Braine-l'Alleud

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Coordinates: 50°41′N 04°22′E

Braine-l'Alleud

Geography

Country

Region

Community

Province

Arrondissement

Coordinates

Area

52.12 km²

Population (Source: NIS)

Population
– Males
– Females
- Density

37,197 (01/01/2006)
48.21%
51.79%
714 inhab./km²

Economy

Unemployment rate

10.40% (01/01/2006)

Mean annual income

15,745 €/pers. (2003)

Government

Mayor

Vincent Scourneau (MR-IC)

Governing parties

MR-IC, PS

Other information

Postal codes

1420, 1421, 1428

Area codes

Web address

www.braine-lalleud.be

Braine-l'Alleud (Dutch: Eigenbrakel) is a suburban Belgian municipality located in the Walloon province of Walloon Brabant, about 20 kilometers south of Brussels. The Braine-l’Alleud municipality includes the former communes of Braine-l’Alleud proper, Ophain-Bois-Seigneur-Isaac, and Lillois-Witterzée. It also includes the hamlet of Sart-Moulin, the inverted name of which inspired Hergé’s Moulinsart castle. The famous Lion of Waterloo is actually located on the territory of Braine-l'Alleud.

1 History
- 1.1 Middle Ages
- 1.2 Battle of Waterloo
2 Sights
3 Folklore
4 Famous inhabitants
5 Twin cities
6 External links

[edit] History

[edit] Middle Ages

Several archaeological finds point to prehistoric settlements in this area. The first historical mention of a parish on Braine-l’Alleud’s current territory, then called Dudinsart, dates from 1131, date at which Godfrey I, Duke of Brabant ceded it to the Abbey of Gembloux. The Duke, however, still owned exempt land (or franchise) on this territory, as specified in a legal document by Henry I dated 1197. The name of the municipality changed to the current one, derived from “Braine”, former name of the stream that crosses its territory (now called the “Hain”), and “alleu”, a medieval French word designating exempt land. The latter name was added to the former to distinguish this community from two neighbouring ones also called Braine.

Church of Saint-Etienne

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

[edit] Battle of Waterloo

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

[edit] Sights

The Butte du Lion, erected on the famous Battle of Waterloo, attracts thousands of visitors every year. A nearby visitor centre, a wax museum and a painted panorama also help retrace the events that led to Napoleon’s defeat in 1815.
Converted into a tourist information centre, the former house of Cardinal Mercier is a good starting point to explore the town.

The Butte du Lion, which overlooks the Waterloo battle field

[edit] Folklore

The town of Ophain hosts a yearly carnival.
Like many other towns in Wallonia, Braine-l’Alleud is home to giant puppets who take part in the local festivities.

[edit] Famous inhabitants

Désiré-Joseph Mercier, cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and national hero (1851-1926)
Paul-Henri Spaak, politician and statesman (1899-1972)
Gaston Reiff, track-and-field athlete (1921-1992)

[edit] Twin cities

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Braine-l’Alleud

Official web site (in French)

	Municipalities in the Province of Walloon Brabant, Walloon Region, Belgium
Nivelles: Beauvechain \| Braine-l'Alleud \| Braine-le-Château \| Chastre \| Chaumont-Gistoux \| Court-Saint-Etienne \| Genappe \| Grez-Doiceau \| Hélécine \| Incourt \| Ittre \| Jodoigne \| La Hulpe \| Lasne \| Mont-Saint-Guibert \| Nivelles \| Orp-Jauche \| Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve \| Perwez \| Ramillies \| Rebecq \| Rixensart \| Tubize \| Villers-la-Ville \| Walhain \| Waterloo \| Wavre