Waterloo, Belgium
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Waterloo
Waterlô (Walloon) | ||
---|---|---|
Location in Belgium
The municipality of Waterloo in Walloon Brabant Region Wallonia | | |
Province | Walloon Brabant | |
Arrondissement | Nivelles | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Florence Reuter (MR) | |
• Governing party/ies | MR | |
Area | ||
• Total | 21.32 km2 (8.23 sq mi) | |
Population (2018-01-01)[1] | ||
• Total | 30,174 | |
• Density | 1,400/km2 (3,700/sq mi) | |
Postal codes | 1410 | |
NIS code | 25110 | |
Area codes | 02 | |
Website | www.waterloo.be |
Waterloo (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋaːtərloː] ⓘ, French pronunciation: [watɛʁlo] ⓘ;[2] Walloon: Waterlô) is a municipality in Wallonia, located in the province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium, which in 2011 had a population of 29,706 and an area of 21.03 km2 (8.12 sq mi). Waterloo lies a short distance south of Brussels, and immediately north-east of the larger town of Braine-l'Alleud. It is the site of the Battle of Waterloo, where the resurgent Napoleon was defeated for the final time in 1815. Waterloo lies immediately south of the official language border between Flanders and Wallonia.
Etymology
From Middle Dutch, composed of water (water, watery) + loo (forest, clearing in a forest, marsh, bog).[3][4][5]
History
The name of Waterloo was mentioned for the first time in 1102 designating a small hamlet at the limit of what is today known as the Sonian Forest, along a major road linking Brussels, Genappe and a coal mine to the south. Waterloo was located at the intersection of the main road and a path leading to a small farming settlement in what is now Cense. The crossing can still be found today as the intersection of the Chaussée de Bruxelles with Boulevard de la Cense. Waterloo was a place where travellers and merchants, particularly those carrying coal from the mine to the south, could find rest and protection from bandits.
Waterloo was located in the Duchy of Brabant created in 1183 with Leuven as the capital city. The Duchy of Brabant extended from Luttre to 's-Hertogenbosch in 1477. Brussels became the capital city of the Duchy of Brabant in 1267 and the capital city of the Burgundian Netherlands in 1430.
Waterloo started to develop during the 17th century. A royal chapel was built in 1687 in Petit-Waterloo, and was extended in 1826, becoming the
During the late 18th century, whilst the region was under the rule of the Holy Roman Empire, a period of unrest marked the wake of the 1789
Up until 1796, Waterloo was divided into two parts, Grand-Waterloo and Petit-Waterloo, depending, respectively, of the parishes of Braine-l'Alleud (Bishopric of Namur) and of Sint-Genesius-Rode (Bishopric of Mechelen). A new system based on municipalities was established under French rule. The municipality of Waterloo was created from Petit-Waterloo detached from Sint-Genesius-Rode and three former hamlets (Grand-Waterloo, Joli-Bois, Mont-Saint-Jean) detached from Braine-l’Alleud.
In 1813, half of the hamlet of Chenois was detached from Braine-l’Alleud and became part of Waterloo. In 1824, Waterloo grew again as the areas Roussart and Sainte-Gertrude from the Sonian Forest became part of the municipality. Waterloo had 1,571 inhabitants in 1801 and 3,202 in 1846.
In 1795, the invaded territories were divided into nine departments. Some municipalities, including Waterloo, became part of the
In 1977, the second half of the hamlet of Chenois was detached from Braine-l’Alleud and became part of Waterloo together with a part of the hamlet next to the Lion.
In 1995, the province of Brabant was divided to match the limits of the administrative regions of Wallonia, Brussels and Flanders created in 1980. The part in which Waterloo is situated became the province of Walloon Brabant.
Battle of Waterloo
The
Districts in Waterloo
Waterloo is divided into six districts: Faubourg Ouest (north-west of Chaussée de Bruxelles), Faubourg Est (north-east of Chaussée de Bruxelles), Chenois (west of the railway), Centre, Joli-Bois (south of centre) and Mont-St-Jean (north of the Waterloo battle field).
Demographics
Nearly one-fifth of the current registered population (5,640 inhabitants) is non-Belgian; many such residents work for institutions or companies in Brussels, a political centre of the European Union. These numbers were released by the municipality of Waterloo. The most common non-Belgian nationalities are the following: French (1,237 people), Italian (537), British (503), American (445) and Swedish (425).
