Woluwe-Saint-Lambert () or Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe (
Dutch, ) is one of the nineteen
municipalities
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 ...
in the
Brussels-Capital Region
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 ...
of
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 ...
. It is a prosperous residential area, with a mixture of flats and detached, semi-detached and terraced houses, often compared to
Uccle
Uccle () or Ukkel () is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch). It is generally considered an affluent area of the city an ...
, another affluent
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 ...
municipality, as well as the
14th or
17th arrondissement in
Paris
Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. Si ...
.
In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally
bilingual
Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolingual speakers in the world's population. More than half of all ...
(French–Dutch). In French it is often spelt ''Woluwé-Saint-Lambert'' with an
acute
Acute may refer to:
Science and technology
* Acute angle
** Acute triangle
** Acute, a leaf shape in the glossary of leaf morphology
* Acute (medicine), a disease that it is of short duration and of recent onset.
** Acute toxicity, the adverse ef ...
accent on the first 'e' to reflect the Frenchified pronunciation of what was originally a Dutch place name, but the official spelling is without an accent.
The neighbouring municipality of
Woluwe-Saint-Pierre also lies within the Brussels-Capital Region, while the former municipality of
Sint-Stevens-Woluwe (Woluwe-Saint-Etienne in French) has been merged with three other municipalities (Zaventem,
Nossegem and
Sterrebeek) to form the municipality of
Zaventem, which is in 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, Hain ...
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 ...
.
Geography
Woluwe hosts the medical faculties of the
University of Louvain
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
(UCLouvain) and its hospital, the
Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc
The Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc (UCLouvain Saint-Luc) is a non-profit academic hospital of the University of Louvain (UCLouvain), located on the university campus of UCLouvain Bruxelles Woluwe in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Brussels, Belgium. ...
on the
UCLouvain Brussels Woluwe campus, and several shopping areas, notably the Avenue Georges Henri (Georges Henrilaan) and the
Woluwe Shopping Centre
The Woluwe (; ) is a stream that goes through several municipalities in the southeast and east of Brussels and is a right tributary of the Senne/Zenne (in Vilvoorde). The Kleine Maalbeek is a tributary of the Woluwe (in Kraainem). Many ponds form ...
. Some of the municipality's major roads are named after prominent 20th-century Belgian statesmen, such as the prestigious
Avenue de Broqueville/de Broquevillelaan and
Avenue Paul Hymans/Paul Hymanslaan. Line 1 (formerly line 1B) of the
Brussels metro runs under these roads.
The
Woluwe stream flows through the municipality.
History
Medieval origins
Several archaeological finds on the territory of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert show traces of human activity during the
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a historic period, lasting approximately from 3300 BC to 1200 BC, characterized by the use of bronze, the presence of writing in some areas, and other early features of urban civilization. The Bronze Age is the second pri ...
. The first historical mention of the village, however, dates from the 11th century, when some of the forested land near the
Woluwe stream was cleared for farming. A church was built and dedicated to
Saint Lambert, the 7th-century
bishop of Maastricht who was martyred in
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 fro ...
. At the end of the 12th century, the rights to the parish of Saint Lambert were given to the
canons of the
chapter of
St. Michael and Gudula in
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 ...
. Various charitable organizations and hospitals then started acquiring land in this area. Throughout 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 ...
, Woluwe was part of 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 ...
, governed under the usual
feudal
Feudalism, also known as the feudal system, was the combination of the legal, economic, military, cultural and political customs that flourished in medieval Europe between the 9th and 15th centuries. Broadly defined, it was a way of structur ...
arrangement of those times. Among the Dukes'
vassals
A vassal or liege subject is a person regarded as having a mutual obligation to a lord or monarch, in the context of the feudal system in medieval Europe. While the subordinate party is called a vassal, the dominant party is called a suzera ...
were some powerful local lords and landowners. Some of Woluwe's territory also belonged to the powerful
Forest Abbey and
Park Abbey.
16th century to present
Up until recently, the village was mostly rural, focusing mainly on agriculture. Starting in the 16th century, affluent nobles and clergymen from Brussels built
château
A château (; plural: châteaux) is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor, or a fine country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally, and still most frequently, in French-speaking regions.
