Lessines (; nl, Lessen, ; pcd, Lissene, wa, Lissene) 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 ...

. As of the 2014 census, The municipality's total population was 18,637. The total area is 72.29 km² (27.91 square miles) 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 247 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 ...

: Bois-de-Lessines,

Deux-Acren Deux-Acren is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Lessines, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. History In 1270 the name in ''Akeren'' was used. On a map from 1540 the village was called ''Okeren''. The municip ...

, Ghoy, Lessines, Ogy, Ollignies, Papignies, and Wannebecq. Lessines is a municipality of

Picardy Wallonia Picardy Wallonia (french: Wallonie-Picarde; Picard: ') or Western Hainaut (french: Hainaut-Occidental; Picard: ') is the North-West part of the province of Hainaut in Wallonia, where the Picard language is used. Geography The most importa ...

. It is primarily known as the birthplace of the

Surrealist Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

painter

René Magritte René François Ghislain Magritte (; 21 November 1898 – 15 August 1967) was a Belgian surrealist artist known for his depictions of familiar objects in unfamiliar, unexpected contexts, which often provoked questions about the nature and bounda ...

(1898 – 1967).

History

Postal history

The Lessines post office opened before 1830. It used postal code 71 with bars (before 1864), and 214 with points before 1874. Deux-Acren post office opened on 15 May 1866. It used postal code 104 with points before 1874. The Papignies post office opened on 18 February 1880, Ghoy and Ollignies on 25 May 1905, and Ogy on 5 November 1907. Postal codes in 1969:Liste des Numéros Postaux, Administration des Postes, Bruxelles 1969. -7850 Ollignies -7851 Bois-de-Lessines -7860 Lessines -7861 Papignies -7862 Ogy -7863 Ghoy -7870 Deux-Acren Postal codes since at least 1990: -7860 Lessines -7861 Papignies, Wannebecq (not opened in 1969) -7862 Ogy -7863 Ghoy -7864 Deux-Acren -7866 Bois-de-Lessines, Ollignies

Culture

The

Underwear Museum The Underwear Museum (french: Musée du slip, nl, Slipmuseum) is a museum in Lessines, Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium which displays the underclothing of famous persons; each article was worn at least one time by the person in question and is combine ...

, created by

Jan Bucquoy Jan Bucquoy (; Harelbeke, 16 November 1945) is a Belgian anarchist who has worked in various media (film, comics writing, painting, sculptures, museums). He gained fame for his controversial anti-establishment works and media stunts, which caus ...

, is in Lessines; it moved from Brussels to Lessines in 2016.

Images

Image:Lessines SI1aJPG.jpg, Quarry Image:Lessines JPG4 HoNdR.jpg, Porch keystone of the ''Hôpital Notre-Dame à la Rose'' ("Hospital of Our Lady with the Rose") Image:0 Lessines 050918 (29).jpg, "Lessinia Vrbs" from the book "Het steden-Boek" by

Joan Blaeu Joan Blaeu (; 23 September 1596 – 21 December 1673) was a Dutch cartographer born in Alkmaar, the son of cartographer Willem Blaeu. Life In 1620, Blaeu became a doctor of law but he joined the work of his father. In 1635, they published ...

c. ± 1649 (

Amsterdam Amsterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Amstel'') is the Capital of the Netherlands, capital and Municipalities of the Netherlands, most populous city of the Netherlands, with The Hague being the seat of government. It has a population ...

References

External links

*
Official website
(in French)
Another site
with further information on the city (in French,

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 ...

, and

English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...

)
Another site
with information in French Cities in Wallonia Municipalities of Hainaut (province) {{Hainaut-geo-stub