Menen (; french: Menin ; vls, Mêenn or ) 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 ...

located in the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

province of

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe and

Rekkem Rekkem is a section of the Belgian city of Menen, in the province of West Flanders. Until 1977, it was an independent municipality. It was called ''Retchème'' in Picard. In 1173, the village was still called Rekkem, similar to Reclinghem in Art ...

. The city is situated on the French/Belgian border. On January 1, 2006, Menen had a total population of 32,413. The total area is 33.07 km² 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 980 inhabitants per km². The city of Menen gives its name to the

Menin Gate The Menin Gate ( nl, Menenpoort), officially the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves ...

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality c ...

, which is a monument to those killed in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. The gate is so called as the road from that gate is the road to Menen. The town hall of Menen, with its large belfry, was inscribed 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 List 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 ...

in 1999 as part of the

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 ...

site, because of its civic importance and architecture.

History

Menen's position near the French border led to many sieges in the history of the city. There were as many as 22 sieges between 1579 and 1830. The city was part of France between 1668 and 1713. Vauban turned Menen into a model-fortification (1679–1689). The city was besieged and taken by the Duke of Marlborough's allied Army in August 1706. During the Flanders Campaign of the

Wars of the French Revolution 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 ...

the city changed hands several times. There was a devastating fire in 1750 that almost completely destroyed the city. It was also the scene of a

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

in September 1793. Menen was a barrier town for the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

against France from 1715 to 1781. In 2013 the city drew international attention by forbidding its civil servants to speak French with francophones. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well ...

, , ordered that, if necessary, the communication should be in

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...

Culture

A new art museum, the Stadsmuseum ’t Schippershof, opened in 1999, holds many works by Menen-born sculptor

Yvonne Serruys Yvonne Serruys (26 March 1873 – 1 May 1953) was a Franco- Belgian artist. In 1920, she received the Légion d’honneur. Biography Born in Menen, West Flanders into a wealthy francophone family, Serruys studied painting and drawing with ...

. Opposite 't Schippershof there is the

cultural center A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Asia * Cen ...

CC De Steiger that houses the city's theater, public library and a concert space for live music.

Gallery

File:Menen - Schippershof 1.jpg, in Menen. File:Menen duits kerkhof.jpg, German

military cemetery in Menen. File:Menen - Casemates 1.jpg, Menen

casemates A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" mea ...

File:Generaal J. Van der Mersch.JPG, Statue of General Jean-André van der Mersch Belfry of Menen (DSCF9322).jpg, Belfry File:Sint-Franciscuskerk, Menen (DSCF9328).jpg, Sint-Franciscuskerk (church) File:Menen, molen de Goede Hoop oeg55911 foto4 2015-08-09 10.54.jpg, Windmill: molen de Goede Hoop File:Menen, de watertoren oeg55937 foto5 205-08-09 17.17.jpg, Watertower

Towns

The municipality of Menen consists of Menen proper, Lauwe and

. In the area of Rekkem, there is also the hamlet of , separated from Rekkem proper by the A14/ E17. In addition to the central town, Menen proper also contains the parishes and districts of and . Menen proper is mainly located north of the

Leie The Lys () or Leie () is a river in France and Belgium, and a left-bank tributary of the Scheldt. Its source is in Pas-de-Calais, France, and it flows into the river Scheldt in Ghent, Belgium. Its total length is . Historically a very pollut ...

; Lauwe and Rekkem are located south of the river. The urban area of the city of Menen is directly connected with the urban area of the French municipality of

Halluin Halluin (; nl, Halewijn) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Geography It is located at the north of the Métropole Européenne de Lille, on the Belgian border, contiguous with the Belgian town of Menen. Population Tran ...

. The municipality of Menen borders the following villages: *a.

Moorsele Wevelgem () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Gullegem, Moorsele and Wevelgem proper. On January 1, 2006, Wevelgem had a total population of 31,020. The total area is 38.7 ...

(Wevelgem) *b.

Wevelgem Wevelgem () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Gullegem, Moorsele and Wevelgem proper. On January 1, 2006, Wevelgem had a total population of 31,020. The total area is 38.76 ...

(Wevelgem) *c. Marke (Kortrijk) *d.

Aalbeke Aalbeke is a village in the Belgian province of West Flanders and since 1977 a part of Kortrijk. Aalbeke has 8511 as a postal code and covers an area of 717 ha. The district had 2,953 inhabitants on December 31, 2007. Aalbeke is located 6 ...

(Kortrijk) *e.

Mouscron Mouscron (; Dutch and vls, Moeskroen, ; Picard and Walloon: ''Moucron'') is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, along the border with the French city of Tourcoing, which is part of the Lille metropol ...

(

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 ...

) *f.

Neuville-en-Ferrain Neuville-en-Ferrain () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 648 communes of ...

(

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

) *g.

(

) *h. Wervik (Wervik) *i. Geluwe (Wervik)

Notable people from Menen

* Jonathan Breyne (born 1991), cyclist * Yves Chauvin (1930–2015), French chemist, Nobel Prize winner 2005 * Françoise Chombar (born 1962), entrepreneur

* Paul Deman (1889–1961), cyclist * David De Marchi (born 1985), Industrial Markets Goeroe, was born in La Louviere *

Bernard Lietaer Bernard Lietaer (7 February 1942 – 4 February 2019) was a Belgian civil engineer, economist, author, and educator. He studied monetary systems and promoted the idea that communities can benefit from creating their own local or complementary cu ...

, (1942-2019), economist, was born in Lauwe * Jean-André van der Mersch (1734–1792), leader of the Brabant patriots in the Brabant Revolution in 1789 * Arthur Van Overberghe (born 1990), cyclist *

(1873–1953), Franco-Belgian artist * Gerard Vandenbussche (1902–1986) entrepreneur *

Louis Verhelst Louis Verhelst (born 28 August 1990 in Menin) is a Belgian former professional cyclist. Major results ;2008 : 1st Grand Prix Bati-Metallo ;2011 : 6th Paris–Roubaix Espoirs : 9th Dwars door de Antwerpse Kempen : 9th GP van de stad Geel ;2012 ...

(born 1990), cyclist * Albert Wauquier (born 1940), neurophysiologist, sleep medicine, writer * (born 1928), sculptor

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Municipalities of West Flanders Divided cities Vauban fortifications in Belgium