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Schaarbeek

Schaerbeek or Schaarbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. The first mention of the name was Scarenbecca, recorded in a document from the Bishop of Cambrai in 1120. The origin of the name may come from the Franconian words schaer and beek . Schaerbeek is nicknamed "the city of donkeys" (la cité des ânes or de ezelsgemeente). This name is reminiscent of times when people of Schaerbeek, who were cultivators of sour cherries primarily for Kriek production, would arrive at the Brussels marketplace with donkeys laden with sour cherries. Donkeys are still kept in Josaphat Park and sour cherry trees line the streets of the Diamant Quarter of Schaerbeek (Avenue Milcampslaan, Avenue Emile Maxlaan and Avenue Opale/Opaallaan). The Square des Griottiers/Morelleboomsquare is named after these trees. The eastern part of Schaerbeek is nowadays a location selected by affluent people for its architecture and its convenient location (close to the EU institutions and the financial heart of the city, the airport and highways). Young couples are also favouring this suburb for its "Notting Hill" atmosphere and the still reasonable pricing of real estate, while prices are on the surge everywhere else in Brussels. The western part of Schaerbeek is home to a large Turkish immigrant community, a significant part of which originates from Afyon or Emirdağ, Turkey. It is also home to a large Moroccan population and other immigrant communities such as Spanish, Congolese, and Asian immigrants. The area around St. Mary's Royal Church is the part where the Turkish community gathers in Brussels, which has led the area to be dubbed "Petite Anatolie" because of all the Turkish restaurants and shops at the Chaussée de Haecht/Haachtsesteenweg. However because of the numerous schools like the Hogeschool Sint-Lukas Brussel, the administrations and the proximity of the Rue Royale there is a social mix. There are also several affluent streets and neighbourhoods in this area including the Quartier des Fleurs/Bloemenwijk, Boulevard Lambermontlaan, Place Meiserplein, Squares Huart-Hamoir and Francois Riga and Avenue Eugene Demolderlaan). The Schaerbeek Cemetery, despite its name, is actually in the neighbouring municipality of Evere.

Jubelpark

Parc du Cinquantenaire or Jubelpark is a large public, urban park in the easternmost part of the European Quarter in Brussels, Belgium. Most buildings of the U-shaped complex which dominate the park were commissioned by the Belgian government under the patronage of King Leopold II for the 1880 National Exhibition commemorating the fiftieth anniversary of Belgian independence. During successive exhibitions in the same area, more structures were added. The centrepiece triumphal arch was erected in 1905 replacing a previous temporary version of the arcade by Gédéon Bordiau. The structures were built in iron, glass and stone, symbolising the economic and industrial performance of Belgium. The surrounding 30-hectare park esplanade was full of picturesque gardens, ponds and waterfalls. It housed several trade fairs, exhibitions and festivals at the beginning of the century. In 1930 the government decided to reserve Cinquantenaire for use as a leisure park. The Royal Military Museum has been the sole tenant of the northern half of the complex since 1880. The southern half is occupied by the Cinquantenaire Museum and the AutoWorld Museum. The Temple of Human Passions, a remainder from 1886, and the Great Mosque of Brussels from 1978 are located in the north-western corner of the park . Line 1 of the Brussels Metro and the Belliard Tunnel from Rue de la Loi pass underneath the park, the latter partly in an open section in front of the Arch. The nearest metro stations are Schuman to the west of the park, and Mérode immediately to the east.

