Dilbeek
Encyclopedia
Dilbeek (ˈdɪlbe.k) 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
(with Sint-Anna-Pede
), Schepdaal
(with Sint-Gertrudis-Pede
), Sint-Martens-Bodegem
, and Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle
. Dilbeek is located just outside the Brussels-Capital Region, in the Payottenland
, hence the local name Poort van het Pajottenland (Gate to the Payottenland). Even though Dilbeek is located in the Dutch language area of Belgium, there is a French speaking minority represented by 4 members (5 in 2000) on the 33-seat local council. It is a mostly residential community with largely preserved rural areas and some industrial zones.
, the 7th century martyr daughter of a lord of Dilbeek, was set in Dilbeek and Forest (Vorst)
. The historical facts of her life, however, are disputed. In Carolingian
times, Dilbeek and its neighbouring 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 (in French Grand Bigard), dates from 1110. Bigardis was originally a dependency of the Abbey of Saint Bavo in Ghent
, but by 1125, nuns under the leadership of Saint Wivina had founded a religious community there. Around 1183, the landgraviate became the Duchy of Brabant
, within which Dilbeek remained as an independent parish until the French Revolution
.
. The following decades were marked by the wars that opposed Catholics and Protestants, which resulted in the ruin of the Abbey of Groot-Bijgaarden. The final dismantlement and sale of the buildings took place during the French
regime in the 1790s.
Provinces of Belgium
Belgium is divided into three regions, two of them are subdivided into five provinces each.The division into provinces is fixed by Article 5 of the Belgian Constitution...
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...
, in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, one of the three regions of Belgium
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...
. The municipality comprises the villages of Dilbeek proper, Groot-Bijgaarden
Groot-Bijgaarden
Groot-Bijgaarden is a village and deelgemeente of Dilbeek.-Toponomy:The name Bijgaarden is derived from the Germanic word for enclosure. The appellation "Great" was attached to distinguish it from the smaller Klein-Bijgaarden nearby, now in the municipality of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw.-History:The...
, Itterbeek
Itterbeek
Itterbeek is a village and deelgemeente of Dilbeek.- Toponymy :De community derives its name from the Indo-European words 'eud-' en 'baki' . One of the first mentions dates back to the 12th century, as Itrebecche. In 1176 the village was mentioned as Itterbecca.- History :Itterbeek used to be part...
(with Sint-Anna-Pede
Sint-Anna-Pede
Sint-Anna-Pede is a village in Itterbeek, which is a deelgemeente of Dilbeek. It gets its name from the Pedebeek, the stream that flows through the village....
), Schepdaal
Schepdaal
- History :The oldest mention dates back to 1260, when the area was called Scepdale. Before 1827 Schepdaal was a part of Zierbeek, named after the stream with the same name that runs through the village, and was a part of Sint-Martens-Lennik....
(with Sint-Gertrudis-Pede
Sint-Gertrudis-Pede
Sint-Gertrudis-Pede is a village in Dilbeek-Toponymy:According to the legend Gertrude of Nivelles, abdis of Nijvel, was on her way to Lennik when her carriage became stuck in the mud. Therefore she was obligated to carry on on foot...
), Sint-Martens-Bodegem
Sint-Martens-Bodegem
Sint-Martens-Bodegem is a village and deelgemeente of Dilbeek. It has 2638 inhabitants.- Toponymy :For a long time it was assumed that the mention 'Bodenghem' in the founding charter of the abbey of Affligem applied to Bodegem, but this is nowadays contested because of a possible confusion with...
, and Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle
Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle
- History :Historically, Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle was a part of the Land of Asse.Together with Dilbeek, Groot-Bijgaarden, Itterbeek, Schepdaal and Sint-Martens-Bodegem, it forms since the 1st of january of 1977 the municipality of Dilbeek.-Geography:...
. Dilbeek is located just outside the Brussels-Capital Region, in the Payottenland
Payottenland
The Pajottenland is a part of the Flemish Brabant province west of the Brussels Capital Region. The Pajottenland is predominantly farmland, with occasional gently rolling hills...
, hence the local name Poort van het Pajottenland (Gate to the Payottenland). Even though Dilbeek is located in the Dutch language area of Belgium, there is a French speaking minority represented by 4 members (5 in 2000) on the 33-seat local council. It is a mostly residential community with largely preserved rural areas and some industrial zones.
