1.
Municipalities of Belgium
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As such, only Antwerp, having over 500,000 inhabitants, became subdivided into nine districts. The Belgian arrondissements, a level between province and municipality, or the lowest judicial level, are in English sometimes called districts as well. The municipalities with less than 5,000 inhabitants were grouped in so-called canton municipalities, in 1800, these canton municipalities were abolished again and the number of autonomous municipalities became 2,776. Not much changed during the United Kingdom of the Netherlands, only a number of municipalities were merged. In 1831, Belgium was divided into 2,739 municipalities, New municipalities were created until 1928. There were 2,528 municipalities in 1850,2,572 in 1875,2,617 in 1900 and this also includes the municipalities of the East Cantons that were added to Belgium following the First World War. In 1961, the so-called Unitary Law, of which the chapter was dedicated to the territorial organisation of the municipalities, was adopted. The authority to abolish municipalities was entrusted to the branch for a period of 10 years. Municipalities could be merged on financial grounds or on grounds of a geographical, linguistic, economic, in 1964 and in 1969 and 1970, roughly 300 municipalities ceased to exist and were subsumed into other municipalities. The number of municipalities was reduced from 2,663 in 1961 to 2,586 in 1965, article 4 of the constitution states that each municipality must belong to only one of the four official language areas that were established in 1962–63. In the three officially unilingual language areas, a couple of municipalities in the vicinity of another language area must provide limited facilities for speakers of that other language. Lucien Harmegnies, Minister of the Interior in the government of Gaston Eyskens decided to continue the process of reorganization of Belgium. In 1971, the provisions of the Unity Law were extended and modified to apply to large agglomerations and it was another Minister of the Interior, Joseph Michel, who managed the process. On December 30,1975, the law regarding the merger of the municipalities was adopted, the merger became effective on January 1,1977. The merger of 1977 further reduced the number of municipalities in Belgium from 2,359 to 596, because of the specific nature of the reorganization in Antwerp, the law of December 30,1975 didnt enter into force for Antwerp until January 1,1983. The formerly independent municipalities were called districts and were given an advisory function, however, on January 1,2001 they were given an administrative function again. The Mayor is not only the head of the municipality, he or she is also the representative of the Regional, in that capacity, he or she is responsible for the execution of laws, decrees, ordinances and orders. The Mayor is also responsible for the maintenance of order in his or her municipality
2.
Geographic coordinate system
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A geographic coordinate system is a coordinate system used in geography that enables every location on Earth to be specified by a set of numbers, letters or symbols. The coordinates are chosen such that one of the numbers represents a vertical position. A common choice of coordinates is latitude, longitude and elevation, to specify a location on a two-dimensional map requires a map projection. The invention of a coordinate system is generally credited to Eratosthenes of Cyrene. Ptolemy credited him with the adoption of longitude and latitude. Ptolemys 2nd-century Geography used the prime meridian but measured latitude from the equator instead. Mathematical cartography resumed in Europe following Maximus Planudes recovery of Ptolemys text a little before 1300, in 1884, the United States hosted the International Meridian Conference, attended by representatives from twenty-five nations. Twenty-two of them agreed to adopt the longitude of the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, the Dominican Republic voted against the motion, while France and Brazil abstained. France adopted Greenwich Mean Time in place of local determinations by the Paris Observatory in 1911, the latitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle between the equatorial plane and the straight line that passes through that point and through the center of the Earth. Lines joining points of the same latitude trace circles on the surface of Earth called parallels, as they are parallel to the equator, the north pole is 90° N, the south pole is 90° S. The 0° parallel of latitude is designated the equator, the plane of all geographic coordinate systems. The equator divides the globe into Northern and Southern Hemispheres, the longitude of a point on Earths surface is the angle east or west of a reference meridian to another meridian that passes through that point. All meridians are halves of great ellipses, which converge at the north and south poles, the prime meridian determines the proper Eastern and Western Hemispheres, although maps often divide these hemispheres further west in order to keep the Old World on a single side. The antipodal meridian of Greenwich is both 180°W and 180°E, the combination of these two components specifies the position of any location on the surface of Earth, without consideration of altitude or depth. The grid formed by lines of latitude and longitude is known as a graticule, the origin/zero point of this system is located in the Gulf of Guinea about 625 km south of Tema, Ghana. To completely specify a location of a feature on, in, or above Earth. Earth is not a sphere, but a shape approximating a biaxial ellipsoid. It is nearly spherical, but has an equatorial bulge making the radius at the equator about 0. 3% larger than the radius measured through the poles, the shorter axis approximately coincides with the axis of rotation
3.
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
4.
Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium
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Belgium is a federal state comprising three communities, three regions, and four language areas. For each of these types, the subdivisions together make up the entire country, in other words. The language areas were established by the Second Gilson Act, which entered force on August 2,1963. The division into language areas was included in the Belgian Constitution in 1970 and this is a schematic overview of the basic federal structure of Belgium as defined by Title I of the Belgian Constitution. Each of the entities either have their own Parliament and Government or their own Council, the language areas have no offices or powers and exist de facto as geographical circumscriptions, serving only to delineate the empowered subdivisions. The institutional communities are thus equally geographically determined, Belgian Communities do not officially refer directly to groups of people but rather to specific political, linguistic and cultural competencies of the country. There is no subnationality in Belgium, the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region each comprise five provinces. The Brussels-Capital Region is not a province, nor does it contain any, the three regions are further subdivided into 589 municipalities, which in general consist of several sub-municipalities. These sub-municipalities were independent municipalities in the past, but no longer serve an official purpose, the Federal State retains a considerable common heritage. This includes justice, defence, federal police, social security, public debt and other aspects of public finances, nuclear energy, the State is responsible for the obligations of Belgium and its federalized institutions towards the European Union and NATO. It controls substantial parts of public health, home affairs and foreign affairs and they supervise the provinces, municipalities and intercommunal utility companies. In several fields, the different levels each have their own say on specificities, each level can be involved in scientific research and international relations associated with its powers. Communities were created in 1970 as cultural communities with limited power, in 1980, more power was transferred from the federal state to these entities and they became simply communities. Both the Flemish and French Community have jurisdiction over the area of the Brussels-Capital Region, consequently, they do not have a defined number of inhabitants. The German-speaking Community is the community with an area over which they have sole jurisdiction as a community. It is located within the Walloon Region, which has transferred some regional powers to the German-speaking Community with regards to its area. The Flemish Region or Flanders occupies the part of Belgium. It has an area of 13,522 km2, or 44. 29% of Belgium
5.
