Lessines (; nl, Lessen, ; pcd, Lissene, wa, Lissene) is a city and
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality ...
of
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—al ...
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 (cloc ...
,
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 ...
. 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: 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 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 county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
:
Bois-de-Lessines,
Deux-Acren,
Ghoy, Lessines,
Ogy,
Ollignies,
Papignies, and
Wannebecq.
Lessines is a municipality of
Picardy Wallonia.
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 ...
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, created by
Jan Bucquoy, 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 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
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
)
Another site with further information on the city (in French,
Dutch, and
English)
Another site with information in French
Cities in Wallonia
Municipalities of Hainaut (province)
{{Hainaut-geo-stub