Flemish immigration to Wallonia was an important phenomenon in the

History of Belgium The history of Belgium extends before the founding of the modern state of that name in 1830, and is intertwined with those of its neighbors: the Netherlands, Germany, France and Luxembourg. For most of its history, what is now Belgium was either ...

. Kas Deprez wrote: ''Flanders was poor and backward in the 19th century. It hardly took part in the first industrial revolution. Flemings migrated to Wallonia (amongst other areas), to escape from the poverty at home.'' Yves Quairiaux published the figures of the census from 1866 to 1910 which allow to understand the importance of this phenomenon.

Figures of the Flemish immigration

These figures correspond to the figures of the book (translated in French) of a Flemish journalist . Both authors agree that this phenomenon was very important in the nation building or in any case of the identity building of the two greatest Belgian population, the Walloons and the Flemings. Among the industrial areas along the

Sillon industriel The ''Sillon industriel'' (, "industrial furrow") is the former industrial backbone of Belgium. It runs across the region of Wallonia, passing from Dour, the region of Borinage, in the west, to Verviers in the east, passing along the way through ...

, the

Borinage The Borinage () is an area in the Walloon province of Hainaut in Belgium. The name derives from the coal mines of the region, ''bores'' meaning mineshafts. In French the inhabitants of the Borinage are called Borains. The provincial capital ...

(in the West of Wallonia) and the region of Verviers (in the East) are less concerned by the phenomenon. The most important area of the Flemish immigration are three basins of the industrial Wallonia:

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

and the Centre around

La Louvière La Louvière (; wa, El Lovire) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Boussoit, Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Houdeng-Aimeries, Hou ...

. In the period of the census published by Quairiaux, almost 500,000 Flemings came in Wallonia to find a job in the industry. The Belgian census calculate the number of Belgians who speak French, Flemish (now Dutch), and German. Quairiaux estimates the number of the Flemings in Wallonia on the basis that in Wallonia in this period only the Flemings were Flemish-speaking or bilingual (Flemish-French). They quickly adopted the regional culture and the regional language (more Walloon or Picard than French in any case in the beginning).

Reception of the Flemings by the Walloons

Walloon literature (as a regional language), did have its golden age during the peak of the Flemish immigration: ''That period saw an efflorescence of Walloon literature, plays and poems primarily, and the founding of many theaters and periodicals.'' And that is mainly in the plays that the Flemish people has been shown. Quairiaux learned more than 200 playsThe

New York Public Library The New York Public Library (NYPL) is a public library system in New York City. With nearly 53 million items and 92 locations, the New York Public Library is the second largest public library in the United States (behind the Library of Congress ...

possesses a surprisingly large collection of literary works in Walloon, quite possible the largest outside Belgium, and its holding are representative of the output. Out of nearly a thousand twenty-six were published before 1880. There after the numbers rise gradually year by year, reaching a peak of sixty-nine in 1903, and then they fall again, down to eleven in 1913. See 'Swwitching Languages', p. 153. Quairiaux counted 4800 plays for 1860-1914, published or not. where he tried to describe the image of the Flemish people for Walloons. In this period plays were almost the only popular show in Wallonia.

Notes

{{reflist, 3 Wallonia Social history of Belgium History of Wallonia Flanders History of Flanders