Flemish Community
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The term community should then not be capitalized. State reforms in Belgium turned the country from a state into a federal one. Cultural communities were the first type of decentralisation in 1970, forming the Dutch, French, later on, in 1980, these became responsible for more cultural matters and were renamed to simply Community, the Dutch Community also being renamed to the Flemish Community. In the same state reform of 1980, the Flemish and Walloon Region were set up, in Flanders it was decided that the institutions of the Flemish Community would take up the tasks of the Flemish Region, so there is only one Flemish Parliament and one Flemish Government. Legally speaking, in the region of Brussel-Capital, the Flemish Community is responsible not for people but for Flemish institutions such as schools, theatres, libraries. The reason is no distinct sub-national status exists in Belgium. Yet, individuals living in Brussels can opt by their own choice for certain policies of the Flemish Community, Dutch is the official language of the Flemish Community. Minorities speak French, Yiddish, Turkish, Arabic, Berber, Italian, Spanish, English, though most of these groups are recent immigrants, since the Middle Ages, Jews have formed the oldest minority to retain its own identity. Compared with most areas in the Netherlands, the dialects of Flemish people still tend to be strong. In Dutch, these are often called tussentaal or, rather derogatorily, more recently, a number of local initiatives have been set up to save the traditional dialects and their diversity. In Brussels, the dialect is heavily influenced by French. Nowadays, most Flemings in Brussels do not speak the local dialect and this is due in part to the relatively large numbers of young Flemings coming to Brussels, after a long period of many more others moving out while French-speakers moved in. In certain municipalities along the border with the Walloon and the Brussels-Capital regions and these cover rights such as to receive official documentation in their own tongue. The community competencies there, are exercised by the two affected institutional communities, the Flemish Community therefore established a local elected council and executive to cater for intermediate-level decision making & public services. The VGC then recognised local, municipal institutions to care of the purely local public service in these community areas. Flanders has a radio and television broadcasting company, the Vlaamse Radio en Televisieomroep or VRT in Dutch. Since 1989, several companies for region-wide radio and television broadcasting have become established. There are also so-called regional broadcast companies of which the range is limited to smaller parts of the Flemish Region
6.
Flemish Region
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The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is simply referred to as Flanders. It occupies the part of Belgium and covers an area of 13,522 km2. It is one of the most densely populated regions of Europe with around 470 inhabitants per square kilometer, immediately after its establishment in 1980, the region transferred all its constitutional competencies to the Flemish Community. Thus, the current Flemish authorities represent all the Flemish people, hence, the Flemish Region is governed by the Flemish Community institutions. However, members of the Flemish Community parliament elected in the Brussels-Capital Region have no right to vote on Flemish regional affairs, the Flemish Region comprises five provinces, each consisting of administrative arrondissements that, in turn, contain municipalities. Brussels city, the seat of the Flemish parliament, is located within the Brussels-Capital Region, Brussels contains both the Flemish Community and the French Community, both having their institutions in Brussels. Flanders is home to a modern economy, with emphasis put on research. Many enterprises work closely with local knowledge and research centres to develop new products, De Lijn serves as the main public transport company, run by the Flemish government. It consists of buses and trams, TEC is the equivalent company in Wallonia, and MIVB-STIB in Brussels. The railway network run by the NMBS, however, is a federal responsibility, the Flemish government is also responsible for about 500 kilometers of regional roads and about 900 kilometers of highways in the territory of the Flemish Region. Other types of roads are roads and municipal roads. Approximately 5,500,000 people live in the area, the official language is Dutch, sometimes colloquially referred to as Flemish. The main dialect groups include West Flemish, East Flemish, Brabantian, French may be used for certain administrative purposes in a limited number of the so-called municipalities with language facilities around the Brussels-Capital Region and on the border with Wallonia. Rim municipalities are Drogenbos, Kraainem, Linkebeek, Sint-Genesius-Rode, Wemmel, Brussels was originally a Dutch-speaking city, but it was frenchified in the 19th and 20th century and is now largely French-speaking. A few municipalities in the Flemish agglomeration of Brussels are now also frenchified, municipalities with language facilities on the border with Wallonia are Bever, Herstappe, Mesen, Ronse, Spiere-Helkijn, Voeren. Communities and regions of Belgium Provinces of regions in Belgium De Vlaamse Leeuw Count of Flanders Flanders Flemish Flemish authorities, toerisme Vlaanderen French Flanders Frans-Vlaanderen The Flemish region reaches 6 million inhabitants
7.
Provinces of Belgium
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The country of Belgium is divided into three regions. Two of these regions, the Flemish Region or Flanders, and Walloon Region, the third region, the Brussels-Capital Region, is not divided into provinces, as it was originally only a small part of a province itself. Many of the provinces evolved from earlier duchies and counties of the name and similar location. At the time of the creation of Belgium in 1830, only nine provinces existed, including the province of Brabant and these divisions reflected political tensions between the French-speaking Walloons and the Dutch-speaking Flemish, the Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual. The division into provinces is fixed by Article 5 of the Belgian Constitution, the provinces are subdivided into 43 administrative arrondissements, and further into 589 municipalities. These each had their own identities and governments, though in the modern period almost all the Belgian states became part of larger entities. Each of the provinces of Belgium takes its name from one of these predecessors. At the time of the independence of Belgium from the Netherlands in 1830, the first article of the Belgian Constitution said, Belgium is divided into provinces. These provinces are Antwerp, Brabant, West Flanders, East Flanders, Hainaut, Liège, Limburg, Luxembourg, Namur, in 1839 half of the province of Limburg became part of the Netherlands, which consequently has its own province of Limburg. In 1920, following the First World War, Belgium annexed the Eupen-Malmedy territory, during the second half of the 20th century, Belgium transitioned from a unitary state to a federal state with three Communities and three Regions. As part of the reforms, the province of Brabant was split in 1995 three ways, into two provinces and into the Brussels-Capital Region. The two new Brabant provinces became part of the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region respectively, the remaining eight provinces became part of these regions as well, so the Flemish Region and the Walloon Region each contain five provinces. The Provincial Councils are the bodies of the population of the provinces. This is the equivalent of the States-Provincial in the Netherlands, the numbers of seats in the Provincial Councils are proportional to the population of the province, the numbers were reduced in both Flanders and Wallonia, starting 2013. They are directly elected each six years, at the time of the municipal elections. Before 1994, the elections instead coincided with the national elections. Until then, the provincial councils also appointed Provincial Senators to the Belgian Senate, the executive branch was previously called the Permanent Deputation. In the Flemish Region it is now called the Deputation and it consists of the Governor
8.
Flemish Brabant
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Flemish Brabant is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut, Flemish Brabant also surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region. It has an area of 2,106 km² which is divided into two administrative districts containing 65 municipalities, the split was made to accommodate the eventual division of Belgium in three regions. It is a province with a cultural history and a great diversity of typical products. The province is made up of two arrondissements, the Halle-Vilvoorde Arrondissement has Brussels in its middle and is therefore mainly a residential area, even though it also has large industrial zones and contains Belgiums main airport. The other arrondissement is the Leuven Arrondissement, centered on Leuven, other such special municipalities can be found along the border between Flanders and Wallonia, and between Wallonia and the German-speaking area of Belgium. Halle-Vilvoorde mostly surrounds Brussels, which is officially bilingual but whose inhabitants mostly speak French, the history of Brabant can be found at the Duchy of Brabant article, see also Duke of Brabant. The Governor is the representative or commissioner of the Federal and the Flemish Government in Flemish Brabant and he is appointed by the Flemish Government, on the unanimous advice of the Federal Council of Ministers. The current Governor is Lodewijk De Witte, he has been the Governor of Flemish Brabant since it was created in 1995 as a result of the splitting up of the Province of Brabant. He also presides over the Deputation, however, he doesnt have the right to vote in the Deputation except in cases where the Deputation exercises a judicial function. Flemish Brabant is that only province that has a Deputy Governor as well and he is responsible for ensuring that the language legislation is observed in the peripheral municipalities of Flemish Brabant. The Provincial Council of Flemish Brabant consists of 72 members elected for a term of office of 6 years, the last election was held on Sunday 14 October 2012. She is assisted by a Bureau which consists of two Vice-Presidents, four Secretaries, three Quaestors and the leaders of the fractions in the Provincial Council. The governing majority in the Provincial Council for 2013–2018 is formed by CD&V, Open VLD, sp. a and these parties together have a majority of 43 out of 72 seats. The Deputation is the organ responsible for the daily administration of the province. It consists of the Governor and six Deputies elected by the Provincial Council from among its midst. For the 2013–2018 legislative term, the Deputies are divided among the majority parties as follows, Flemish Brabant has 65 municipalities,35 in the Arrondissement of Halle-Vilvoorde and 30 in Leuven. Official web site of the Flemish Brabant province
9.
