1.
Belgium
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Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a sovereign state in Western Europe bordered by France, the Netherlands, Germany, Luxembourg, and the North Sea. It is a small, densely populated country which covers an area of 30,528 square kilometres and has a population of about 11 million people. Additionally, there is a group of German-speakers who live in the East Cantons located around the High Fens area. Historically, Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg were known as the Low Countries, the region was called Belgica in Latin, after the Roman province of Gallia Belgica. From the end of the Middle Ages until the 17th century, today, Belgium is a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system of governance. It is divided into three regions and three communities, that exist next to each other and its two largest regions are the Dutch-speaking region of Flanders in the north and the French-speaking southern region of Wallonia. The Brussels-Capital Region is a bilingual enclave within the Flemish Region. A German-speaking Community exists in eastern Wallonia, Belgiums linguistic diversity and related political conflicts are reflected in its political history and complex system of governance, made up of six different governments. Upon its independence, declared in 1830, Belgium participated in the Industrial Revolution and, during the course of the 20th century, possessed a number of colonies in Africa. This continuing antagonism has led to several far-reaching reforms, resulting in a transition from a unitary to a federal arrangement during the period from 1970 to 1993. Belgium is also a member of the Eurozone, NATO, OECD and WTO. Its capital, Brussels, hosts several of the EUs official seats as well as the headquarters of major international organizations such as NATO. Belgium is also a part of the Schengen Area, Belgium is a developed country, with an advanced high-income economy and is categorized as very high in the Human Development Index. A gradual immigration by Germanic Frankish tribes during the 5th century brought the area under the rule of the Merovingian kings, a gradual shift of power during the 8th century led the kingdom of the Franks to evolve into the Carolingian Empire. Many of these fiefdoms were united in the Burgundian Netherlands of the 14th and 15th centuries, the Eighty Years War divided the Low Countries into the northern United Provinces and the Southern Netherlands. The latter were ruled successively by the Spanish and the Austrian Habsburgs and this was the theatre of most Franco-Spanish and Franco-Austrian wars during the 17th and 18th centuries. The reunification of the Low Countries as the United Kingdom of the Netherlands occurred at the dissolution of the First French Empire in 1815, although the franchise was initially restricted, universal suffrage for men was introduced after the general strike of 1893 and for women in 1949. The main political parties of the 19th century were the Catholic Party, French was originally the single official language adopted by the nobility and the bourgeoisie
2.
Aalst, Belgium
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Aalst is a city and municipality on the Dender River,31 kilometres northwest from Brussels. It is located in the Flemish province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek, the municipality comprises the city of Aalst itself and the villages of Baardegem, Erembodegem, Gijzegem, Herdersem, Hofstade, Meldert, Moorsel and Nieuwerkerken. Aalst is crossed by the Molenbeek-Ter Erpenbeek in Aalst and Hofstade, the current mayor of Aalst is Christoph DHaese, from the New-Flemish Alliance party. The town has a feud with Dendermonde, which dates back from the Middle Ages. The first historical records on Aalst date from the 9th century, when it was described as the villa Alost, during the Middle Ages, a town and port grew at this strategic point, where the road from Bruges to Cologne crossed the Dender. While it was within the Holy Roman Empire it was considered the capital of the province of Flanders. In 1046, Aalst was transferred to the Countship of Imperial Flanders, and absorbed a portion of Brabant and its frontier position on the border of the Holy Roman Empire allowed the town to keep a certain degree of independence. Its relation with Brabant has been preserved in the white and red coat of arms. Construction of the hall began in the middle of the 12th century. Several manuscripts from this period survive in the town archives. During the Hundred Years War the town of Aalst allied themselves with Louis de Male against Philip van Artevelde, the town hall, and the city itself, were almost entirely destroyed by fire in 1360. The town was rebuilt and a new belfry in gothic style was built in the 15th century. This was a time of prosperity for the city, dominated by the powerful weavers guild. Aalst suffered considerably under the Eighty Years War, the textile-based economy flourished under the French. In the 18th century, the Austrians controlled the region,1830 saw Belgium gain independence and Aalst became part of the country, this ended a long period, starting in 1056, of foreign control, by such as the Spanish, German, French, and the Dutch. The 19th century was marked by social crises engendered by the Industrial Revolution, with Father Adolf Daens and this was in response to Rerum novarum, which established worker rights. However Daens felt this did not do enough, eventually, he was made to pay for his splinter movement. In the Pre-World War II years, the fascist movement in the Low Countries gained momentum, Aalst, along with Brussels and Antwerp were the strongest subscribers to this line of thought
3.
