Watermael-Boitsfort () or Watermaal-Bosvoorde () is a residential suburb of the city of
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
in
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 ...
, and one of the 19 municipalities which form the Brussels-Capital Region.
The municipality has a total area of of which 58 percent is covered by the Sonian Forest (''Forêt de Soignes'' or ''Zoniënwoud''). It borders the municipalities of Uccle, Auderghem and Ixelles as well as the province of
Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant ( nl, Vlaams-Brabant ; french: Brabant flamand ) is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hai ...
. In 2006 the municipality had a total population of 24,056. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch).
History
The modern-day municipality of Watermael-Boitsfort was originally two separate settlements located on a plain between the two small rivers of Woluwe and Watermaelbeek to the north of the Sonian Forest. The earliest evidence of human activity in the region are the remains of a small fortified
neolithic
The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several part ...
village of the Michelsberg culture, dating to between 3500 and 2500 BC.
The earliest mention of the name ''Watermael'' is in a document of 914 bequeathing an estate of the name to a French abbey. Originally part of the estate of Watermael, Boitfort became separate after a hunting lodge, on a site adjacent to the forest, was given to the Boutsvoord family by the
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg ...
in the 13th century. During the
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 ...
, inhabitants of the two settlements farmed and raised cattle and a number of hunting lodges on the edge of the forest were built for members of the nobility. The construction of a road to the city of
Brussels
Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
, to the north, through Boitsfort led to the rapid expansion of both settlements. The population of Watermael rose from 349 inhabitants in 1709 to 826 in 1800.
Watermael-Boitsfort was created in 1811 during the period of French rule when the two municipalities were merged. Although several industries grew in the area during the 19th century, Watermael-Boitsfort remained largely agrarian and increasingly residential, especially after the municipality was linked to Brussels by
railway
Rail transport (also known as train transport) is a means of transport that transfers passengers and goods on wheeled vehicles running on rails, which are incorporated in Track (rail transport), tracks. In contrast to road transport, where the ...
in 1854. It soon became a fashionable,
bourgeois
The bourgeoisie ( , ) is a social class, equivalent to the middle or upper middle class. They are distinguished from, and traditionally contrasted with, the proletariat by their affluence, and their great cultural and financial capital. Th ...
neighbourhood. Originally Dutch was the dominant language, but
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 ...
became dominant after 1920. During the 1920s, two garden cities (''cité-jardins''), ''Le Logis'' and ''Floréal'', were built. The municipality's population hit an all-time peak of 25,138 inhabitants in 1970.
One of Watermael-Boitsfort's first mayors was the liberal Pierre-Théodore Verhaegen, known for his role in the creation of the Free University of Brussels, who held the post between 1825 and 1842.
Notable historic buildings in the municipality include the Church of St. Clement of which parts date to the 11th century.
Economy and demographics
Watermael-Boitsfort is one of Brussels' wealthiest municipalities. In 2002, the average per capita income was 30,100
euro
The euro (symbol: €; code: EUR) is the official currency of 19 out of the member states of the European Union (EU). This group of states is known as the eurozone or, officially, the euro area, and includes about 340 million citizens . ...
s; over 600 euros higher than the average for the Brussels-Capital Region as a whole. 16 percent of its inhabitants were not Belgian citizens; lower than the Brussels average.
Since 2000, the municipal government is dominated by the liberal
Mouvement Réformateur
The Reformist Movement (french: Mouvement Réformateur, MR) is a liberalism in Belgium, liberal French Community of Belgium, French-speaking Political parties in Belgium, political party in Belgium. MR is traditionally a Conservative liberalism, c ...
, regionalist DéFI (formerly FDF), and green Ecolo parties. The current '' bourgmestre'' (mayor) is Olivier Deleuze of Ecolo.
There are two railway stations located within the municipality,
Watermael railway station
Watermael railway station (french: Gare de Watermael) or Watermaal railway station ( nl, Station Watermaal), nl, Watermaal, link=no) is a railway station in the municipality of Watermael-Boitsfort in Brussels, Belgium, operated by the National ...
and
Boitsfort railway station
Boitsfort railway station (french: Gare de Boitsfort) or Bosvoorde railway station ( nl, Station Bosvoorde), nl, Bosvoorde, link=no) is a railway station in the municipality of Watermael-Boitsfort in Brussels, Belgium, operated by the National ...