Arrondissements of Belgium
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Arrondissements of Belgium are subdivisions below the provinces of Belgium. There are administrative, judicial and electoral arrondissements and these may or may not relate to identical geographical areas. The 43 administrative arrondissements are a level between the municipalities and the provinces. Brussels-Capital forms a single arrondissement for all 19 municipalities in the region by that name, Belgium had 27 judicial arrondissements until April 1,2014. Until 1999 the electoral districts for the election of the parliaments were electoral arrondissements, the arrondissement of Brussels-Capital is not part of any province and consequently forms its own electoral district
10.
Arrondissement of Halle-Vilvoorde
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The Halle-Vilvoorde Arrondissement is one of the two administrative arrondissements in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It almost completely surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region and lies to the west of the arrondissement in the province. Unlike the Arrondissement of Leuven, it is not a judicial arrondissement, however since the sixth Belgian state reform in 2012–14, the Halle-Vilvoorde Arrondissement and the Brussels-Capital Region together formed the Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde electoral district and the Judicial Arrondissement of Brussels. The Arrondissement of Halle-Vilvoorde was established in 1963 when the borders were determined. On January 1,1971, the Arrondissement of Brussels-Periphery ceased to exist, in 1977, the then municipality of Muizen ceased to exist and was ceded to the Arrondissement of Mechelen, in the Province of Antwerp. The Administrative Arrondissement of Halle-Vilvoorde is made up of the municipalities, Population as of 1 January in recent years
11.
Open Vlaamse Liberalen en Democraten
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Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats, commonly known as Open Vld or simply as the VLD, is a liberal and conservative-liberal Flemish political party in Belgium. The party was created in 1992 from the former Party for Freedom and Progress, the party led the government for three cabinets under Guy Verhofstadt from 1999 until March 2008. Open VLD most recently formed the Federal Government with N-VA, CD&V, in the Flemish Parliament, the VLD formed a coalition government with sp. a-Spirit and Christian Democratic and Flemish from after the 2004 regional election until the 2009 regional election. Ideologically, Open VLD started as a liberal, somewhat Thatcherite party under its founder. The VLD rapidly became more centrist and gave up much of its free market approach, Party chairman Bart Somers called in November 2006 for a revolution within the party, saying that a liberal party, like the VLD, can be only progressive and social. Several of its thinkers such as Boudewijn Bouckaert, president of Nova Civitas, in 2004 the VLD teamed up with the minority social-liberal party Vivant for both the Flemish and European elections. VLD-Vivant lost the elections to arch rivals CD&V and the Flemish Bloc, the VLD fell from second to third place among the Flemish political parties, slipping narrowly behind the sp. a-Spirit cartel. Internal feuds, the support for electoral rights for immigrants and an economic policy were seen as the main reasons for its election defeat. From 2007 the party kept having electoral difficulties, first due to competition from split-off List Dedecker and after 2010 from the liberal-conservative Flemish-nationalist party N-VA, under the presidency of current chairwoman Gwendolyn Rutten the Open-Vld took on a more rightwing socio-economic course again. As such the party is the oldest political party of Belgium. In 1846, Walthère Frère-Orban succeeded in creating a program which could unite several liberal groups into one party. Before 1960, the Liberal Party of Belgium was barely organised, the school pact of 1958, as a result of which the most important argument for the traditional anti-clericalism was removed, gave the necessary impetus for a thorough renewal. During the liberal party congress of 1961, the Liberal Party was reformed into the bilingual Party for Freedom and Progress and it is a central principle of Classical Liberalism that employers and employees do NOT have opposed long term interests. In the late 1960s and the early 1970s, the tensions between the different communities in Belgium rose and there were disagreements within the movement as well. In 1972, the unitary PVV-PLP was split into separate a Flemish, willy De Clercq became the first chairman of the independent Party of Freedom and Progress. De Clercq, together with Frans Grootjans and Herman Vanderpoorten, set out the lines for the new party and this reform was coupled an Ethical Congress, on which the PVV adopted very progressive and tolerant stances regarding abortion, euthanasia, adultery, homosexuality and gender equality. In 1982, the 29-year-old reformer Guy Verhofstadt became the chairman of the party, Annemie Neyts succeeded him as chairman, becoming the first female party chairman. In 1989, Verhofstadt once more became the chairman of the PVV, in 1992, the PVV was reformed into the Flemish Liberals and Democrats under the impulse of Verhofstadt
12.
Christen-Democratisch en Vlaams
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Christian Democratic and Flemish is a Christian democratic Flemish political party in Belgium. The party has ties to both trade unionism and trade associations and the Farmers League. Until 2001, the party was named the Christian Peoples Party and it was traditionally the largest political party of Flanders, until it was overtaken by the New Flemish Alliance in the 2010s. CD&V participated in most governments and has generally the largest number of mayors, most Prime Ministers of Belgium and Ministers-President of Flanders have been CD&V politicians. Herman Van Rompuy, the president of the European Council from 2009 to 2014, is one of the politicians of CD&V. CD&V is a member of the European Peoples Party and Centrist Democrat International, the history of the CD&V dates back to the 19th century. It originated in the 19th century catholic party, or Parti conservateur, at the end of the century, the new fraction of the so-called Christian democrats shifted the focus of the party slightly to the left. In the interwar years the party was renamed Catholic Bloc, then, the Christian Social Party existed from 1945 until 1968. In 1968, the PSC-CVP was split into to the French-speaking Christian Social Party, in 2001 the CVP changed its name to the CD&V. The party was almost continually in power from its establishment until 1999, in 1999, the Flemish Liberals and Democrats became the largest party in Belgium, and formed a majority purple government of liberals, social democrats and greens. The same happened in the Flemish Government, but with the addition of Flemish nationalists, in 2003 CD&V again lost the federal elections which continuated the federal center-left coalition, but this time without the Greens. In 2004, Flemish elections were held and the CD&V once more became the largest political party by representation in the Flemish Parliament, after successful local elections in 2006, the party became the largest party in the Belgian Chambre of Representatives after the federal elections of 2007. The CD&V led the subsequent coalition talks, which repeatedly stalled, on the 20 March 2008, a new federal government was finally assembled, led by Yves Leterme. Kris Peeters subsequently became the next minister-president of Flanders, from 30 December 2008 till 25 November 2009, Herman Van Rompuy led his first cabinet before becoming the first permanent president of the European Council. Afterwards, Yves Leterme led his second government, in June 2009, Flemish elections were held and the CD&V remained the largest party of Flanders. Kris Peeters stayed as Flemish minister-president, the party also remained the largest Flemish party in the European Parliament after the 2009 European elections. In 2010, the Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats decided to out of the federal coalition. The federal elections of 2010 resulted in a loss of historic proportions for CD&V
13.