It is one of the wealthiest towns in Wallonia.
Economy
Waterloo is home to the European headquarters of
A row of shops, called Petit Paris is situated on the Chaussée de Bruxelles (which becomes Chaussée de Waterloo, or Waterloosesteenweg when leaving Waterloo in the north and nearing Brussels).
Education
The Argenteuil estate is host to a number of international and local educational establishments, including; the Scandinavian School of Brussels, the European School of Bruxelles-Argenteuil, "Den norske skolen i Brussel", and the Queen Elisabeth Music Chapel.
St. John's International School is also located within the commune.
Notable landmarks
Lion's Mound
The Lion's Mound is a monument to the casualties of the 1815 Battle of Waterloo, located on the spot where a musket ball hit the shoulder of William II of the Netherlands (the Prince of Orange) and knocked him from his horse during the battle. A statue of a lion, looking towards France, standing upon a stone-block pedestal surmounts the hill. Visitors can climb the 226 steps to the top of the hill for a panoramic vista of the battlefield.[6]
Other attractions nearby related to the battle are the
Argenteuil estate
In 1831, approximately 250 hectares of land in the Sonian Forest was acquired by Ferdinand De Meeus, a member of the
Château d'Argenteuil
In 1940, the Château d'Argenteuil, 20 hectares of its surrounding lands and a farm were sold to a
Château Bellevue
In 1949, the Belgian government acquired the Château Bellevue, originally for use by the Belgian national rail company, the
Dames de Berlaymont
In 1960, Count Ludovic de Meeûs d'Argenteuil sold thirty hectares of the Argenteuil estate to the Dames de Berlaymont, who had to vacate their properties in Brussels following their acquisition by the Belgian state for the purpose of building a headquarters for the European Commission. The nuns established a new convent and boarding school on the site.
Former landmarks
Château Cheval
The Château Cheval stood at the crossing of the main routes between Charleroi and Brussels, and Nivelles and Leuven. It was originally built in 1895 as the home of a French industrialist who had made his fortune in Mont-Saint-Jean, Waterloo following the opening of a
Public transport
Waterloo railway station was opened on 1 February 1874, with the simultaneous opening of the railway line between Waterloo and Brussels. An extension of the line southwards to Nivelles, and then Luttre was opened on 1 June 1874, permitting travel onwards to Charleroi, along an existing line opened in 1843.
Today, Waterloo is served by local passenger trains on the Nivelles to Aalst line, with at least one train in each direction per hour. Non-stopping services between Waterloo and Brussels operate during peak times.
Sport
Waterloo is home to
Waterloo is also home of Watducks Hockey Club, multiple Belgium champions of field hockey and European Champions in 2019 (EHL).
Notable residents
In September 1959 the Missionary Dominican Sisters of Our Lady of Fichermont, headquartered in Waterloo, became the home of Jeannine Deckers, who took the name Sister Luc-Gabrielle, and who would later become famous as The Singing Nun.[7]
On 2 February 2018, the Belgian commune of Waterloo confirmed that former Catalonia president Carles Puigdemont had rented a villa and planned to establish his official residence there.[8]
International relations
Twin towns — sister cities
Waterloo is
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References
- ^ "Wettelijke Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2018". Statbel. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Jean-Marie Pierret, Phonétique historique du français et notions de phonétique générale, Peeters, Louvain-la-Neuve, 1994, p. 103.
- ^ Wasser, Wazar in Geographical Etymology: A Dictionary of Place-names
- ^ Origin and meaning of the name Waterloo in Online Etymology Dictionary
- ^ Waterloo Etymology in Wiktionary
- ^ "Rates". Waterloo 1815. Retrieved 14 January 2017.
- ^ Purtell, Tim (18 December 1992). "The Singing Nun's Story". ew.com. Retrieved 26 July 2008.
- ^ "Waterloo bevestigt verhuizing Puigdemont" (in Dutch). HP De Tijd. 2 February 2018. Archived from the original on 2 February 2018. Retrieved 3 February 2018.
External links
- Media related to Waterloo, Belgium at Wikimedia Commons
- Waterloo's official website
- Waterloo's official Web TV
- Site about the history of Waterloo
- Site about the history of Braine-l'Alleud with a part of it related to Mont-Saint-Jean in Waterloo, First follow "Hier et aujourd'hui", Afterwards follow "Mont-Saint-Jean"