Heineken brands
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Heineken International is a group which owns a worldwide portfolio of over 170 beer brands, mainly pale lager, though some other beer styles are produced. As of 2006, Heineken owns over 125 breweries in more than 70 countries, the two largest brands are Heineken and Tecate, though the portfolio includes Amstel, Fosters, Sagres, Cruzcampo, Skopsko, Affligem, Żywiec, Starobrno, Zagorka, Zlatý Bažant and Birra Moretti. Heineken Lager Beer is the product of the company. It is a 5% abv pale lager that was first made in 1868 and it is brewed by 40 breweries in 39 countries around the world. In 20062.58 billion litres of Heineken was produced, since 1975 most Heineken beer is brewed in the Heineken brewery in Zoeterwoude, Netherlands. Other beers produced under the Heineken brand name include, Heineken Dark Heineken Oud Bruin Heineken Premium Light Heineken Tarwebok Buckler is a low alcohol pale lager and it was launched in the summer of 1988, and is distributed worldwide. There was a recall in 2004 due to a fault in the pasteurising process, Buckler is no longer available in the Netherlands after the brands image declined following Dutch comedian Youp van t Hek mocking the brand in a show in 1989. Buckler was the beverage of choice for US Vice President Joe Biden at the Beer Summit with Henry Louis Gates, Joe Crowley, the event was the result of the controversial arrest of Henry Louis Gates, which gained national attention regarding law enforcement racial profiling. Former US President George W. Heinekens Italian operation began in 1974 with the acquisition of the Dreher brewery, in 1996 it added the Moretti brewery. Heineken Italy has six brewing plants producing over 575 million litres of beer and its plants are, Pollein, Massafra, Messina, Comun Nuovo, Assemini. Birra Dreher was founded in Trieste in 1896 and it was bought by Heineken in 1974. Heineken also purchased Birra Ichnusa, a brewery founded in 1912 in Assemini and it is named after the Latinized ancient name Sardinia, Hyknusa. Birra Moretti was founded in Udine in 1859 by Luigi Moretti, Heineken acquired the company in 1996, selling the brewing plant to the new Castello beer company. There are eight beers under the Birra Moretti brand, Birra Moretti is the main brand, a 4. 6% abv pale lager launched in 1859, followed by La Rossa is a 7. 2% strong dark lager or dunkel. Other brands include Doppio Malto, Baffo dOro, and Sans Souci, a number of bottled beers named after regions of Italy, have also been introduced, such as Piemontese, a 5. 5%ABV fruit beer. Affligem was taken over by Heineken who renamed it the Affligem brewery. The brewery produces a range of beers, including Affligem Blonde, a 6. 8% pale ale, Affligem Dubbel, a 7% dubbel, Affligem Tripel, a 9. 5% tripel and Affligem Patersvat, a 6. 8% belgian ale. Amstel, Heineken, Athenian, Alfa Hellenic, Fischer, Marathon and it was established in 1963 by a group of Greek entrepreneurs and is a member of Heineken Group N. V
4.