No ...
x in Woluwe, some of which are still visible today. True urbanization, however, started only around 1900. Well-to-do neighbourhoods, which included some of the novel architectural styles of the ''
Belle Époque
The Belle Époque or La Belle Époque (; French for "Beautiful Epoch") is a period of French and European history, usually considered to begin around 1871–1880 and to end with the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era ...
'' such as
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
then
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...
, straddled the newly built
Boulevard Brand Whitlock/Brand Whitlocklaan.
The population of the municipality increased very quickly at this time. It rose from 1,649 inhabitants in 1880 to 8,883 inhabitants 30 years later. By 1960 there were 36,960 people in the municipality, and since 1970 the population has been stable at around 47,000.
Today, Woluwe-Saint-Lambert is still mostly a residential area, attracting rich and poor inhabitants from neighbouring Brussels.
Sights
* The surroundings of the
Woluwe stream have been laid out as park areas, such as
Woluwe Park
The Woluwe (; ) is a stream that goes through several municipalities in the southeast and east of Brussels and is a right tributary of the Senne/Zenne (in Vilvoorde). The Kleine Maalbeek is a tributary of the Woluwe (in Kraainem). Many ponds ...
(in neighbouring Woluwe-Saint-Pierre) and
Malou Park
Malou Park (french: Parc Malou, nl, Maloupark) is an urban park in the Woluwe-Saint-Lambert municipality of Brussels, Belgium. It is in the valley of the Woluwe stream, to the south-east of the Woluwe Shopping Center. It is the municipality's ...
. Older historical buildings, such as the ''
Lindekemale''
watermill
A watermill or water mill is a mill that uses hydropower. It is a structure that uses a water wheel or water turbine to drive a mechanical process such as milling (grinding), rolling, or hammering. Such processes are needed in the production ...
(now a restaurant), the ''Hof ter Musschen'' farm (now a seminar centre), and the 16th-century ''Slot'' castle (now a chain restaurant), also tend to be found near the river.
* The Church of St. Lambert has a 12th-century
Romanesque tower.
* The ''Marie la Misérable'' Chapel (14th century).
* The municipality's
Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unit ...
Municipal Hall, built in the 1930s, is located above
Tomberg metro station.
* The Wolubilis cultural village and theatre, located at Cours Paul Henri Spaak/Henri-Spaak promenade 1 (formerly Avenue Paul Hymanslaan 251), were inaugurated in 2006.
* The
neoclassical Château Malou
The Château Malou ( Dutch: Maloukasteel) is a neoclassical building in the municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert in Brussels, Belgium. The Château Malou is situated at an altitude of .
History
The château was built in 1776 in the neoclassic ...
, built in 1776.
File:Moulin Lindekemale (DSCF3284).jpg, Lindekemale watermill
File:2741woluweStLambertWindmill.jpg, Windmill near the ''Hof ter Musschen'' farm
File:Belgique - Bruxelles - Kapelleveld - 14.jpg, Kapelleveld garden city
File:Wolubilis 02.JPG, Wolubilis
Shopping
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert has many shopping streets around
Tomberg and
Gribaumont metro stations. Around Roodebeek station is one of Brussels' largest shopping centres, the Woluwe Shopping Centre. The shopping centre opened in 1968 and has two floors and a surface area of around 97000 m
2. The Woluwe Shopping Centre serves most of eastern Brussels.
Transport
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert is served by the Brussels Metro Line 1 by the following stations: Josephine-Charlotte, Gribaumont, Tomberg, Roodebeek, Vandervelde, Alma and Crainhem/Kraainem. Despite not having any rail connections, the E40 Motorway runs through the commune as well as many bus routes. Since 2018, tram 94 is extended from Trammuseum to Roodebeek and has been renamed as tram 8.
Education
In 1974, following the
Leuven
Leuven (, ) or Louvain (, , ; german: link=no, Löwen ) is the capital and largest city of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipality itself comprises the historic c ...
crisis, the
University of Louvain
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. Universities typically offer both undergraduate and postgraduate programs. In the United States, the ...