Medieval origins
The life of Saint AlenaSaint Alena
Saint Alena is a Christian saint. Born in Dilbeek, just outside Brussels, Belgium, she was baptized without the knowledge of her pagan parents. She had to secretly attend mass and one night her father told his guards to follow her. Her father came to the conclusion that Christians had bewitched...
, the 7th century martyr daughter of a lord of Dilbeek, was set in Dilbeek and Forest (Vorst)
Forest, Belgium
Forest or Vorst is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.The town is commonly known for its concert hall...
. The historical facts of her life, however, are disputed. In Carolingian
Carolingian
The Carolingian dynasty was a Frankish noble family with origins in the Arnulfing and Pippinid clans of the 7th century AD. The name "Carolingian", Medieval Latin karolingi, an altered form of an unattested Old High German *karling, kerling The Carolingian dynasty (known variously as the...
times, Dilbeek and its neighbouring villages were part of the pagus
Pagus
In the later Western Roman Empire, following the reorganization of Diocletian, a pagus became the smallest administrative district of a province....
Bracbatensis. This territory, ruled by the Lords of Aa in Anderlecht
Anderlecht
Anderlecht is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region.There are several historically and architecturally distinct districts within the Anderlecht municipality.-Pronunciation:* Dutch: * French:...
, was integrated into the Landgraviate of Brabant
Brabant (landgraviat)
The Landgraviat of Brabant must be distinguished from the Duchy of Brabant. The Duchy of Brabant was initially a feudal elevation of the landgraviat, but its name was applied to the entire country under the control of the Dukes of Brabant, from the 13th century on.This imperial fief was assigned to...
by the counts of Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
around 1085. The first mention of the name Dedelbeccha dates from 1075, while the name Bigardis, later transformed into Groot-Bijgaarden (in French Grand Bigard), dates from 1110. Bigardis was originally a dependency of the Abbey of Saint Bavo in Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, but by 1125, nuns under the leadership of Saint Wivina had founded a religious community there. Around 1183, the landgraviate became the Duchy of Brabant
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...
, within which Dilbeek remained as an independent parish until the French Revolution
French Revolution
The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...
.
16th century until now
The area’s parishes belonged to the see of Cambrai until 1559, when they were placed under the administration of the Archbishop of Mechelen. Also in the 16th century, Dilbeek, Itterbeek and Sint-Martens-Bodegem were placed under the local rule of the Lords of GaasbeekLennik
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 following decades were marked by the wars that opposed Catholics and Protestants, which resulted in the ruin of the Abbey of Groot-Bijgaarden. The final dismantlement and sale of the buildings took place during the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
regime in the 1790s.
Events
- Each of the six communes that make up the current municipality organizes several annual fairFairA fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
s and kermesses. - Every spring, a tulipTulipThe tulip is a perennial, bulbous plant with showy flowers in the genus Tulipa, which comprises 109 species and belongs to the family Liliaceae. The genus's native range extends from as far west as Southern Europe, North Africa, Anatolia, and Iran to the Northwest of China. The tulip's centre of...
festival takes place in Dilbeek. - Each summer the Vijverfestival (Pond Festival), where Flemish bands perform on a floating stage, takes place at the pond behind the town hall in Dilbeek proper.
Sights
- The imposing castle of Groot-Bijgaarden was built in 1640 around a 14th-century keepKeepA keep is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word keep, but usually consider it to refer to large towers in castles that were fortified residences, used as a refuge of last resort should the rest of the...
. Nearby is the Sint-Wivina domain, where ruins of the original abbey still stand. - Dilbeek's local authority offices, also known as the de Viron CastleDe Viron CastleThe de Viron Castle is a castle in Dilbeek, which houses the offices of the local authority.-History:It was built in 1863 by the Jean-Pierre Cluysenaar, commissioned by the de Viron family, which settled in Dilbeek in 1775. The Tudor-style castle was built on the ruins of a 14th-century...
, was built in 1863 in Tudor-styleTudor style architectureThe Tudor architectural style is the final development of medieval architecture during the Tudor period and even beyond, for conservative college patrons...
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 VCharles V, Holy Roman EmperorCharles V was ruler of the Holy Roman Empire from 1519 and, as Charles I, of the Spanish Empire from 1516 until his voluntary retirement and abdication in favor of his younger brother Ferdinand I and his son Philip II in 1556.As...
was reportedly served rabbitRabbitRabbits are small mammals in the family Leporidae of the order Lagomorpha, found in several parts of the world...
instead of his favourite hareHareHares and jackrabbits are leporids belonging to the genus Lepus. Hares less than one year old are called leverets. Four species commonly known as types of hare are classified outside of Lepus: the hispid hare , and three species known as red rock hares .Hares are very fast-moving...