Heineken International
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Heineken N. V. is a Dutch brewing company, founded in 1864 by Gerard Adriaan Heineken in Amsterdam. As of 2017, Heineken owns over 165 breweries in more than 70 countries and it produces 250 international, regional, local and specialty beers and ciders and employs approximately 73,000 people. Heinekens Dutch breweries are located in Zoeterwoude, s-Hertogenbosch and Wijlre, the original brewery in Amsterdam, closed in 1988, is preserved as a museum called Heineken Experience. Since the merger between the two largest brewing empires in the world, Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller, in October 2016, the Heineken company was founded in 1864 when the 22-year-old Gerard Adriaan Heineken bought a brewery known as De Hooiberg in Amsterdam. In 1869 Heineken switched to the use of bottom-fermenting yeast, in 1873 the brewerys name changed to Heinekens Bierbrouwerij Maatschappij, and opened a second brewery in Rotterdam in 1874. In 1886 Dr. H. Elion, a pupil of the French chemist Louis Pasteur and this yeast is still the key ingredient of Heineken beer. The founders son, Henry Pierre Heineken, managed the company from 1917 to 1940, during his tenure, Heineken developed techniques to maintain consistent beer quality during large-scale production. After World War I, the company focused more and more on export, three days after Prohibition ended in the United States, the first Heineken shipment landed in New York. From that day on, Heineken has remained one of the most successful imported beer brands in the United States, Henry Pierres son, Alfred Henry Freddy Heineken, started working at the company in 1940, and in 1971 was appointed Chairman of the Executive Board. He was a force behind Heinekens continued global expansion, and while he retired from the Executive Board in 1989. During this period, Heineken tried to increase its price by purchasing competing breweries. After World War II, many breweries were bought or closed. In 1968 Heineken merged with its biggest competitor, Amstel, the Amstel brewery was closed in 1980, and its production moved to Zoeterwoude and Den Bosch. Since the merger between Anheuser-Busch InBev and SABMiller in October 2016, Heineken has been the second largest brewer in the world. On January 12,2010, Heineken International successfully bought the division of Mexican giant FEMSA. The company will sell its products there through FEMSA, which is the largest bottler and brewery in all of Latin America, and maker of such brands as Dos Equis XX, Bohemia and Sol. FEMSA now owns 20% of Heineken N. V. after the early 2010 all-stock deal, becoming its largest single shareholder after the Dutch families who owns 25. 83% and public shareholders owning 54. 17%. The FEMSA acquisition is expected to keep Heineken in its position by growing its market share in the Latin American markets
5.
Grimbergen
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Grimbergen is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant,10 km north of national capital Brussels. The municipality comprises the towns of Beigem, Grimbergen, Humbeek, on January 1,2006 Grimbergen had a total population of 33,965. The total area is 38.61 km2 which gives a density of 880 inhabitants per km2. Grimbergen is located in the Flemish language area of Belgium, the French-speaking minority is represented by 4 members on the 30-seat local council. Grimbergen is mostly known for its Norbertine abbey and the beer first brewed there, grimbergens proximity to Brussels makes it a residential town for commuting. In Roman times, several important roads passed near the territory of present Grimbergen, a fort was built in the 8th century at the strategic point where the road crossed the river Zenne. The local lord soon acquired a piece of territory in this area, extending to the rivers Scheldt, Rupel. In the 12th century the name of the hamlet was Grentberghis, under the leadership of Norbert of Xanten, the Norbertine monks built the Grimbergen Abbey here in 1128, founding a beer brewery. A few years later, the animosity between the powerful Grimbergen family and their then infant overlord Godfrey III of Leuven precipitated the Wars of Grimbergen. The unrest caused the destruction of the castle by the Duke of Brabant, the move of the ruling Grimbergen lord to nearby Ninove. The citys coat of arms dates from that period, at the beginning of the 14th century, half of the territory became part of the estate of the House of Nassau. Like everywhere else in Flanders, the Wars of Religion of the end of the 16th century caused widespread destruction, the feudal regime and the power of the lords came to an abrupt end under the French Regime in 1794. The clerical powers of the abbey were abrogated a couple of year later until a few years after the Belgian Revolution of 1830, up until then, the towns character was mostly rural and agricultural. In the middle of the 19th century, the new road linking Vilvoorde to Aalst, the vicinal tramway arrived in 1887 and a local airfield was built after World War I. The majestic church of the Grimbergen Abbey, dedicated to Saint Servatius, the current construction dates from 1660 and ranks among the most harmonious Baroque buildings in Belgium. The tower houses a 49-bell carillon, the houses lining the central square in front of the church have also been rebuilt in the original style of the 18th century. In 1999, the church of Grimbergen has been given the title of basilica, the Grimbergen beer museum is located next door and gives its visitors an opportunity to taste the famous local brew. The oldest astronomical public observatory in the country is located in the former farm dependencies of the abbey and it also counts several farms dating from the 17th century as well as two medieval water mills
6.
Opwijk
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Opwijk is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Mazenzele and Opwijk proper, on January 1,2012, Opwijk had a total population of 13,990. The total area is 19.69 km² which gives a density of 690 inhabitants per km². Media related to Opwijk at Wikimedia Commons Official website - Available only in Dutch Heemkring Opwijk-Mazenzele - Available only in Dutch
This article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain: Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Afflighem". Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton.
Media related to Affligem at Wikimedia Commons
Affligem