(UCLouvain) moved its faculties of the Sector of Medical Sciences to the commune, creating Brussels' second largest campus,
UCLouvain Bruxelles Woluwe, with more than 14,000 students. It also founded a new hospital on site, the
Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc
The Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc (UCLouvain Saint-Luc) is a non-profit academic hospital of the University of Louvain (UCLouvain), located on the university campus of UCLouvain Bruxelles Woluwe in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Brussels, Belgium. ...
.
The site includes a number of other educational institutions, like the
Haute école Léonard de Vinci or the
EPHEC.
Schools include:
*
European School of Brussels II
* Don Bosco Middle School
* Athenée Royale de Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
Famous inhabitants
*
Jules Malou
Jules Edouard Xavier Malou (19 October 1810 – July 1886) was a Belgian statesman, a leader of the clerical party.
Career
Malou was born at Ypres. He was a civil servant in the department of justice when he was elected to the Chamber of Deputi ...
,
statesman
A statesman or stateswoman typically is a politician who has had a long and respected political career at the national or international level.
Statesman or Statesmen may also refer to:
Newspapers United States
* ''The Statesman'' (Oregon), a ...
and former
Prime Minister of Belgium (1810–1886)
*
Tarec Saffiedine, (born 1986)
martial artist
*
Hergé, (1907-1983) and creator of
Tintin
Tintin or Tin Tin may refer to:
''The Adventures of Tintin''
* ''The Adventures of Tintin'', a comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé
** Tintin (character), a fictional character in the series
** ''The Adventures of Tintin'' (film), 2011, ...
Famous people born in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert
*
Prince Amedeo,
Princess Maria Laura and
Prince Joachim, born at
Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc
The Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc (UCLouvain Saint-Luc) is a non-profit academic hospital of the University of Louvain (UCLouvain), located on the university campus of UCLouvain Bruxelles Woluwe in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Brussels, Belgium. ...
in 1986, 1988 and 1991 respectively.
** ''Rem:
Princess Luisa Maria, and
Princess Laetitia Maria were born in the
Clinique Saint Jean in
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 1995, and 2003, respectively''.
*
Princess Louise of Belgium and twins
Prince Nicolas of Belgium nl, Laurens Benedikt Boudewijn Maria ger, Laurentius Benedikt Balduin Maria
, image = Prince Laurent of Belgium (2015 F).jpg
, caption = Prince Laurent in 2015
, birth_date =
, birth_place = Belvédère Castle, Laeken, Brussels ...
and
Prince Aymeric of Belgium, born at
Cliniques Universitaires Saint-Luc
The Cliniques universitaires Saint-Luc (UCLouvain Saint-Luc) is a non-profit academic hospital of the University of Louvain (UCLouvain), located on the university campus of UCLouvain Bruxelles Woluwe in Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, Brussels, Belgium. ...
in 2004 and 2005, respectively.
* Vincent Debaty, French rugby union footballer (b. 1981).
* Twins
Jonathan Borlée and
Kevin Borlée
Kevin Borlée (; born 22 February 1988) is a Belgian sprinter, who specializes in the 400 metres. He is a member of the Borlée family.
Borlée won bronze at the 2011 World Championships in the 400m. He qualified for the finals of the 400 met ...
, and their younger sister
Olivia Borlée, athletes.
International relations
Twin towns — Sister cities
Woluwe-Saint-Lambert is
twinned with:
*:
Meudon
*:
Mbazi
See also
*
Woluwe-Saint-Pierre (Sint-Pieters-Woluwe), an adjacent municipality
*
Woluwe River
The Woluwe (; ) is a stream that goes through several municipalities in the southeast and east of Brussels and is a right tributary of the Senne/Zenne (in Vilvoorde). The Kleine Maalbeek is a tributary of the Woluwe (in Kraainem). Many ponds form ...
*
Sint-Stevens-Woluwe, a district of an adjacent municipality.
*
White Star Woluwe F.C.
*
UCLouvain Brussels Woluwe
References
External links
Official site of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert municipality(only in French or Dutch)
Wolubilis cultural centre(only in French or Dutch)
Hof ter Musschen(only in French or Dutch)
Woluwe Shopping CentreUniversity of Louvain - Woluwe
{{Authority control
Municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region
Populated places in Belgium