Bertem is a municipality

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 located in the Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 province of Flemish Brabant

Flemish Brabant

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 and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also completely surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region. Its capital is Leuven...

. The municipality comprises the towns of Bertem proper, Korbeek-Dijle

Korbeek-Dijle

Korbeek-Dijle is a village in the Belgian province Flemish Brabant and is part of the commune of Bertem. Korbeek-Dijle is known because of its church, the Sint-Bartholomeuschurch . This church has been renovated in 1988-89....

 and Leefdaal

Leefdaal

Leefdaal is a small town in central Belgium, in the Flemish Brabant. It's part of the commune of Bertem. Before 1977 it used to be one of the biggest villages in the region. Leefdaal features two medieval churches and a 17th century castle....

. On January 1, 2006 Bertem had a total population of 9,215. The total area is 29.75 km² which gives a population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 310 inhabitants per km².

The area is noted for its rural landscape, in particular the Koeheide http://www.koeheide.be and Bertembos ("Bertem Forest"). On the open plains of Leefdaal, it is possible to see the endangered

Endangered species

An endangered species is a population of organisms which is at risk of becoming extinct because it is either few in numbers, or threatened by changing environmental or predation parameters...

 European Hamster

European Hamster

The European hamster, , also known as the black-bellied hamster or common hamster, is a hamster which is the only species of the genus Cricetus. It is native to a large global range, extending from western Europe, through central and eastern Europe, Russia, and Kazakhstan, reaching as far east as...

 (Cricetus cricetus) (external link European Hamster). The village of Bertem itself is home to the Sint-Pieters-Bandenkerk, a romanesque

Romanesque architecture

Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...

 church built between 950

950

Year 950 was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Julian calendar.- Europe :* Duke Boleslav I of Bohemia makes peace with Otto I....

 and 1050.

External links

• bertem.be
• VC. Bertem-Leefdaal, the local soccer club of Bertem
• koeheide.be
• Gazetteer Entry
• Sint-Pieters-Bandenkerk (in Dutch)