Municipality
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It is to be distinguished from the county, which may encompass rural territory and/or numerous small communities such as towns, villages and hamlets. The term municipality may also mean the governing or ruling body of a given municipality, a municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district. The term is derived from French municipalité and Latin municipalis, a municipality can be any political jurisdiction from a sovereign state, such as the Principality of Monaco, or a small village, such as West Hampton Dunes, New York. The power of municipalities range from virtual autonomy to complete subordination to the state, municipalities may have the right to tax individuals and corporations with income tax, property tax, and corporate income tax, but may also receive substantial funding from the state. Similar terms include Spanish ayuntamiento, also called municipalidad, Polish gmina, Dutch/Flemish Gemeente, in Australia, the term local government area is used in place of the generic municipality. Here, the LGA Structure covers only incorporated areas of Australia, incorporated areas are legally designated parts of states and territories over which incorporated local governing bodies have responsibility. In Canada, municipalities are local governments established through provincial and territorial legislation, the Province of Ontario has different tiers of municipalities, including lower, upper, and single tiers. Types of upper tier municipalities in Ontario include counties and regional municipalities, nova Scotia also has regional municipalities, which include cities, counties, districts, or towns as municipal units. In India, a Nagar Palika or Municipality is a local body that administers a city of population 100,000 or more. Under the Panchayati Raj system, it directly with the state government. Generally, smaller cities and bigger towns have a Nagar Palika. Nagar Palikas are also a form of local self-government entrusted with duties and responsibilities. Such a corporation in Great Britain consists of a head as a mayor or provost, since local government reorganisation, the unit in England, Northern Ireland and Wales is known as a district, and in Scotland as a council area. A district may be awarded borough or city status, or can retain its district title, in Jersey, a municipality refers to the honorary officials elected to run each of the 12 parishes into which it is subdivided. This is the highest level of government in this jurisdiction. In the United States, municipality is usually understood as a city, town, village, or other local government unit, in the Peoples Republic of China, a direct-controlled municipality is a city with equal status to a province, Beijing, Tianjin, Shanghai, and Chongqing. In Taiwan, a municipality is a city with equal status to a province, Kaohsiung, New Taipei, Taichung, Tainan, Taipei. In Portuguese language usage, there are two words to distinguish the territory and the administrative organ, when referring to the territory, the word concelho is used, when referring to the organ of State, the word município is used
14.
Brussels
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Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels which is the capital of Belgium. The Brussels-Capital Region is a part of both the French Community of Belgium and the Flemish Community, but is separate from the region of Flanders or Wallonia. The region has a population of 1.2 million and an area with a population of over 1.8 million. Brussels is the de facto capital of the European Union as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions, the secretariat of the Benelux and the headquarters of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization are also located in Brussels. Today, it is considered an Alpha global city, historically a Dutch-speaking city, Brussels has seen a language shift to French from the late 19th century onwards. Today, the majority language is French, and the Brussels-Capital Region is a bilingual enclave within the Flemish Region. All road signs, street names, and many advertisements and services are shown in both languages, Brussels is increasingly becoming multilingual with increasing numbers of migrants, expatriates and minority groups speaking their own languages. The most common theory of the origin of Brussels name is that it derives from the Old Dutch Broekzele or Broeksel, meaning marsh, Saint Vindicianus, the bishop of Cambrai made the first recorded reference to the place Brosella in 695 when it was still a hamlet. The origin of the settlement that was to become Brussels lies in Saint Gaugericus construction of a chapel on an island in the river Senne around 580. The official founding of Brussels is usually situated around 979, when Duke Charles of Lower Lotharingia transferred the relics of Saint Gudula from Moorsel to the Saint Gaugericus chapel, Charles would construct the first permanent fortification in the city, doing so on that same island. Lambert I of Leuven, Count of Leuven gained the County of Brussels around 1000 by marrying Charles daughter, as it grew to a population of around 30,000, the surrounding marshes were drained to allow for further expansion. The Counts of Leuven became Dukes of Brabant at about this time, in the 13th century, the city got its first walls. After the construction of the city walls in the early 13th century, to let the city expand, a second set of walls was erected between 1356 and 1383. Today, traces of it can still be seen, mostly because the small ring, Brabant had lost its independence, but Brussels became the Princely Capital of the prosperous Low Countries, and flourished. In 1516 Charles V, who had been heir of the Low Countries since 1506, was declared King of Spain in St. Michael and St. Gudula Cathedral in Brussels. Upon the death of his grandfather, Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor in 1519 and it was in the Palace complex at Coudenberg that Charles V abdicated in 1555. This impressive palace, famous all over Europe, had expanded since it had first become the seat of the Dukes of Brabant. In 1695, during the Nine Years War, King Louis XIV of France sent troops to bombard Brussels with artillery, together with the resulting fire, it was the most destructive event in the entire history of Brussels
15.
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
16.
Denderleeuw
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Denderleeuw is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the towns of Denderleeuw proper, Iddergem and Welle, on January 1,2012, Denderleeuw had a total population of 19,069. The total area is 13.77 km² which gives a density of 1384 inhabitants per km². The current mayor of Denderleeuw is Alberic Sergooris, from the CD&V, media related to Denderleeuw at Wikimedia Commons Official website
17.
Affligem
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Affligem is a municipality located some 20 km west-north-west of Brussels in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, not far from the town of Aalst and the important railway junction of Denderleeuw. The municipality comprises the villages of Essene, Hekelgem and Teralfene, on 1 January 2006 it had 11,956 inhabitants. The total area is 17.70 km2, giving a density of 676 inhabitants per km². Historically, the village is best known for the Benedictine Affligem Abbey, the abbey of Affligem was founded around 1074. The label anno 1074 on the Affligem beer bottles is based on the foundation history, the brand name is used under licence from the monks of Affligem, by the Op-Ale brewery in the neighbouring village of Opwijk. The brewery is now owned by Heineken International, who have renamed it the Affligem brewery and this article incorporates text from a publication now in the public domain, Herbermann, Charles, ed. Afflighem. Media related to Affligem at Wikimedia Commons Affligem Municipality Official site
18.
Teralfene
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Teralfene is a village in the municipality of Affligem, Belgium. It has an area of 244 ha, the other communities in Affligem are Hekelgem and Essene. The name Teralfene originates from the brook Alfene which flows into the Dender, the oldest reference to the village is Iuxta Alfnam During the post-Carolingian period, Teralfene belonged to the shire of Brabant. As from 1056 it was part of a German fief that was granted to the counts of Flanders, during the French period Teralfene was part of the Dijle-territory. During the Dutch period, this department was transformed to the province Zuid-Brabant by Willem I of Orange, until the end of 1976, Teralfene was an independent municipality. This list contains the known mayors of Teralfene until the merger into Affligem, before Teralfene became part of Affligem, two political parties were prominent at the local level, the Dries and the Daal-party, each named after an area of the village. Both parties originated from a disagreement over an inheritance, and divided Teralfene since 1850, the Daal and Dries parties had about equal power, and election victories switched constantly for over 100 years. After the merger into Affligem, other parties gained popularity, and the Daal and Dries parties dissolved
19.
