Tienen (; french: Tirlemont ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

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 ...

in the province of Flemish Brabant, in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...

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 ...

. The municipality comprises Tienen itself and the towns of Bost, Goetsenhoven, Hakendover, Kumtich, Oorbeek, Oplinter, Sint-Margriete-Houtem and

Vissenaken Vissenaken is a village in Belgium. It is part ('' deelgemeente'') of the municipality Tienen. It is located north of the city of Tienen and is divided into two parishes: Sint-Maartens and Sint-Pieters. The saint Himelin is known only in Vissena ...

. On 1 January 2017, Tienen had a total population of 34,365. The total area is which gives a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

of .

History

In the early

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, the town was probably ruled by an old German family Thienen. During the 1635 to 1659 Franco-Spanish War, Tienen was part of the

Spanish Netherlands Spanish Netherlands (Spanish: Países Bajos Españoles; Dutch: Spaanse Nederlanden; French: Pays-Bas espagnols; German: Spanische Niederlande.) (historically in Spanish: ''Flandes'', the name "Flanders" was used as a ''pars pro toto'') was the H ...

and was captured by a combined Franco-Dutch army in May 1635. Its capture resulted in one of the most serious atrocities of the Dutch Revolt; the town was sacked, over 200 civilians killed and many buildings damaged, including Catholic churches and monasteries. This ended Dutch prospects of winning over the predominantly Catholic population of the Southern Netherlands. After the 1714

Treaty of Utrecht The Peace of Utrecht was a series of peace treaties signed by the belligerents in the War of the Spanish Succession, in the Dutch city of Utrecht between April 1713 and February 1715. The war involved three contenders for the vacant throne ...

, the town was incorporated into the

Austrian Netherlands The Austrian Netherlands nl, Oostenrijkse Nederlanden; french: Pays-Bas Autrichiens; german: Österreichische Niederlande; la, Belgium Austriacum. was the territory of the Burgundian Circle of the Holy Roman Empire between 1714 and 1797. The pe ...

; in the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars (french: Guerres de la Révolution française) were a series of sweeping military conflicts lasting from 1792 until 1802 and resulting from the French Revolution. They pitted France against Britain, Austria, Prussia ...

, it was used as a base by French Republican General Charles François Dumouriez during the Battle of Neerwinden. On 16 March 1793, the French repulsed an

Austrian Austrian may refer to: * Austrians, someone from Austria or of Austrian descent ** Someone who is considered an Austrian citizen, see Austrian nationality law * Austrian German dialect * Something associated with the country Austria, for example: ...

army commanded by Prince Josias of Coburg. This was the last victory for the veteran Dumouriez, hero of Valmy and Jemappes; within a week, his army suffered such catastrophic defeats that he defected to the French Royalists.

Economy

Tienen is the centre of sugar production in Belgium; a huge sugar beet processing factory, the

Sugar refinery of Tienen The Sugar refinery of Tienen ( nl, Tiense Suikerraffinaderij; french: Raffinerie Tirlemontoise), a subsidiary of ''Raffinerie Tirlemontoise Group'' (RT Group), is a Belgian sugar producing company. The company whose headquarters is located in Tiene ...

(''Tiense Suikerraffinaderij - Raffinerie Tirlemontoise''), is located at the eastern edge of the town. It is the site of facilities owned by

Citrique Belge ''Citrique Belge'' or ''Citric Belge'', located in Tienen is a Belgian biotech company and one of the biggest producers of citric acid. The company has a production capacity of 120,000 tonnes of citric acid per year. In 2020 it employed 340 people. ...

, that produces

citric acid Citric acid is an organic compound with the chemical formula HOC(CO2H)(CH2CO2H)2. It is a colorless weak organic acid. It occurs naturally in citrus fruits. In biochemistry, it is an intermediate in the citric acid cycle, which occurs in ...

, and Havells Sylvania, a manufacturer of energy saving lamps.

Culture and significant landmarks

Tienen is the location of a summer rock festival known as 'Suikerrock'. The Sint-Germanus (St. Germain) Church dates from the 12th century and has an altarpiece by the 19th-century painter Gustaaf Wappers. Its belfry has earned that complex a designation on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

list of

Belfries of Belgium and France The Belfries of Belgium and France are a group of 56 historical buildings designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, in recognition of the civic (rather than church) belfries serving as an architectural manifestation of emerging civic indep ...

. The principal church, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ten-Poel (Our Lady of the Pool), was begun in the 12th and enlarged in the 15th century; it remains unfinished. File:Tienen Sint-Germanuskerk 2.jpg, Sint-Germanus Church File:Tienen Het Toreke.jpg, ''Het Toreke'' museum File:België - Tienen - Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Poel - 02.jpg, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ten-Poel

Transport

The town is served by Tienen railway station, the oldest in

still in use.

Notable inhabitants

* Beatrijs of Nazareth (1200–1268), Flemish mystic * André Vandewyer (1909–1992), Belgian footballer and coach * Matthias Vanden Gheyn (1721–1785), composer,

organist An organist is a musician who plays any type of organ. An organist may play solo organ works, play with an ensemble or orchestra, or accompany one or more singers or instrumental soloists. In addition, an organist may accompany congregational h ...

, and carillonist * Linguist

Herman Liebaers Herman Liebaers (February 1, 1919 in Tienen, Belgium – November 9, 2010 in Jette, Brussels) was a Belgian linguist. He was director general of the central Belgian Royal Library and ''Marshal of the Royal Household'' of the Royal Court of B ...

(1919–2010), was born in Tienen. *

Louis Michel Louis Michel (born 2 September 1947) is a Belgian politician. He served in the government of Belgium as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 1999 to 2004 and was European Commissioner for Development and Humanitarian Aid from 2004 to 2009. From 20 ...

(b. 1947), politician *

Luc van Acker Luc Van Acker is a Belgian singer, songwriter, and music producer. He began writing and releasing solo material in 1982, contributed guitar on Shriekback's 1984 album ''Jam Science'', and collaborated with Anna Domino on the track " Zanna" for h ...

(b. 1961), Belgian musician and producer

International relations

Twin towns—Sister cities

Tienen is twinned with: *

Bielsko-Biała Bielsko-Biała (; cs, Bílsko-Bělá, german: Bielitz-Biala, szl, Bjylsko-Bjoło) is a city in southern Poland, with a population of approximately 168,319 as of December 2021, making it the 22nd largest city in Poland, and an area of . It is a ...

, Poland

References

Sources

* * * * *

External links

Official website
- Only available in

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

tienen.info
- All news from Tienen, only available in

Suikerrock
{{Authority control Municipalities of Flemish Brabant