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Good Cities
The Good Cities ( French: ''Bonnes Villes'') were the most important cities of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège (980-1795). If considered a Good City, the city was allowed to build a city wall; partake in the States of Liège; and erect a perron symbolising the autonomy and freedom of Liège. In 1651 the Good Cities numbered 23, and they were grouped in either the so-called ''villes thioises'' (Low Dietsch cities, which contemporarily would be termed Dutch or Flemish) and the ''villes françoises'' (contemporarily French or Walloon cities). All of these Good Cities are located within present-day Belgium. Two other major cities of the Prince-Bishopric had a ''special statute'', which differentiated them from the Good Cities as they were not allowed to be represented at the States of Liège. These two were part of the Condominium of Maastricht, an area of joint sovereignty shared by the Prince-Bishopric of Liège and the Duchy of Brabant. The cities ''Villes thioises'' : ''Ville ...
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French Language
French ( or ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French ( Francien) largely supplanted. French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the ( Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to France's past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French. French is an official language in 29 countries across multiple continents, most of which are members of the ''Organisation internationale de la Francophonie'' ...
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Bilzen
Bilzen () is a city and a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. In 2021, Bilzen had a total population of 32,536. The total area is 75.90 km² which gives a population density of 426 inhabitants per km². Bilzen consists of the city of Bilzen and the following villages: , Eigenbilzen, , , , , , , , Rijkhoven, , and . It was in 1977 that they all became part of the municipality Bilzen because of the fusion of municipalities. Cities in Bilzen's neighbourhood are all within a distance of some 10 to 15 kilometers: to its north, Genk; to its east, Maastricht (Netherlands); to its south Tongeren; and to its north-west, Diepenbeek. From 1965 to 1981 Bilzen hosted Jazz Bilzen, a jazz and rock festival that lasted several days. In its time Jazz Bilzen was the most important Belgian festival. Artists that performed there were, among many others, Humble Pie, The Moody Blues, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath, Humble Pie, The Kinks, The Troggs, Procol Harum, Golden Earr ...
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Ciney
Ciney (; wa, Cînè) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium. As of 2018, Ciney had a total population of 16,439. The total area is 147.56 km² which gives a population density of 111 inhabitants per km². Administrative divisions The municipality consists of the following districts: Achêne, Braibant, Chevetogne, Ciney, Conneux, Leignon, Pessoux, Serinchamps, and Sovet, along with a number of villages, including Chapois. Economy Several beers from the city are now brewed by Alken-Maes and still bear the name: Ciney Blonde, Ciney Brown, and Ciney Special. Those beers were first brewed in 1978. History Ciney was also previously known as Chiney in English.. The city was damaged by a heavy storm on 14 July 2010. The bell tower, the city's symbol and also Ciney's beer symbol, collapsed on its nave. No injuries were reported. Reconstruction took more than a year and cost some million euros. Demography Education Ciney ha ...
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Hainaut Province
Hainaut (, also , , ; nl, Henegouwen ; wa, Hinnot; pcd, Hénau), historically also known as Heynowes in English, is a province of Wallonia and Belgium. To its south lies the French department of Nord, while within Belgium it borders (clockwise from the North) on the Flemish provinces of West Flanders, East Flanders, Flemish Brabant and the Walloon provinces of Walloon Brabant and Namur. Its capital is Mons (Dutch ''Bergen'') and the most populous city is Charleroi, the province's urban, economic and cultural hub, the financial capital of Hainaut and the fifth largest city in the country by population. Hainaut has an area of and as of January 2019 a population of 1,344,241. Another remarkable city is Tournai (Dutch ''Doornik'') on the Scheldt river, one of the oldest cities of Belgium and the first capital of the Frankish Empire. Hainaut province exists of a wavy landscape, except for the very southern part, the so-called ''Boot of Hainaut'', which is quite hilly and bel ...
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Châtelet, Belgium
Châtelet (; wa, Tcheslet) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It lies on the river Sambre. As of January 1, 2018, Châtelet had a total population of 36,101. The total area of the municipality is 27.03 km² which gives a population density of 1,336 inhabitants per km². The municipality consists of the following districts: Bouffioulx, Châtelet, and Châtelineau. Châtelet was a long established independent city prior to its fusion with the other entities. History Origins and Middle Ages The first settlers of the site of Châtelet, dating from paleolithic times, were attracted by the ford on the river, the nearby wooded areas and flint-rich highlands. This region was continuously populated, first by Celtic, then Gallo-Roman peoples, until the Germanic invasions of the 4th and 5th century. In the 9th century, the land was likely part of emperor Louis the Pious’s estate. The first occurrence of the name ''Châtelet' ...
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Tongeren
Tongeren (; french: Tongres ; german: Tongern ; li, Tóngere ) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg, in the southeastern corner of the Flemish region of Belgium. Tongeren is the oldest town in Belgium, as the only Roman administrative capital within the country's borders. As a Roman city, it was inhabited by the Tungri, and known as ''Atuatuca Tungrorum'', it was the administrative centre of the ''Civitas Tungrorum'' district. History ''Atuatuca Tungrorum'' The Romans referred to Tongeren as ''Aduatuca Tungrorum'' or ''Atuatuca Tongrorum'', and it was the capital of the large Roman province of ''Civitas Tungrorum'', an area which covered modern Belgian Limburg, and at least parts of all the areas around it. Before the Roman conquests, this area was inhabited by the group of Belgic tribes known as the ''Germani cisrhenani''. (Despite being known as the ''Germani'', whether they spoke a Germanic language is debated, and the names of their tribes ...
