The Pajottenland (in

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 ...

occasionally Payottenland) is a distinct region within the

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 ...

province and the south-western part of the

Brussels 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 ...

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 ...

. The region is located west-southwest 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 ...

. The Pajottenland is predominantly farmland, with occasional gently rolling hills, and lies mostly between the rivers

Dender The Dender (Dutch language, Dutch, ) or Dendre (French language, French, ) is a 65-kilometre (40 mi) long river in Belgium, the right tributary of the river Scheldt. The confluence of the two rivers is in the Belgian town of Dendermonde. The Weste ...

and Zenne / Senne. The area has historically provided food and drink for the citizens of Brussels, especially

Lambic Lambic () is a type of beer brewed in the Pajottenland region of Belgium southwest of Brussels and in Brussels itself since the 13th century. Types of lambic beers include gueuze, kriek lambic and framboise. Lambic differs from most other be ...

beer Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...

s, which are only produced here and in the

Zenne The Senne () or Zenne () is a small river that flows through Brussels, left tributary of the Dijle/Dyle. Its source is in the village of Naast near the municipality of Soignies. It is an indirect tributary of the Scheldt, through the Dijl ...

valley where

is.

Geography

The Pajottenland is generally understood to cover the following municipalities and submunicipalities: *

Affligem Affligem (; anciently written Afflighem) is a municipality located some west-north-west of Brussels in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, not far from the city of Aalst and the important railway junction of Denderleeuw. Affligem is sit ...

Essene The Essenes (; Hebrew: , ''Isiyim''; Greek: Ἐσσηνοί, Ἐσσαῖοι, or Ὀσσαῖοι, ''Essenoi, Essaioi, Ossaioi'') were a mystic Jewish sect during the Second Temple period that flourished from the 2nd century BCE to the 1st ce ...

Hekelgem Affligem (; anciently written Afflighem) is a municipality located some west-north-west of Brussels in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant, not far from the city of Aalst and the important railway junction of Denderleeuw. Affligem is situ ...

and

Teralfene Teralfene is a village in the municipality of Affligem, Belgium. It has an area of 244 ha (602.94 acres). The other communities in Affligem are Hekelgem and Essene. Name The name "Teralfene" originates from the brook Alfene (now called the Bell ...

Asse Asse () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It comprises the towns of Asse proper, Bekkerzeel, Kobbegem, Mollem, Relegem and Zellik. Asse is also situated in the Pajottenland. As of 2020, Asse had a total ...

: Asse, Bekkerzeel, Kobbegem, Mollem, Relegem and Zellik * Bever *

Dilbeek Dilbeek () is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Dilbeek proper, Groot-Bijgaarden, Itterbeek (with Sint-Anna-Pede), Schepdaal (with Sint-Gertrudis-Pe ...

: Dilbeek, Itterbeek (with Sint-Anna-Pede), Schepdaal (with Sint-Gertrudis-Pede),

Sint-Martens-Bodegem Sint-Martens-Bodegem (locally known as: ''Beugem'') is a historic village that is now part of Dilbeek. It has 2638 inhabitants. Toponymy For a long time it was assumed that the mention 'Bodenghem' in the founding charter of the abbey of Affligem ...

, Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle, Groot-Bijgaarden *

Galmaarden Galmaarden (; french: Gammerages, ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Galmaarden proper, Tollembeek and Vollezele. It is also situated in the Pajottenland. On January 1, ...

: Galmaarden, Tollembeek, Vollezele *

Gooik Gooik () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Gooik proper, Kester, Leerbeek, Strijland and Oetingen. It is also situated in the Pajottenland. On January 1, 2018 Gooik h ...

: Gooik (with Strijland), Kester, Leerbeek, Oetingen * Herne: Herne (with Kokejane),

Herfelingen Herfelingen is a village in the municipality of Herne in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. It was a municipality itself until the fusion of the municipalities in 1977. Populated places in Flemish Brabant {{FlemishBrabant-geo-stub ...

, Sint-Pieters-Kapelle *

Lennik Lennik () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Sint-Kwintens-Lennik, Sint-Martens-Lennik, Eizeringen and Gaasbeek. It is also situated in the Pajottenland. On January 1, 2 ...

Gaasbeek Gaasbeek is a village in the Belgian municipality of Lennik in Flemish Brabant. It is most known for Gaasbeek Castle Gaasbeek Castle ( nl, Kasteel van Gaasbeek, french: Château de Gaesbeek) is a castle located in Lennik, Flemish Brabant, ...