Order of St. Benedict
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Each community within the order maintains its own autonomy, while the order itself represents their mutual interests. Internationally, the order is governed by the Benedictine Confederation, a body, established in 1883 by Pope Leo XIIIs Brief Summum semper, individuals whose communities are members of the order generally add the initials OSB after their names. The monastery at Subiaco in Italy, established by Saint Benedict of Nursia circa 529, was the first of the monasteries he founded. He later founded the Abbey of Monte Cassino, there is no evidence, however, that he intended to found an order and the Rule of Saint Benedict presupposes the autonomy of each community. It was from the monastery of St. Andrew in Rome that Augustine, the prior, at various stopping places during the journey, the monks left behind them traditions concerning their rule and form of life, and probably also some copies of the Rule. Lérins Abbey, for instance, founded by Honoratus in 375, probably received its first knowledge of the Benedictine Rule from the visit of St. Augustine, in Gaul and Switzerland, it supplemented the much stricter Irish or Celtic Rule introduced by Columbanus and others. In many monasteries it eventually displaced the earlier codes. Largely through the work of Benedict of Aniane, it became the rule of choice for monasteries throughout the Carolingian empire, Monastic scriptoria flourished from the ninth through the twelfth centuries. Sacred Scripture was always at the heart of every monastic scriptorium, as a general rule those of the monks who possessed skill as writers made this their chief, if not their sole active work. In the Middle Ages monasteries were founded by the nobility. Cluny Abbey was founded by William I, Duke of Aquitaine in 910, the abbey was noted for its strict adherence to the Rule of St. Benedict. The abbot of Cluny was the superior of all the daughter houses, one of the earliest reforms of Benedictine practice was that initiated in 980 by Romuald, who founded the Camaldolese community. The English Benedictine Congregation is the oldest of the nineteen Benedictine congregations, Augustine of Canterbury and his monks established the first English Benedictine monastery at Canterbury soon after their arrival in 597. Many of the sees of England were founded and governed by the Benedictines. Monasteries served as hospitals and places of refuge for the weak, the monks studied the healing properties of plants and minerals to alleviate the sufferings of the sick. Germany was evangelized by English Benedictines, willibrord and Boniface preached there in the seventh and eighth centuries and founded several abbeys. In the English Reformation, all monasteries were dissolved and their lands confiscated by the Crown, during the 19th century they were able to return to England, including to Selby Abbey in Yorkshire, one of the few great monastic churches to survive the Dissolution. St. Mildreds Priory, on the Isle of Thanet, Kent, was built in 1027 on the site of an abbey founded in 670 by the daughter of the first Christian King of Kent, currently the priory is home to a community of Benedictine nuns
20.
Affligem Abbey
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Affligem Abbey is a Benedictine monastery in the municipality of Affligem, Flemish Brabant, Belgium,19 kilometres to the north-west of Brussels. Dedicated in 1086, it was the most important monastery in the Duchy of Brabant, the abbey of Affligem was probably founded on the 28th of June,1062 by six hermits, a group of knights who repented of their violent way of life. Hermann II, Count Palatine of Lotharingia and his guardian, Anno II, the count Palatine donated the land on which to build the abbey church. The first St Peterchurch was erected in 1083, the Rule of St Benedict was adopted in 1085 and the abbey was dedicated in 1086. The counts of Brabant, also counts of Leuven, became their protectors in 1085/1086, a number of their family members are buried in the abbey church, including Queen Adeliza of England, as well as her father Duke Godfrey I of Leuven. The tomb of Queen Adeliza is lost, during the 12th century, the abbey became known for its strict observance of the discipline of the Cluniac reforms. Several monasteries, among them Maria Laach Abbey in Germany, were founded by the monks of Affligem, in 1523, Affligem joined the Bursfelde Congregation, a union of Benedictine monasteries formed in the 15th century for the stricter observance of the Benedictine rule. In 1569, the Archbishop of Mechelen became commendatory abbot and exercised his authority through a dean, Archbishop Jacob Boonen introduced the Monte Cassino observance. At his insistence, the Prior of Affligem, Benedict van Haeften, founded in 1627 a new congregation, B. M. V. in Templo Praesentat, which included Affligem and several other Belgian monasteries. In 1796, during the French occupation, the monks were dismissed, part of the buildings destroyed, the last dean, Beda Regaus, preserved the miraculous image of Our Lady, as well as the staff and chalice of Saint Bernard. These came into the possession of a Benedictine monk, Veremund Daens, in 1869/70, the abbey of Affligem was re-established. It is now a member of the Flemish Province of the Subiaco Congregation within the Benedictine Confederation, the first abbot of the abbey was Fulgentius
21.
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
22.
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
23.
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
24.
Public domain
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The term public domain has two senses of meaning. Anything published is out in the domain in the sense that it is available to the public. Once published, news and information in books is in the public domain, in the sense of intellectual property, works in the public domain are those whose exclusive intellectual property rights have expired, have been forfeited, or are inapplicable. Examples for works not covered by copyright which are therefore in the domain, are the formulae of Newtonian physics, cooking recipes. Examples for works actively dedicated into public domain by their authors are reference implementations of algorithms, NIHs ImageJ. The term is not normally applied to situations where the creator of a work retains residual rights, as rights are country-based and vary, a work may be subject to rights in one country and be in the public domain in another. Some rights depend on registrations on a basis, and the absence of registration in a particular country, if required. Although the term public domain did not come into use until the mid-18th century, the Romans had a large proprietary rights system where they defined many things that cannot be privately owned as res nullius, res communes, res publicae and res universitatis. The term res nullius was defined as not yet appropriated. The term res communes was defined as things that could be enjoyed by mankind, such as air, sunlight. The term res publicae referred to things that were shared by all citizens, when the first early copyright law was first established in Britain with the Statute of Anne in 1710, public domain did not appear. However, similar concepts were developed by British and French jurists in the eighteenth century, instead of public domain they used terms such as publici juris or propriété publique to describe works that were not covered by copyright law. The phrase fall in the domain can be traced to mid-nineteenth century France to describe the end of copyright term. In this historical context Paul Torremans describes copyright as a coral reef of private right jutting up from the ocean of the public domain. Because copyright law is different from country to country, Pamela Samuelson has described the public domain as being different sizes at different times in different countries. According to James Boyle this definition underlines common usage of the public domain and equates the public domain to public property. However, the usage of the public domain can be more granular. Such a definition regards work in copyright as private property subject to fair use rights, the materials that compose our cultural heritage must be free for all living to use no less than matter necessary for biological survival
25.