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Stokkem
Dilsen-Stokkem (; li, Dilse-Stokkem; french: Dilsen-Stockem) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg. On January 1, 2018, Dilsen-Stokkem had a total population of 20,454. The total area is 65.61 km² which gives a population density of 312 inhabitants per km². The municipality consists of the following deelgemeente, sub-municipalities: Dilsen, Elen, Lanklaar, Rotem, and Stokkem. Notable people of Dilsen-Stokkem * Luca Brecel (born 8 March 1995), professional snooker player * Sonja Doumen (Miss Belgium 1968) * Jacky Mathijssen (born 20 July 1963), association football, football player and manager * Jos Vaessen (born 21 March 1944) References External links * *Official website
Municipalities of Limburg (Belgium) {{LimburgBE-geo-stub ...
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Sint-Truiden
Sint-Truiden (; french: link=no, Saint-Trond ; li, Sintruin ) is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium, and has over 41,500 inhabitants, which makes it one of the largest cities in Limburg. The municipality includes the former communes (now ''deelgemeenten'') of Aalst, Brustem, Duras, Engelmanshoven, Gelinden, Gorsem, Groot-Gelmen, Halmaal, Kerkom-bij-Sint-Truiden, Melveren, Metsteren, Ordingen, Runkelen, Velm, Wilderen, and Zepperen. The city is in the centre of Belgium's fruit-producing region, ''Haspengouw'' (Hesbaye), and is renowned for its pears, apples (Jonagold), and sweet cherries. History Origins and Golden Age The municipality formed around an abbey founded by St. Trudo, a Frankish nobleman, in the 7th century. Legend has it that as a boy, Trudo was playing while building a small church with some rocks. When a woman scornfully kicked over the rocks she was struck by sudden blindness. Trudo cured her from this blindness ...
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Peer, Belgium
Peer () is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium. On January 1, 2006, Peer had a total population of 15,810. The total area is 86.95 km² which gives a population density of 182 inhabitants per km². The municipality consists of the following sub-municipalities: Peer, Grote-Brogel, Kleine-Brogel, Wauberg, Erpekom and Wijchmaal. Peer is the site of a famous annual blues music festival held in July. History Peer is the birth place of the composer Armand Preud'homme. From 1990 to 2018 the Armand Preud'homme Museum remembered to his life and work. The village Grote Brogel, part of Peer, claims to be the birthplace of Pieter Bruegel. The Bruegel Foundation was also founded in Peer to research the history of Peer and Pieter Bruegel. Kleine Brogel, a village that is a part of Peer, includes Kleine Brogel Air Base. Rumours that American nuclear weapons under the NATO nuclear sharing program were stationed at Kleine Brogel have never ...
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Maaseik
Maaseik (; li, Mezeik) is a city and municipality in the Belgian province of Limburg. Both in size (close to 77 km2) and in population (approx. 25,000 inhabitants, of whom some 3,000 non-Belgian), it is the 8th largest municipality in Limburg. The town is the seat of the administrative arrondissement of Maaseik (''kieskanton''). Internationally, Maaseik is known as the assumed birthplace of the famous Flemish painters Jan and Hubert van Eyck. Geography The town of Maaseik is located on the left bank of the Meuse ( nl, Maas), bordering the Netherlands. For this reason the river is called ''Grensmaas'' (for "border Meuse") here. Two smaller rivers, the Bosbeek (or Oeterbeek) and the Zanderbeek (or Diepbeek), flow into the Meuse near Maaseik. Because of its location in the Meuse valley, Maaseik has mostly fertile soils. The northwestern part of the municipality is situated on the plain of Bocholt and has less fertile soils. The Meuse valley at Maaseik is about 4 kilometres wid ...
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Herk-de-Stad
Herk-de-Stad (; french: Herck-la-Ville, ) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. On 1 January 2018, Herk-de-Stad had a total population of 12,661. The total area is 42.83 km² which gives a population density of 296 inhabitants per km². Besides the village of Herk-de-Stad itself, the municipality contains the communities of Berbroek, Schulen and Donk. Donk contains two country houses, both of the eighteenth-century, Kasteel Hamont and Kasteel Landwijk, which stands on the site of a castle established in the 12th century. Rock Herk There is an annual rock festival in the village, Rock Herk. There is a balanced mix of techno, drum 'n bass, electronica, alternative rock, post-rock, punk-rock, hardcore punk, metal, stoner, rock 'n roll, and related genres. Bands that played in the past include Stretch Arm Strong, Isis, Explosions in the Sky, New Wet Kojak, Karate, Add N to (X), Thin White Rope, Swervedriver, Spiritualized, Cosmic Psychos, Slapsho ...
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Hasselt
Hasselt (, , ; la, Hasseletum, Hasselatum) is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital and largest city of the province of Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is known for its former branding as "the city of taste", as well as its local distelleries of Hasselt jenever (gin), the Hasselt Jenever Festivities, Limburgish pie and the Hasselt speculaas. The municipality includes the original city of Hasselt, plus the boroughs of Sint-Lambrechts-Herk, Wimmertingen, Kermt, Spalbeek, Kuringen, Stokrooie, Stevoort and Runkst, as well as the hamlets and parishes of Kiewit, Godsheide and Rapertingen. On 01 July 2022 Hasselt had a total population of 80,260 (39,288 men and 40,972 women). Both the Demer river and the Albert Canal run through the municipality. Hasselt is located in between the Campine region, north of the Demer river, and the Hesbaye region, to the south. On a larger scale, it is also situated in the Meuse-Rhine Euroregion. History Hasselt was founded in a ...
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