Menen
Encyclopedia
Menen is a group of dialects or regional language related to Dutch spoken in parts of the Netherlands, Belgium, and France....
dialect: Mêenn or Mêende) 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 West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe and Rekkem. The city is situated on the French/Belgian border. On January 1, 2006, Menen had a total population of 32,413. The total area is 33.07 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 980 inhabitants per km².
The city of Menen gives its name to the Menin Gate
Menin Gate
The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium dedicated to the commemoration of British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of the First World War and whose graves are unknown...
in Ypres
Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian municipality located in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres and the villages of Boezinge, Brielen, Dikkebus, Elverdinge, Hollebeke, Sint-Jan, Vlamertinge, Voormezele, Zillebeke, and Zuidschote...
which is a monument to those killed in World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. The gate is so called as that roads travels to Menen.
History
Menen's position near the French border led to many sieges in the history of the city. There were as many as 22 sieges between 1579 and 1830.The city was part of France between 1668 and 1713. Vauban
Vauban
Sébastien Le Prestre, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban , commonly referred to as Vauban, was a Marshal of France and the foremost military engineer of his age, famed for his skill in both designing fortifications and breaking through them...
turned Menen into a model-fortification (1679–1689).
The city was besieged and taken by the Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough
John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, Prince of Mindelheim, KG, PC , was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reigns of five monarchs through the late 17th and early 18th centuries...
's allied Army in August 1706. During the Flanders Campaign
Flanders Campaign
This feature refers to the conflict that took place during the Wars of the French Revolution 1792–1801.For the Low Countries campaigns of the War of the Grand Alliance 1688–97 see Nine Years' War...
of the Wars of the French Revolution the city changed hands several times and was the scene of a battle in September 1793.
A new art museum, the Stadsmuseum ’t Schippershof, opened in 1999 which holds many works by Menen-born sculptress Yvonne Serruys
Yvonne Serruys
Yvonne Serruys was a Franco-Belgian artist.Born in Menen, West Flanders into a wealthy francophone family, Yvonne studied painting and drawing with Emile Claus. From 1892 to 1894 she studied in Brussels in the workshop of painter Georges Lemmen, a member of Les XX...
.
The Mayor of City is Gilbert Bossuyt. He is a member of the Different Socialist Party.
Towns
European route E17
European route E 17 passes through the following cities:** Antwerp → Sint-Niklaas → Ghent → Kortrijk** Tourcoing → Lille** Lille → Arras** Arras → Cambrai → Saint-Quentin → Laon → Reims...
. In addition to the central town, Menen proper also contains the parishes and districts De Barakken and Ons Dorp. Menen proper is mainly located north of the Leie, Lauwe and Rekkem are located south of the river. The urban area of the city of Menen is directly connected with the urban area of 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...
municipality Halluin
Halluin
Halluin is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Geography:It is located at the north of the Lille Urban Community, on the Belgian border, contiguous with the Belgian town of Menen.-Heraldry:-Twin towns:...
.
| # | Name | Area | Population (2006) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I (V) (VI) |
Menen - Menen - De Barakken - Ons Dorp |
16,49 |
19.246 |
| II | Lauwe | 8,80 | 8.357 |
| III (IV) |
Rekkem - Rekkem - Paradijs |
7,90 |
4.813 |
The municipality of Menen borders the following villages:
- a. Moorsele (Wevelgem)
- b. WevelgemWevelgemWevelgem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Gullegem, Moorsele and Wevelgem proper. On January 1, 2006 Wevelgem had a total population of 31,020...
(Wevelgem) - c. MarkeMarkeMarke is a village and a former municipality in the district of Anhalt-Bitterfeld, in Saxony-Anhalt, Germany. Since 1 January 2010, it is part of the town Raguhn-Jeßnitz....
(Kortrijk) - d. AalbekeAalbeke"Aalbeke" is a village in the Belgian province of West Flanders and since 1977 a district of Kortrijk. Aalbeke has postal code 8511 and covers an area of 717 ha. The district had 2,953 inhabitants on December 31, 2007. Aalbeke is located 6 km southwest of Kortrijk and is surrounded by...
(Kortrijk) - e. Moeskroen (Moeskroen; Wallonia)
- f. Neuville-en-FerrainNeuville-en-Ferrain-References:*...
(FranceFranceThe 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...
) - g. HalluinHalluinHalluin is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.-Geography:It is located at the north of the Lille Urban Community, on the Belgian border, contiguous with the Belgian town of Menen.-Heraldry:-Twin towns:...
(FranceFranceThe 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...
) - h. WervikWervikWervik is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Wervik and the town of Geluwe. On January 1, 2006 Wervik had a total population of 17,607. The total area is 43.61 km² which gives a population density of 404 inhabitants per km²....
(Wervik) - i. GeluweGeluweGeluwe is a town in the West Flanders province of Belgium. It is contained within the municipality of Wervik. The town is known for the "yawning festival" ....
(Wervik)
Several artists were born in Menen: Yvonne Serruys (11873-1953), Georges Dobbels (1910-1988), Alfred Wallecan (1894-1960).