Catholic Encyclopedia
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The first volume appeared in March 1907 and the last three volumes appeared in 1912, followed by a master index volume in 1914 and later supplementary volumes. It was designed to give its readers full and authoritative information on the cycle of Catholic interests, action. The Catholic Encyclopedia was published by the Robert Appleton Company, a company incorporated at New York in February 1905 for the express purpose of publishing the encyclopedia. The five members of the encyclopedias Editorial Board also served as the directors of the company, in 1912 the companys name was changed to The Encyclopedia Press. Publication of the volumes was the sole business conducted by the company during the projects lifetime. The encyclopedia was designed to serve the Roman Catholic Church, concentrating on information related to the Church and it records the accomplishments of Catholics and others in nearly all intellectual and professional pursuits, including artists, educators, poets and scientists. The volumes came out sequentially the first two in 1907 and the last three in 1912, The editors had their first editorial meeting at the office of The Messenger, on West 16th Street, New York City. The text received a nihil obstat from an official censor, Remy Lafort, on November 1,1908 and this review process was presumably accelerated by the reuse of older authorized publications. A first supplement was published in 1922, a supplement in nine loose-leaf sections was published by The Gilmary Society between 1950 and 1958. In 1912, a special completely illustrated commemorative volume was awarded to patrons who contributed to the start of the enterprise by buying multiple encyclopedia sets early on. The encyclopedia was later updated under the auspices of The Catholic University of America and a 17-volume New Catholic Encyclopedia was first published in 1967, and then in 2002. The Catholic Encyclopedia and its makers states that, The work is entirely new, the editors have insisted that the articles should contain the latest and most accurate information to be obtained from the standard works on each subject. Those who wrote new articles in English include Anthony Maas and Herbert Thurston, under United States copyright law, all works published in the United States before 1923 are in the public domain. Knight founded the website New Advent to house the undertaking, volunteers from the United States, Canada, France, and Brazil helped in the transcription of the original material. The site went online in 1995, and transcription work ended in 1997, in 2007, Catholic Answers published a watermarked version derived from page scans. This version has since replaced with a transcription of the Encyclopedia similar to that found at the New Advent website. The Catholic Answers transcription, however, is a transcription of the original text, whereas the New Advent version at times modernizes certain words. Other scanned copies of the 1913 Encyclopedia are available on Google Books, at the Internet Archive, wikisource also hosts a transcription project backed by the scans hosted at Commons
26.
East Flanders
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East Flanders is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on Zeelandic Flanders and on the provinces of Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, of Hainaut and it has an area of 2,991 km² which is divided into six administrative districts containing 65 municipalities. The provincial population is 1,408,484 and the capital is Ghent, during the short-lived Napoleonic Empire, most of the area of the modern province was part of the Department of Escaut, named after the River Scheldt. The provincial flag has a lion with red tongue and claws, on a background of horizontal white. This is a recent adaptation, formerly, East Flanders used the Flemish flag, the old flag is still publicly used, e. g. for road signs. The province has several geographic and/or tourist regions, Denderstreek Meetjesland Waasland Flemish Ardennes Important rivers are the Scheldt, the Dender merges into the Scheldt in the city of Dendermonde. East Flanders is divided into 6 administrative arrondissements, subdivided into a total of 65 municipalities, in addition, there are 3 judicial and 3 electoral arrondissements. The province had a population of 1,445,831 as of 1 January 2011 and it had 734,000 inhabitants in 1380 and about a million in 1900. The capital and biggest city is Ghent, also the second largest city in the Flemish Region, other smaller cities are Aalst, Sint-Niklaas and Dendermonde in the east of the province. The provincial council consists of 72 members which were last elected in the 2012 elections, previously it consisted of 84 members. The deputation of East Flanders is a coalition of the political parties CD&V, Open Vld, the biggest party in the council, N-VA, is not included. The daily government is led by the governor, who is appointed by the Flemish Government, andré Denys has been the governor of East Flanders from 26 November 2004 until 21 January 2013. Jan Briers, who is not member of a party but was nominated by N-VA. The province has a budget of approximately 300 million euro
27.
Asse
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Asse is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It comprises the towns of Asse proper, Bekkerzeel, Kobbegem, Mollem, Relegem, on January 1,2006, Asse had a total population of 29,191. The total area is 49.64 km² which gives a density of 588 inhabitants per km². Asse was probably inhabited by the Celtic tribe of the Nervii, the name itself probably comes from a pre-Celtic word meaning water. It was probably inhabited from a date, stone tools have been found in various locations. The fertility of the soil and the relief which rises above the plains of present-day Flanders would also suggest that his would have been an early area of settlement. From the middle of the first century, a Roman military road connected it to the capital of the Roman province of Nervii in Bavay and it continued northwards as far as the naval port at present-day Rumst, with various side roads to the East and West. It is possible there was a Roman military camp to the south east of the present town centre in what is now known as borgstad. What is sure is that Asse grew to be a settlement or vicus at an, at least locally. Though no Roman buildings are extant there have been frequent archaeological finds including in 2007 a pottery and it is possible that there was local cult of Epona as a large number of clay horse figurines, presumably votive offerings, have been found. It is presumed that the Germanic language, which evolved into present-day Dutch, was introduced during the Frankish invasions in the fourth and fifth centuries. Place-name study would at least suggest that but there are no extant written sources, during the Carolingian period Asse was part of the region of Brabant. During the period of the Viking invasions it would seem there was a relatively important fortified site in Asse. From 1085 or 1086 Asse was part of the Duchy of Brabant under the Dukes of Leuven, the local vassal of the Duke was known as the Heer van Asse who was the Dukes hereditary standard bearer. Asse was situated on the roads of both north-south as well as east-west trade routes, having a fertile, easily cultivated and well-drained soil. It therefore grew to be an important centre and a relatively important military-strategic one. Asse has often been the subject of campaigns and has been recorded as having been burnt down several times. During this period lots of the power was inherited by the descendants of John II of Cottereau and his descendants today still are family of the current Marquess of Assche
28.
Liedekerke
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Liedekerke is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. On January 1,2006 Liedekerke had a population of 11,920. The total area is 10.08 km² which results in a density of 1,183 inhabitants per km². Liedekerke means church on the little hill, from the Carolingian era until the 11th century, Liedekerke was a part of the Shire of Brabant. Around 1056-1059, Baldwin V, Count of Flanders acquired the part of the village as a fief from the German emperor. This county ranged from the Scheldt and Dender rivers and also encompassed several villages along the Dender. The name Liekercke, which means church on the hill, was first drawn up as part of the county in 1092. The fortress of the dukes of Brabant was near the Dender, on the land of Denderleeuw, between 1796 and 1815, during the French occupation, Liedekerke became part of the department of the Dyle and in 1815 it became part of South Brabant. Karl Heeremans, painter Rita Deneve, singer Jonas Heymans, footballer Media related to Liedekerke at Wikimedia Commons Official website - Dutch
29.
Ternat
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Ternat is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the villages of Sint-Katherina-Lombeek, Ternat proper and Wambeek, on January 1,2006 Ternat had a total population of 14,625. The total area is 24.48 km² which gives a density of 597 inhabitants per km². The village of Ternat is the site of a sandstone church. The local authority offices are housed in an 18th-century mansion, everard tSerclaes Media related to Ternat at Wikimedia Commons
30.
Beersel
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Beersel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Alsemberg, Beersel proper, Dworp, Huizingen, on 1 January 2006 Beersel had a total population of 23,433. The total area is 30.01 km² which gives a density of 781 inhabitants per km². It is close to Brussels, Beersel is approximately 12 km southwest of the center of the city, Beersel is perhaps best known for the Kasteel van Beersel, built between 1300 and 1310 by Jan II, the Duke of Brabant, as a defense for Brussels. Guillaume Dufay, the most famous European composer of the 15th century, was most likely born in Beersel. Beersel is known for its boterham met plattekaas en radijzen, usually served with a beer, and for its mandjeskaas. Beersel also has two traditional, authentic geuze breweries, Oud Beersel and 3 Fonteinen
31.
Bever, Belgium
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Bever is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Bever proper and it is located at 50°43′N 3°56′E. On January 1,2006, Bever had a population of 2,023. The total area is 19.78 km² which gives a density of 102 inhabitants per km². It is a Dutch-speaking village with facilities for French-speakers. Media related to Bever, Belgium at Wikimedia Commons Gazetteer Entry
32.