Sint-Gillis

Saint-Gilles or Sint-Gillis is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. Saint-Gilles has a multicultural identity stemming from its diverse population. For example, the central square hosts the annual festival of Brussels' Portuguese community. The housing stock varies from semi-derelict tenements near the Brussels-South railway station in the north, to elegant patrician houses on the southern borders with Uccle and Ixelles, to tourist hotels at the inner end of the Chaussée de Charleroi/Charleroisesteenweg. Saint-Gilles is also known as one of the centers of artistic and student life in Brussels. == History == === Beginnings as Obbrussel === The first houses of the hamlet of Obbrussel were built between the 7th and the 11th century close to Altitude 100, one of the points of highest elevation in Brussels, now part of Forest. In 1216, following strong demographic growth in the area, the Forest Abbey allowed Obbrussel to become an independent parish. This independence, however, was to last only eighty years, after which the administration of the village was given to Brussels. By the 16th century, Obbrussel had grown to 41 houses. In 1670, following orders from the Spanish government, the Count of Monterey built a fort in Obbrussel as part of the fortifications of Brussels to protect the city of Brussels against possible attacks. Erected in 1675, this fort was dismantled in the following century to give way to several important toll roads and urban development. The name of the Barrière de Saint-Gilles/Bareel van Sint-Gillis neighbourhood still commemorates those tolls to this day. === French Regime until today === During the French regime, on August 31, 1795, the village, by now called Saint-Gilles after its patron saint and main church, merged with neighbouring villages to form Uccle. Four years later, it gained its independence again, with its own mayor and municipal counsel. In 1830, Brussels became the capital of newly founded Belgium. As a result, the rural village of Saint-Gilles, known for centuries for its cabbage cultivation, went through an unprecedented construction spree. The population went from 2,500 around 1800 to more than 33,000 in 1880 to a peak of 60,000 in 1910. The streets pattern was completely remodeled in the 1860s by architect and urbanist Victor Besme. These were the years when the Louise Avenue, the Brussels-South railway station, and the new Saint Giles church were built, to be followed soon after by the new jail and city hall. Today, Saint-Gilles is one of the densest municipalities of the Brussels agglomeration. == Sights == Particular architectural delights are found in the dozen or more Art Nouveau houses designed by masters such as Horta, Struyvens, and Hankar, dotted around the upper part of the municipality. The house that Horta designed for himself, now the Horta Museum, is located there, on Rue Americaine/Amerikaansestraat. Several of those houses have been recognized as World Heritage Sites by UNESCO in 2000. The imposing town hall, built between 1900 and 1904, looks larger than it is, and bears a splendid resemblance to a French château with Venetian overtones. The extant Gothic revival jail and the demolished Palais de la Monnaie/Munthof both date from the 1880s, while Saint Giles's church was built in 1867. There is not a lot of open space in the municipality, although the Forest park, Brussels/Park van Vorst abuts its western side. == Politics == The local council usually has a socialist majority, and the current mayor is Charles Picqué, who is a former Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region. == Events == Saint-Gilles hosts: an annual open day for local artists, the Parcours des Artistes the annual festival of Brussels's Portuguese community an annual winegrowers' festival (fête des vignerons) == Famous inhabitants == Alme Meyvis, landscape painter (1877-1932) Jef Lambeaux, sculptor (1852-1908) Victor Horta, Art Nouveau architect (1861-1947) Pierre Paulus, expressionist painter (1881-1959) Paul Delvaux, surrealist painter (1897-1994) Paul-Henri Spaak, politician and statesman (1899-1972) Rob Redding, American abstract painter and media proprietor (2013-2013) == Transportation == Saint-Gilles’s dense population is well served by public transport: the Brussels-South railway station with its international high speed connections sits at the northern tip of the municipal territory, and the underground premetro line passes southwards through it. Inhabitants have access to the 3, 4, 55, 81, 90, 91, 92, 93, 94 and 97 trams as well as buses 48 to Stalle, 134 to St-Job, 136/137 to Alsemberg, 365 to Charleroi and W to Waterloo. There are two pods of Cambio shared cars, opposite the Horta metro station and outside the Siemens training centre near Place Janssens/Janssensplein. A car is also sited at the Village Partenaire business centre at Rue Théodore Verhaegen 150. == Sports == Saint Gilles has a legendary football club called Royal Union Saint Gilloise, which was successful until the 1930s. == Twin cities == France: Puteaux Luxembourg: Esch-sur-Alzette Italy: Velletri Germany: Offenbach am Main Austria: Mödling Serbia: Zemun Netherlands: Tilburg Switzerland: Schaffhausen United Kingdom: Tower Hamlets == References == Bernier, Fernand (1904). Weissenbruch, ed. Monographie de Saint-Gilles lez-Bruxelles Histoire et description illustrées (in French). Brussels. OCLC 80713780. == External links == Official web page, in French or Dutch

