Jette
Encyclopedia
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 or Elsene.
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
.
. 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 baron
y, 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.
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
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 Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Vrije Universiteit Brussel
The Vrije Universiteit Brussel is a Flemish university located in Brussels, Belgium. It has two campuses referred to as Etterbeek and Jette.The university's name is sometimes abbreviated by "VUB" or translated to "Free University of Brussels"...
, the Dutch-speaking university of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
has built its hospital and medical campus in Jette, while its other buildings are in the so-called Etterbeek
Etterbeek
Etterbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It neighbours the municipalities of the City of Brussels, Ixelles, Auderghem, Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert and Schaerbeek....
campus actually located in Ixelles or Elsene.
Pronunciation
- FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
: ˈʒɛt - 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...
: ˈjɛtə
Origins to Middle Ages
NeolithicNeolithic
The Neolithic Age, Era, or Period, or New Stone Age, was a period in the development of human technology, beginning about 9500 BC in some parts of the Middle East, and later in other parts of the world. It is traditionally considered as the last part of the Stone Age...
tools and remains of a Gallo-Roman villa
Villa
A villa was originally an ancient Roman upper-class country house. Since its origins in the Roman villa, the idea and function of a villa have evolved considerably. After the fall of the Roman Republic, villas became small farming compounds, which were increasingly fortified in Late Antiquity,...
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
Saint Peter
Saint Peter or Simon Peter was an early Christian leader, who is featured prominently in the New Testament Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles. The son of John or of Jonah and from the village of Bethsaida in the province of Galilee, his brother Andrew was also an apostle...
also indicates early Christianization. During the Middle Ages, parts of the territory were feudal dependencies of 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...
. Under the duke’s protection, the Abbey of Dieleghem
Dieleghem Abbey
Dieleghem Abbey is an abbey in Jette, northwestern Brussels, Belgium. It 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...
was founded in 1095 by the Bishop of Cambrai and administered by Augustinian canons
Canon (priest)
A canon is a priest or minister who is a member of certain bodies of the Christian clergy subject to an ecclesiastical rule ....
. In 1140, the abbey’s monks switched to the rules of the Premonstratensian
Premonstratensian
The Order of Canons Regular of Prémontré, also known as the Premonstratensians, the Norbertines, or in Britain and Ireland as the White Canons , are a Catholic religious order of canons regular founded at Prémontré near Laon in 1120 by Saint Norbert, who later became Archbishop of Magdeburg...
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
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...
.
17th to 20th century
During the “Old Regime”, Jette was part of the town of MerchtemMerchtem
Merchtem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the villages of Brussegem and Hamme, the hamlet of Ossel and Peizegem, and Merchtem proper. On July 9, 2009 Merchtem had a total population of 15,298...
. In the 17th century, the minister of finances under Archdukes Albert
Albert VII, Archduke of Austria
Archduke Albert VII of Austria was, jointly with his wife, the Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia, sovereign of the Habsburg Netherlands between 1598 and 1621, ruling the Habsburg territories in the southern Low Countries and the north of modern France...
and Isabella
Infanta Isabella Clara Eugenia of Spain
Isabella Clara Eugenia of Austria was sovereign of the Spanish Netherlands in the Low Countries and the north of modern France, together with her husband Albert. In some sources, she is referred to as Clara Isabella Eugenia...
acquired and refurbished the old 12th century Rivieren castle in Ganshoren
Ganshoren
Ganshoren is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. On January 1, 2006 the municipality had a total population of 20,970. The total area is 2.46 km² which gives a population density of 8,541 inhabitants per km².-Pronunciation:* French: * Dutch:...
, near Jette. In 1654, the minister’s son made this estate into a baron
Baron
Baron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
y, then five years later into a county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
, which included Jette and several neighbouring villages.
In the 1790s, the regime that was put in power by 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...
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
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
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 MagritteRené MagritteRené François Ghislain Magritte[p] was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images...
museum was set up in the house where the famous painter lived and worked for twenty-four years.
Famous inhabitants
- René MagritteRené MagritteRené François Ghislain Magritte[p] was a Belgian surrealist artist. He became well known for a number of witty and thought-provoking images...
, surrealistSurrealismSurrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early 1920s, and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members....
painter (1898–1967) - Jean RobaJean RobaJean Roba was a Belgian comics author from the Marcinelle school. His best-known work is Boule et Bill.-Biography:...
, comicsComicsComics denotes a hybrid medium having verbal side of its vocabulary tightly tied to its visual side in order to convey narrative or information only, the latter in case of non-fiction comics, seeking synergy by using both visual and verbal side in...
author, creator of Boule et BillBoule et BillBoule et Bill is a popular comic, created in 1959 by the Belgian writer-artist Jean Roba in collaboration with Maurice Rosy. In 2003 the artistic responsibility of the series was passed on to Roba's former assistant Laurent Verron...
(1930–2006) - François NarmonFrançois NarmonFrançois Narmon is a Belgian businessman and former president of Dexia and the Belgian Olympic Committee. From 2002 until 2004 he was a member of the International Olympic Committee....
(b. Jette, 1934), businessman - Thomas ChatelleThomas ChatelleThomas Chatelle is a Belgian footballer who plays as a winger for R.S.C. Anderlecht, and the Belgian national team.His former clubs include Racing Genk, AA Gent, KV Mechelen and the Dutch club N.E.C.....
, footballFootball (soccer)Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
player (b. 1981)
External links
- Official website, in FrenchFrench languageFrench is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
or 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...