Gembloux
Encyclopedia
Gembloux is a Walloon municipality
located in the Belgian
province of Namur
, on the axis Brussels-Namur
On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 21,964 inhabitants. The total area is 95.86 km², giving a population density
of 229 inhabitants per km².
The mayor, who has been elected on 8 October 2006, is Benoît Dispa.
This city is well known for its Agricultural University
and for its cutlery
. The university is housed in the historical Abbey of Gembloux
, which dates from the tenth century.
Gembloux's Belfry belongs to the set of belfries of Belgium and France
inscribed on UNESCO
's World Heritage List in 2005.
The town grew around the Abbey of Gembloux, founded in the tenth century. In the vicinity of the town, in 1578, the Battle of Gembloux
was fought in 1578; in May 1940 the Battle of Hannut
took place nearby, a tank battle during the larger Battle of France
.
Lincoln, Kewaunee County, Wisconsin
, third most Belgian American town, was originally named Grandlez, after Grand-Leez where Belgian founding migrants came from.
, France
: since 1974 - Loughborough
, United Kingdom
: since 1993 - Skyros
, Greece
: since 1994 - Aller
, Spain
: since 2007
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 Namur
Namur (province)
Namur is a province of Wallonia, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Walloon provinces of Hainaut, Walloon Brabant, Liège and Luxembourg in Belgium, and on France. Its capital is the city of Namur...
, on the axis Brussels-Namur
On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 21,964 inhabitants. The total area is 95.86 km², giving 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 229 inhabitants per km².
The mayor, who has been elected on 8 October 2006, is Benoît Dispa.
This city is well known for its Agricultural University
Faculté universitaire des sciences agronomiques de Gembloux
The Faculté Universitaire des Sciences Agronomiques de Gembloux, in Gembloux, Wallonia, Belgium, is a university in the French Community of Belgium. Its official language is French. The university is housed in the historical Abbey of Gembloux, which dates from the tenth century...
and for its cutlery
Cutlery
Cutlery refers to any hand implement used in preparing, serving, and especially eating food in the Western world. It is more usually known as silverware or flatware in the United States, where cutlery can have the more specific meaning of knives and other cutting instruments. This is probably the...
. The university is housed in the historical Abbey of Gembloux
Abbey of Gembloux
Gembloux Abbey was a Benedictine abbey near the town of Gembloux in the province of Namur, Belgium.-History:The former Benedictine monastery, located about nine miles north-west of Namur on the river Orneau, was founded about 945 by Saint Guibert or Wibert and dedicated to Saint Peter and the...
, which dates from the tenth century.
Gembloux's Belfry belongs to the set of belfries of Belgium and France
Belfries of Belgium and France
The Belfries of Belgium and France is a group of 56 historical buildings designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Site, in recognition of an architectural manifestation of emerging civic independence in historic Flanders and neighbouring regions from feudal and religious influences, leading to a...
inscribed on UNESCO
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...
's World Heritage List in 2005.
The town grew around the Abbey of Gembloux, founded in the tenth century. In the vicinity of the town, in 1578, the Battle of Gembloux
Battle of Gembloux
The Battle of Gembloux marked a terrible defeat for the Protestant rebels fighting against Spain in the Eighty Years' War. On 31 January 1578, an advance force of 1,200 cavalrymen from the main Spanish army of 20,000 men attacked the retreating Dutch army of around 20,000 men...
was fought in 1578; in May 1940 the Battle of Hannut
Battle of Hannut
The Battle of Hannut was a Second World War battle fought during the Battle of Belgium which took place between 12 and 14 May 1940 at Hannut, Belgium...
took place nearby, a tank battle during the larger Battle of France
Battle of France
In the Second World War, the Battle of France was the German invasion of France and the Low Countries, beginning on 10 May 1940, which ended the Phoney War. The battle consisted of two main operations. In the first, Fall Gelb , German armoured units pushed through the Ardennes, to cut off and...
.
Sections
Gembloux is composed by the sections of Gembloux, Beuzet, Bossière, Bothey, Corroy-le-Château, Ernage, Grand-Leez, Grand-Manil, Isnes, Lonzée, Mazy & Sauvenière.Lincoln, Kewaunee County, Wisconsin
Lincoln, Kewaunee County, Wisconsin
Lincoln is a town in Kewaunee County, Wisconsin, United States. The population was 957 at the 2000 census. The unincorporated communities of Lincoln and Rio Creek are located in the town...
, third most Belgian American town, was originally named Grandlez, after Grand-Leez where Belgian founding migrants came from.
Twin towns
Gembloux is twinned with - EpinalÉpinal
Épinal is a commune in northeastern France and the capital of the Vosges department. Inhabitants are known as Spinaliens.-Geography:The commune has a land area of 59.24 km²...
, France
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...
: since 1974 - Loughborough
Loughborough
Loughborough is a town within the Charnwood borough of Leicestershire, England. It is the seat of Charnwood Borough Council and is home to Loughborough University...
, United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
: since 1993 - Skyros
Skyros
Skyros is an island in Greece, the southernmost of the Sporades, an archipelago in the Aegean Sea. Around the 2nd millennium BC and slightly later, the island was known as The Island of the Magnetes where the Magnetes used to live and later Pelasgia and Dolopia and later Skyros...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
: since 1994 - Aller
Aller
The Aller is a river, long, in the states of Saxony-Anhalt and Lower Saxony in Germany. It is a right-hand, and hence eastern, tributary of the River Weser and is also its largest tributary. Its last form the Lower Aller federal waterway...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
: since 2007
External links
- Gembloux official site (in French)