Sint-Joost-ten-Node

Saint-Josse-ten-Noode or Sint-Joost-ten-Node is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. On 1 January 2007 the municipality had a total population of 23,785. The total area is 1.14 km² which gives a population density of 20,664 inhabitants per km². With only 1.14 km², Saint-Josse-ten-Noode is both the municipality with the smallest territory and the highest population density in Belgium. Saint-Josse-ten-Noode was originally a farming village on the outskirts of Brussels. In the centuries before the dismantling of the ramparts encircling Brussels, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode was also the place where noblemen built country estates, the most notable amongst them the Castle of the Dukes of Brabant built by Philip the Good in 1456. The area surrounding that castle was planted with wine groves which explains the presence of the bushel of grapes in the coat of arms of the commune. After the demolition of the ramparts, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode was one of the first areas outside Brussels to urbanise. The rich built houses around the new boulevards and higher parts of the commune, while industries and workman's cottages were built in the lower lying part close to the River Zenne. In 1855, 58% of the land area of Saint-Joose-Ten-Noode was annexed by the municipality of the City of Brussels to make way for the Squares Ambiorix, Palmerston, Marie-Louise and Marguerite of the newly created Leopold Quarter (now the European Quarter). According to an inventory of architecture commissioned by the region of Brussels, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode has on average the oldest buildings of all 19 Brussels communes.

Jette

Jette is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. The Vrije Universiteit Brussel, the Dutch-speaking university of Brussels has built its hospital and medical campus in Jette, while its other buildings are in the so-called Etterbeek campus actually located in Ixelles/Elsene. == History == === Origins to Middle Ages === Neolithic tools and remains of a Gallo-Roman villa have been found on the territory of Jette, proving the old age of the first settlements in this area. The fact that its first church was dedicated to Saint Peter also indicates early Christianization. During the Middle Ages, parts of the territory were feudal dependencies of the Duchy of Brabant. Under the duke’s protection, the Abbey of Dieleghem was founded in 1095 by the Bishop of Cambrai and administered by Augustinian canons. In 1140, the abbey’s monks switched to the rules of the Premonstratensian order. In the 13th century, the abbey now called Dieleghem possessed half of the commune’s territory and played an important social and economic role until the French Revolution. === 17th to 20th century === During the “Old Regime”, Jette was part of the town of Merchtem. In the 17th century, the minister of finances under Archdukes Albert and Isabella acquired and refurbished the old 12th century Rivieren castle in Ganshoren, near Jette. In 1654, the minister’s son made this estate into a barony, then five years later into a county, which included Jette and several neighbouring villages. In the 1790s, the regime that was put in power by the French Revolution curtailed the religious freedoms drastically. The monks were expulsed from the abbey in 1796 and most of the buildings demolished the following year. Only the abbott’s house was kept, as a leisure house. In 1841, the village of Ganshoren split from Jette. During the following decades, what remained of Jette gradually lost its rural character to become a Brussels suburb. Its population, which was around 10,000 in 1900 grew to more than 40,000 in 1971. == Sights == The Jette city hall, Jules Van Ysendyck’s masterpiece, dates from the beginning of the 20th century. The only extant building of the Abbey of Dieleghem has been converted into a mostly historical museum. Jette has kept a few of its old pubs and breweries, as well as a blacksmith’s workshop that still operated until 1960. The René Magritte museum was set up in the house where the famous painter lived and worked for twenty-four years. == Famous inhabitants == René Magritte, surrealist painter (1898-1967) Jean Roba, comics author, creator of Boule et Bill (1930-2006) François Narmon (b. Jette, 1934), businessman Thomas Chatelle, football player (b. 1981) Jason Denayer, football player (b. 1995) == Partner cities == Morocco: Sidi Bibi Mexico: Jojutla == References == == External links == Official website (Dutch)