Dilbeek
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Dilbeek is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Dilbeek proper, Groot-Bijgaarden, Itterbeek, Schepdaal, Sint-Martens-Bodegem, Dilbeek is located just outside the Brussels-Capital Region, in the Pajottenland, hence the local name Poort van het Pajottenland. Even though Dilbeek is located in the Dutch language area of Belgium and it is a mostly residential community with largely preserved rural areas and some industrial zones. The life of Saint Alena, the 7th-century martyr daughter of a lord of Dilbeek, was set in Dilbeek, the historical facts of her life, however, are disputed. In Carolingian times, Dilbeek and its villages were part of the pagus Bracbatensis. This territory, ruled by the Lords of Aa in Anderlecht, was integrated into the Landgraviate of Brabant by the counts of Leuven around 1085, the first mention of the name Dedelbeccha dates from 1075, while the name Bigardis, later transformed into Groot-Bijgaarden, dates from 1110. Bigardis was originally a dependency of the Abbey of Saint Bavo in Ghent, around 1183, the landgraviate became the Duchy of Brabant, within which Dilbeek remained as an independent parish until the French Revolution. The areas parishes belonged to the see of Cambrai until 1559, also in the 16th century, Dilbeek, Itterbeek and Sint-Martens-Bodegem were placed under the local rule of the Lords of Gaasbeek. The following decades were marked by the wars that opposed Catholics and Protestants, the final dismantlement and sale of the buildings took place during the French regime in the 1790s. Each of the six communes that make up the current municipality organizes several annual fairs, every spring, a tulip festival takes place in Dilbeek. Each summer the Vijverfestival, where Flemish bands perform on a floating stage, the imposing castle of Groot-Bijgaarden was built in 1640 around a 14th-century keep. Nearby is the Sint-Wivina domain, where ruins of the abbey still stand. Dilbeeks local authority offices, also known as the de Viron Castle, was built in 1863 in Tudor-style on the ruins of a 14th-century fortification, one of the medieval towers, the Sint-Alenatoren, can still be seen in the park surrounding the current building. On his visit to this fort, Charles V was reportedly served rabbit instead of his favourite hare, which resulted in the nickname konijnenfretters for the inhabitants of Dilbeek. Several other buildings of interest can also be found in the park The rural communes contain numerous old farms, including Het Neerhof, the tower of the Sint-Ambrosiuskerk dates from the same century. The main church of Sint-Anna-Pede was the used by Peter Brueghel the Elder in his 1568 painting The Parable of the Blind currently in Naples. The village now houses a Brueghel museum as well as a watermill dating from 1776. Dilbeek also houses an interesting museum, tracing the history of this local mode of transportation since its beginning in 1887
33.
Drogenbos
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Drogenbos is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Drogenbos proper, on January 1,2006, Drogenbos had a total population of 4,876. The total area is 2.49 km² which gives a density of 1,957 inhabitants per km². The official language of Drogenbos is Dutch, as everywhere in Flanders, joseph Loeckx, comic artist, pseudonym Jo-El Azara Charles Theodore, Elector of Bavaria, Duke of Bavaria Felix De Boeck, painter. A museum has opened in 1995 with the work of Felix De Boeck. Media related to Drogenbos at Wikimedia Commons Official website - Information available in Dutch and French
34.
Galmaarden
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Galmaarden is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Galmaarden proper, Tollembeek and Vollezele, on January 1,2006, Galmaarden had a total population of 8,058. The total area is 34.93 km² which gives a density of 231 inhabitants per km². Galmaarden is the current home of the comedian Urbanus, who has a statue in Tollembeek, media related to Galmaarden at Wikimedia Commons Official website - Only available in Dutch
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Gooik
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Gooik is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Gooik proper, Kester, Leerbeek, Strijland, on January 1,2006 Gooik had a total population of 8,895. The total area is 39.70 km² which gives a density of 224 inhabitants per km². Media related to Gooik at Wikimedia Commons Official website - Available only in Dutch
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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
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Halle, Belgium
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Halle is a city and municipality of Belgium, in the district Halle-Vilvoorde of the province Flemish Brabant. It is located on the Brussels-Charleroi Canal and on the Flemish side of the border that separates Flanders. Halle lies on the border between the Flemish plains to the North and the undulating Brabant lands to the South, the city also borders on the Pajottenland to the west. The official language of Halle is Dutch, the municipality Halle comprises the city of Halle proper and the towns of Buizingen and Lembeek. The neighboring towns are, Pepingen, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Beersel, Braine-lAlleud, Braine-le-Château, the population of Halle has increased from 32,758 inhabitants in 1991 to 34,882 on January 1,2006. The mayor is Dirk Pieters of the CD&V, borders have always played an important role in the history of Halle. Already in the era, before the Roman conquests, a tribe of Nervii – either a Germanized Celtic people or a celticized Germanic people – lived in this region. In the 7th century, Saint Waltrude, the daughter of an important Merovingian personality, from that time on and until the French Revolution, the region around Halle would depend to various degrees on the County of Hainaut. In the 8th century, Hubertus, archbishop of Tongeren, founded a church dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the town must have grown quickly since Jeanne, Countess of Flanders and Hainaut, already granted it its freedom charters in 1225. The miraculous statue of the Virgin arrived in Halle in 1267 as a gift to John II, Count of Holland. The cult of Mary attracted important visitors such as Edward I of England and Ludwig the Bavarian, a much bigger church was now needed, that was completed in the 15th century. The death of Philip the Bold, Duke of Burgundy in Halle in 1404 was actually a benefit to the city as all subsequent ruling Dukes of Burgundy were to pay a visit here. Even Louis XI of France decided to bury his son in the Halle church in 1460. After the death of Mary of Burgundy, Flanders and Brabant revolted against her husband Maximilian, while Hainaut, two attempts by a Brussels army to conquer Halle in 1489 failed. In the 16th century, Brussels and Halle were fighting again, again, two attempts failed, leading to an increased devotion to the citys miraculous statue. In 1621, with the support of the archdukes Albert and Isabella, Halle and the surrounding area were used by Philip IV of Spain as a warrant against a loan, leading to the cessation of the city to the Duke of Arenberg in 1648. Louis XIVs wars at the end of the resulted in heavy losses. The French Revolution brought the usual religious curtailments to religious life, however, the pilgrimage site, the religious services were completely restored under Napoleon, and the tradition of princely visits to the church of Halle continues until this day
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Herne, Belgium
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Herne is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Herfelingen, Herne proper and Sint-Pieters-Kapelle, on January 1,2006, Herne had a total population of 6,407. The total area is 44.63 km² which gives a density of 144 inhabitants per km². Media related to Herne, Belgium at Wikimedia Commons
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Hoeilaart
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Hoeilaart is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The name Hoeilaart is of Gallic-Celtic origin, coming from Ho-Lar, residents are called Hoeilanders or Doenders. The municipality only comprises the town of Hoeilaart proper, on January 1,2006, Hoeilaart had a total population of 10,074. The total area is 20.43 km² which gives a density of 493 inhabitants per km². Hoeilaart also sometimes called The Glass Village because of the greenhouse grape cultivation that took place. Local minorities consist of nationals from many European union-countries, USA and Canada, and from French-speakers
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Kampenhout
