Braine-le-Comte (; nl, ’s-Gravenbrakel, ; wa, Brinne-e-Hinnot) is a city and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

located in the

province of Hainaut 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 (clock ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. On January 1, 2018, Braine-le-Comte had a total population of 21,649. The total area is which gives a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...

of 260 inhabitants per km². The municipality consists of the following

districts A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or counties, several municipalities, subdivisions o ...

: Braine-le-Comte, Hennuyères, Henripont, Petit-Rœulx-lez-Braine,

Ronquières Ronquières ( wa, Ronkière) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Braine-le-Comte, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is best known as the location of the Ronquières inclined plane on the Brussels-Charleroi ...

, and

Steenkerque Steenkerque (French; nl, Steenkerke; in older English references also ''Steenkerke'', ''Steenkirk'', ''Steinkerque'', ''Steinkerke'' or ''Steinkirk''; wa, Stinkerke) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Braine-le-Comte ...

. The

Ronquières inclined plane The Ronquières Inclined Plane is a Belgian canal inclined plane on the Brussels-Charleroi Canal in the province of Hainaut in Wallonia that opened in April 1968 after six years of construction. It is in the municipality of Braine-le-Comte and tak ...

at the Canal du Centre is in the municipality of Braine-Le Comte.

History

On August 3, 1692, during the

Nine Years War The Nine Years' War (1688–1697), often called the War of the Grand Alliance or the War of the League of Augsburg, was a conflict between France and a European coalition which mainly included the Holy Roman Empire (led by the Habsburg monarch ...

, the French army defeated a joint English-Dutch-German army in the

Battle of Steenkerque The Battle of Steenkerque, also known as ''Steenkerke'', ''Steenkirk'' or ''Steinkirk'' was fought on 3 August 1692, during the Nine Years' War, near Steenkerque, then part of the Spanish Netherlands but now in modern Belgium A French force ...

in the current municipality of Braine-le-Comte.

Postal history

The Braine-le-Comte post-office opened before 1830. It used postal code 22 with bars (before 1864) and 53 with points (before 1874). The Hennuyères post office opened on 6 November 1865. It used postal code 161 with points (before 1874). The Ronquières post office opened on 10 January 1895. Postal codes in 1969:Liste des Numéros Postaux, Administration des Postes, Bruxelles. 1969. * 7198 Ronquières * 7199 Henripont * 7490 Braine-le-Comte * 7491 Steenkerque * 7492 Petit-Rœulx-lez-Braine * 7498 Hennuyères

Notable people

Eden Hazard Eden Michael Walter Hazard (born 7 January 1991) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a winger or attacking midfielder for La Liga club Real Madrid. Known for his creativity, dribbling, passing and vision, Hazard is considered o ...

, Belgian international footballer *

Thorgan Hazard Thorgan Ganael Francis Hazard (born 29 March 1993) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder and winger for Bundesliga club Borussia Dortmund and the Belgium national team. He is the younger brother of Eden and ...

, Belgian international footballer *

Kylian Hazard Kylian Hazard (; born 5 August 1995) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for RWDM. He has two older brothers, Eden and Thorgan, and one younger, Ethan, all of whom are footballers. Early life Hazard was b ...

, Belgian international footballer * Father Damien, a Roman Catholic Saint that attended the College of Braine-le-Comte in 1858

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in Wallonia Municipalities of Hainaut (province)