Schaerbeek

Schaerbeek or Schaarbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. The first mention of the name was Scarenbecca, recorded in a document from the Bishop of Cambrai in 1120. The origin of the name may come from the Franconian words schaer and beek . Schaerbeek is nicknamed "the city of donkeys" (la cité des ânes or de ezelsgemeente). This name is reminiscent of times when people of Schaerbeek, who were cultivators of sour cherries primarily for Kriek production, would arrive at the Brussels marketplace with donkeys laden with sour cherries. Donkeys are still kept in Josaphat Park and sour cherry trees line the streets of the Diamant Quarter of Schaerbeek (Avenue Milcampslaan, Avenue Emile Maxlaan and Avenue Opale/Opaallaan). The Square des Griottiers/Morelleboomsquare is named after these trees. The eastern part of Schaerbeek is nowadays a location selected by affluent people for its architecture and its convenient location (close to the EU institutions and the financial heart of the city, the airport and highways). Young couples are also favouring this suburb for its "Notting Hill" atmosphere and the still reasonable pricing of real estate, while prices are on the surge everywhere else in Brussels. The western part of Schaerbeek is home to a large Turkish immigrant community, a significant part of which originates from Afyon or Emirdağ, Turkey. It is also home to a large Moroccan population and other immigrant communities such as Spanish, Congolese, and Asian immigrants. The area around St. Mary's Royal Church is the part where the Turkish community gathers in Brussels, which has led the area to be dubbed "Petite Anatolie" because of all the Turkish restaurants and shops at the Chaussée de Haecht/Haachtsesteenweg. However because of the numerous schools like the Hogeschool Sint-Lukas Brussel, the administrations and the proximity of the Rue Royale there is a social mix. There are also several affluent streets and neighbourhoods in this area including the Quartier des Fleurs/Bloemenwijk, Boulevard Lambermontlaan, Place Meiserplein, Squares Huart-Hamoir and Francois Riga and Avenue Eugene Demolderlaan). The Schaerbeek Cemetery, despite its name, is actually in the neighbouring municipality of Evere.

Great Mosque of Brussels

The Great Mosque of Brussels is the oldest mosque in Brussels. It is located in the Cinquantenaire Park. It is also the seat of the Islamic and Cultural Centre of Belgium. The original building was built by architect Ernest Van Humbeek in an Arabic style, to form the Oriental Pavilion of the National Exhibition in Brussels in 1880. At that time the pavilion housed a monumental painting on canvas: “Panorama of Cairo”, by the Belgian painter Emile Wauters, which enjoyed major success. However, lack of maintenance in the twentieth century caused the building to deteriorate gradually. In 1967, King Baudouin made a gift of the building to King Faisal ibn Abd al-Aziz of Saudi Arabia, on an official visit to Belgium, that it might be turned into a place of worship for the use of the Muslim community of Belgium which had grown considerably by that time. The mosque, after a long reconstruction carried out at the expense of Saudi Arabia by Tunisian architect Boubaker, was inaugurated in 1978 in the presence of Khalid ibn Abd al-Aziz and Baudouin. The Mosques role the leading religious institution within the Belgian Islamic community—as well as its intended role as diplomatic bridge between the Saudi and Belgian monarchies—has been a point of debate since its re-foundation. Today, it also hosts a school and an Islamic research centre whose objectives are to propagate the Muslim faith. The centre also provides courses of Arabic for adults and children, as well as introductory courses in Islam.

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