial census programs to adapt the limits of the linguistic regions. In 1930, the French speaking politicians strongly refused a Flemish proposal to make the whole Belgian territory fully bilingual, calling it unthinkable that French speaking officials would thus be supposed to learn Dutch.[citation needed]

Municipal elections have moved away from ideological contests to linguistic competitions. In 2018 the francophone list IC-GB won 69.3% of votes, defeating the Flemish-speaking unity list Engagement 1640 which won 30.7% of votes. No other parties participated.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ "Wettelijke Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2018". Statbel. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  2. ^ In isolation, Genesius is pronounced [ɣeːˈneːzijʏs].
  3. ^ Results of 2006 local elections[permanent dead link] (French-speaking IC-GB: 63,94%, Dutch-speaking SAMEN: 34,25%)

External links