Watermael-Boitsfort regroups many remarkable buildings and former grand country houses.
* Chateau Tournay-Solvay, former house of
Alfred Solvay
The Solvay Process Company was an American chemical manufacturer that specialized in the manufacture of soda ash. A major employer in Central New York, the company was key in the origin of the village of Solvay, New York, where it was headquar ...
* Château de Jolimont, residence of among others the painter
Jacques d'Arthois
Jacques d'Arthois (12 October 1613 (baptised) – May 1686) was a Flemish painter and tapestry designer who specialized in wooded landscapes with figures. He often depicted the woods around his native Brussels.International School of Brussels
* Château Charle-Albert; former house of Belgian Prime MinisterPaul van Zeeland
* Château Morel
* Château des Fougères; now part of a luxury condominium complex
File:Château Bischoffsheim actuellement École Internationale Avenue de la Foresterie 19 Kattenberg 19.jpg, Château Bischoffsheim
File:Château Charle-Albert.jpg, Château Charle-Albert
File:Parc Tournay-Solvay 1200.jpg, Château Tournay-Solvay
File:Belgique - Bruxelles - Immeuble CBR - 01.jpg,
CBR Building
The CBR Building is a Functionalism (architecture), functionalist office building situated in Watermael-Boitsfort, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium. Designed by the architects Constantin Brodzki and Marcel Lambrichs and built between 1967 an ...
Rugby Union
Rugby union, commonly known simply as rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that originated at Rugby School in the first half of the 19th century. One of the Comparison of rugby league and rugby union, two codes of ru ...
teams. It is also home to football team Royal Racing Club de Boitsfort.
The was a horse-racing course, built in 1875 but is no longer used as such. Since 1987, the centre of the course has been occupied by the Brussels Golf Club, which has a nine-hole course, and the former horse racing track is used by runners, bikers and dog-walkers. It frequently acts as the starting point and finish line for local 10 km runs. In 2016, the park, rebranded a DROHME with new investors, saw major renovations of the bleachers (''la'' ''tribune'' in French) and the jockey-weighing station, which in September 2018 reopened as brasserie
Politics
The current city council was elected in the October 2018 elections. The current mayor of Watermael-Boitsfort is , a member of Ecolo, who is in coalition on the municipal council with the Reformist Movement.
Notable inhabitants
Notable people who have lived or worked in Watermael-Boitsfort include:
* Rik Wouters, artist and sculptor.
* Paul Delvaux, artist. Delvaux painted Watermael station on a number of occasions.
* Auguste Beernaert, politician and
Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Chemistry, Physics, Physiolog ...
winner who served as
Prime Minister of Belgium
german: Premierminister von Belgien
, insignia = State Coat of Arms of Belgium.svg
, insigniasize = 100px
, insigniacaption = Coat of arms
, insigniaalt =
, flag = Government ...
Omer Coppens
Omer Coppens (1864–1926) was a Belgian impressionist and orientalist painter, ceramic artist, and bookbinder.
Born in Dunkirk, Coppens studied art at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts at Ghent and worked in the south of France, Italy, and Morocc ...
, impressionist artistClerbois Sébastien, "Omer Coppens ou le Rêve de l’Art nouveau" (Brussels: Exhibitions Internationales, June 2001)
* Willy Coppens, Belgian
flying ace
A flying ace, fighter ace or air ace is a military aviator credited with shooting down five or more enemy aircraft during aerial combat. The exact number of aerial victories required to officially qualify as an ace is varied, but is usually co ...
of
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
Twin cities
The municipality is
twinned
Twinning (making a twin of) may refer to:
* In biology and agriculture, producing two offspring (i.e., twins) at a time, or having a tendency to do so;
* Twin towns and sister cities, towns and cities involved in town twinning
* Twinning inst ...