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Kampenhout is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Berg, Buken, Kampenhout proper, on January 1,2006, Kampenhout had a total population of 10,956. The total area is 33.49 km² which gives a density of 327 inhabitants per km². Honorary citizenship has been bestowed upon Jules Penninckx, Armand Preudhomme, cyclist Raymond Impanis, singer Will Tura, athlete Kim Gevaert, sabena Flight 548 crashed near Berg on February 15,1961, killing all on board, as well as one person on the ground. Media related to Kampenhout at Wikimedia Commons Homepage of Kampenhout Gazetteer Entry
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Kapelle-op-den-Bos
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Kapelle-op-den-Bos is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Kapelle-op-den-Bos proper, Nieuwenrode and Ramsdonk, on January 1,2006, Kapelle-op-den-Bos had a total population of 8,904. The total area is 15.25 km² which gives a density of 584 inhabitants per km². Numerous other industrial companies call Kapelle-op-den-Bos home, and the General Secondary College Sint-Theresia College has a wide catchment extending beyond municipal boundaries, the town was a target for heavy bombing during the First World War due to its proximity to transport routes. Kapelle-op-den-Bos is heavily polluted with asbestos, many inhabitants of the village died due to this mortal pollution. Health problems caused by the pollution still remain a major problem for the whole area. Media related to Kapelle-op-den-Bos at Wikimedia Commons Official website - Only available in Dutch
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Kraainem
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Kraainem is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality only comprises the town of Kraainem proper, on January 1,2006, Kraainem had a total population of 13,150. The total area is 5.80 km² which gives a density of 2,266 inhabitants per km². Kraainem is a municipality with language facilities within Flanders, where the official language is Dutch. However, in 1963, special facilities were given to French-speaking inhabitants. They can request official documents from the administration in French. Today, a majority of the inhabitants are French-speaking, Kraainem is one of the most affluent municipalities in Belgium. The forest of Stokkel belonged to the family until the 1920s. When grandfather dHuart died in 1927, his family decided to found la Société Immobilière de Stockel and this lane is the current Albert dHuartlaan that used to be covered with gravel until 1960. The homes surrounding the Hurlevent were built and afterwards those of the society of Utrecht, the real construction started in 1930 and accelerated after the second world war. Approximately 2800 people lived in Kraainem in 1940,3254 in 1945 and 5190 in 1954, in 1949 the social housing of Eigen Haard were built followed by the Josephine Charlotte neighbourhood in 1954. Over 11,000 persons lived in the Kraainem region in 1967, in 1993, of a total population of 12,780 residents,2,623 were immigrants. Despite being located in Flanders, Kraainem became increasingly francophone during the 20th century, communal politics is centred upon the language issue. The commune has two schools, one Dutch and one francophone, and in 1968 the new St-Dominicus chapel was inaugurated. Media related to Kraainem at Wikimedia Commons Official website
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Lennik
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Lennik is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Sint-Kwintens-Lennik, Sint-Martens-Lennik, and Gaasbeek, on January 1,2006, Lennik had a total population of 8,694. The total area is 30.80 km² which gives a density of 282 inhabitants per km². On its territory is the national Gaasbeek Castle museum, media related to Lennik at Wikimedia Commons Official website - Available only in Dutch QW1is official website - Available only in Dutch Chiro Lennik Official Website - Available only in Dutch
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Londerzeel
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Londerzeel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Londerzeel proper, Malderen, Steenhuffel, on 1 January 2006, Londerzeel had a total population of 17,435. The total area is 36.29 km² which gives a density of 480 inhabitants per km². Their football team is K. Londerzeel S. K. Gerard Walschap, Londerzeel has been twinned with Gladenbach since 2010. Media related to Londerzeel at Wikimedia Commons Official website Palm- Available only in Dutch and French
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Machelen
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Machelen is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Diegem and Machelen proper, on 1 January 2006 Machelen had a total population of 12,500. The total area is 11.59 km² which gives a density of 1,078 inhabitants per km². Machelen may have been the birthplace of composer Cypriano de Rore, a portion of Brussels Airport is located in Diegem, Machelen. Brussels Airlines has its headquarters in the b. house on the grounds of Brussels Airport and in Diegem. Brussels Airlines formed in 2006 as a result of a merger between SN Brussels and Virgin Express, media related to Machelen at Wikimedia Commons Official website – Only available in Dutch http, //www. uplace. eu/en/category/uplace-machelen-en/
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Meise
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Meise is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. As of January 1,2006, Meise had a population of 18,464. The total area is 34.82 km² which gives a density of 530 inhabitants per km². Meise is also a last name of a few families originating from Germany, the A12 runs vertically through the middle of Meise. Waalre, since 1980 Media related to Meise at Wikimedia Commons Official website
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Merchtem
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Merchtem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the villages of Brussegem and Hamme, the hamlet of Ossel and Peizegem, on July 9,2009, Merchtem had a total population of 15,298. The total area is 36.72 km² which gives a density of 416 inhabitants per km². Merchtem is known for de steltenlopers, people walking on stilts, Langevelde, a part of the municipality, was frequently flooded after heavy rain. In order to reach the centre, people were using sticks to walk, after an internal struggle, the group split up in two parts, stichting Langevelde and stichting Jan Vaderhasselt. On August 28,2006 mayor Eddie de Block introduced a ban on speaking French in the towns schools, mayor de Block said that the measure did not violate human rights and that it would help integration. A previous ban on signs in different from Dutch in the towns markets had been overturned by Flemish Interior Minister Marino Keulen. Media related to Merchtem at Wikimedia Commons Official website
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Overijse
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Overijse is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises the town of Overijse, and the communities of Eizer, Maleizen, Jezus-Eik, Tombeek, on December 31,2008, Overijse had a total population of 24,410. The total area is 44.43 km² which gives a density of 549 inhabitants per km². Overijse is surrounded by an extensive woodlands, with walk- and bicycle paths, the community is regarded as a very attractive area in which to live. French-speaking residents who have migrated mainly from Wallonia or Brussels are represented by 8 members on the 27-seat local council. According to the 2008 census, Overijse was also home to 4,842 expatriates including 1,236 Dutch,766 British,505 Germans,375 Americans,311 French and 295 Italian, near Overijse there is a medium wave transmitter for the Belgian foreign radio service. Overijse has a festival every year, held in August. The festival commemorates the industry that shaped the area, namely cultivation of grapes, in 2010 it is held from August 21–28. The Druivenkoers Overijse is a road bicycle race during the festival. The Vlaamse Druivencross is a December cyclo-cross classic race, in 1952, Albert Lootvoet, a local brewer started brewing the now world-famous Leffe beer according to its original recipe. The Leffe beers were brewed in Overijse from 1952 until 1977, Overijse draws its name from the nearby river, the IJse, that flows through the region. The oldest known name is Isca, the word is likely Celtic in origin, Overijse was the birthplace of the celebrated 16th century humanist Justus Lipsius. He was a professor at Leuven and was friends with the book printer and publisher Plantin. Overijse has several sights that sum up its history, The Late Gothic Sint Martinus Church with ship, the choir, castle of the IJse with a facade and a 15th-century hunting pavilion, against the castle walls Kellebron from the 13th century. By the beguinage a 15th-century Gothic castle, in the village Tombeek, the castle Bisdom with 12th-century towers. Also, Tombeek has the Sanatorium Joseph Lemaire, a building from architect Maxime Brunfaut. In the village Jezus-Eik is the Baroque Onze Lieve Vrouwenkerk with a choir from and a ship from 1667, restored in 2007
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