, which resulted in the nickname konijnenfretters (rabbit eaters) for the inhabitants of Dilbeek. Several other buildings of interest (farm, ice cellar, stagecoach building) can also be found in the park - The rural communes contain numerous old farms, including Het Neerhof, a 13th-century building that belonged to the abbey of ForestForest, BelgiumForest or Vorst is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.The town is commonly known for its concert hall...
. - The tower of the Sint-Ambrosiuskerk (church of Saint-Ambrose) dates from the same century.
- The main church of Sint-Anna-Pede (Itterbeek) was the model used by Peter Brueghel the Elder in his 1568 painting The Parable of the Blind currently in NaplesNaplesNaples is a city in Southern Italy, situated on the country's west coast by the Gulf of Naples. Lying between two notable volcanic regions, Mount Vesuvius and the Phlegraean Fields, it is the capital of the region of Campania and of the province of Naples...
. The village now houses a Brueghel museum as well as a restored watermillWatermillA watermill is a structure that uses a water wheel or turbine to drive a mechanical process such as flour, lumber or textile production, or metal shaping .- History :...
dating from 1776. - Dilbeek also houses an interesting tramTramA tram is a passenger rail vehicle which runs on tracks along public urban streets and also sometimes on separate rights of way. It may also run between cities and/or towns , and/or partially grade separated even in the cities...
museum, tracing the history of this local mode of transportation since its beginning in 1887. - The village of Sint-Gertrudis-Pede (Schepdaal) is the location of the Payottenland's only working watermill, a centuries old building that has been thoroughly renovated in the eighties and nineties.
Famous inhabitants
- Saint AlenaSaint AlenaSaint Alena is a Christian saint. Born in Dilbeek, just outside Brussels, Belgium, she was baptized without the knowledge of her pagan parents. She had to secretly attend mass and one night her father told his guards to follow her. Her father came to the conclusion that Christians had bewitched...
, ChristianChristianA Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, an Abrahamic, monotheistic religion based on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth as recorded in the Canonical gospels and the letters of the New Testament...
saintSaintA saint is a holy person. In various religions, saints are people who are believed to have exceptional holiness.In Christian usage, "saint" refers to any believer who is "in Christ", and in whom Christ dwells, whether in heaven or in earth...
(died c. 640) - Saint WivinaWivinaWivina was a Benedictine abbess. Born in Oisy, France, she refused all offers of marriage, becoming, aged 23, a hermitess at Groot-Bijgaarden, near Brussels. She later accepted land from Count Godfrey of Brabant and built a convent and served as its first abbess.-References:...
, monastic foundress, 12th century. - Romain MaesRomain MaesRomain Maes was a Belgian cyclist who won the 1935 Tour de France after wearing the yellow jersey of leadership from beginning to end....
, cyclist who won the 1935 Tour de FranceTour de FranceThe Tour de France is an annual bicycle race held in France and nearby countries. First staged in 1903, the race covers more than and lasts three weeks. As the best known and most prestigious of cycling's three "Grand Tours", the Tour de France attracts riders and teams from around the world. The...
(1913–1983) - Johan AnthierensJohan AnthierensJohan Anthierens was a Flemish journalist, publicist, critic and writer.-Early life:Anthierens was born at Machelen in 1937.-Bibliography:**Works ...
, journalistJournalistA journalist collects and distributes news and other information. A journalist's work is referred to as journalism.A reporter is a type of journalist who researchs, writes, and reports on information to be presented in mass media, including print media , electronic media , and digital media A...
, publicistPublicistA publicist is a person whose job is to generate and manage publicity for a public figure, especially a celebrity, a business, or for a work such as a book, film or album...
, criticCriticA critic is anyone who expresses a value judgement. Informally, criticism is a common aspect of all human expression and need not necessarily imply skilled or accurate expressions of judgement. Critical judgements, good or bad, may be positive , negative , or balanced...
, and writerWriterA writer is a person who produces literature, such as novels, short stories, plays, screenplays, poetry, or other literary art. Skilled writers are able to use language to portray ideas and images....
(1937–2000) - Goedele Liekens, former Miss Belgium
- UrbanusUrbanusUrbain Servranckx , also known as Urbain and Urbanus van Anus, is a Belgian stand-up comedian, actor, singer and comic book writer.-Career:...
, famous Flemish comedian was born and raised in Schepdaal.
External links
- Official website - Only available in DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...