, Sint-Kwintens-Lennik (with Eizeringen), Sint-Martens-Lennik *

Liedekerke Liedekerke () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. On January 1, 2006 Liedekerke had a total population of 11,920. It is also situated in the Pajottenland.The total area is 10.08 km² which results in a popul ...

Pepingen Pepingen () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the villages of Beert, Bellingen, Bogaarden, Elingen, Heikruis and Pepingen proper. It is also situated in the Pajottenland. On January ...

: Pepingen, Beert, Bellingen,

Bogaarden Bogaarden is a village in the municipality of Pepingen, in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The name 'Bogaarden' means "orchards". Gertrude of Nivelles Gertrude of Nivelles, OSB (also spelled ''Geretrude'', ''Geretrudis'', ''Gertrud''; ...

Elingen Elingen is a village in the municipality of Pepingen Pepingen () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the villages of Beert, Bellingen, Bogaarden, Elingen, Heikruis and Pepingen p ...

, Heikruis *

Roosdaal Roosdaal () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Borchtlombeek, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Lombeek, Pamel and Strijtem. It is also situated in the Pajottenland. On January 1, 201 ...

: Pamel (with Ledeberg),

Borchtlombeek Roosdaal () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Borchtlombeek, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Lombeek, Pamel and Strijtem. It is also situated in the Pajottenland. On January 1, 201 ...

Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Lombeek Roosdaal () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Borchtlombeek, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Lombeek, Pamel and Strijtem. It is also situated in the Pajottenland. On January 1, 20 ...

, Strijtem, Kattem *

Sint-Pieters-Leeuw Sint-Pieters-Leeuw (; french: Leeuw-Saint-Pierre) is a Dutch-speaking municipality of Belgium located in the province of Flemish Brabant (Flemish Region). The municipality comprises the towns of Oudenaken, Ruisbroek, Sint-Laureins-Berchem, Sint- ...

: Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Oudenaken, Ruisbroek,

Sint-Laureins-Berchem Sint-Pieters-Leeuw (; french: Leeuw-Saint-Pierre) is a Dutch-speaking municipality of Belgium located in the province of Flemish Brabant (Flemish Region). The municipality comprises the towns of Oudenaken, Ruisbroek, Sint-Laureins-Berchem, S ...

, Vlezenbeek *

Ternat Ternat (; also french: Ternath, link=no) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the villages of Sint-Katherina-Lombeek, Ternat proper and Wambeek. It is also situated in the Pajottenla ...

: Ternat,

Sint-Katherina-Lombeek Ternat (; also french: Ternath, link=no) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the villages of Sint-Katherina-Lombeek, Ternat proper and Wambeek. It is also situated in the Pajottenla ...

, Wambeek According to a lawyer named De Gronckel who first described it, the Pajottenland also includes

and the

Ninove Ninove () is a city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders in Belgium. It is situated on the river Dender, and is part of the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the city of Ninove proper and since the 1976 merger ...

deelgemeente A deelgemeente (, literally ''part-municipality'') or section (French) is a subdivision of a municipality in Belgium and, until March 2014, in the Netherlands as well. Belgium Each municipality in Belgium that existed as a separate entity on 1 Ja ...

n Neigem and Lieferinge. The rural part of

Anderlecht Anderlecht (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the ...

, particularly in earlier times before it became a municipality of the

Brussels 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 ...

, may also be included. The tourist area marketed under the name ''Pajottenland en Zennevallei'' (Pajottenland and Zenne Valley) also includes the municipalities

Beersel Beersel () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the towns of Alsemberg, Beersel proper, Dworp, Huizingen and Lot. On 1 January 2018 Beersel had a total population of 25,069. The total ...

Drogenbos Drogenbos (; ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality only comprises the town of Drogenbos proper. On January 1, 2018, Drogenbos had a total population of 5,599. The total area is 2.49 km² ( ...

Halle Halle may refer to: Places Germany * Halle (Saale), also called Halle an der Saale, a city in Saxony-Anhalt ** Halle (region), a former administrative region in Saxony-Anhalt ** Bezirk Halle, a former administrative division of East Germany ** Hal ...

Linkebeek Linkebeek (; ) is a Belgian municipality in Flanders, part of the province of Flemish Brabant, and in the administrative district of Halle-Vilvoorde. The municipality only comprises the town of Linkebeek proper. As of 1 January 2006, Linkebeek ...

, Sint-Genesius-Rode, which are clustered around the

Valley to the south-west of the main Pajottenland region. File:Gooik - Kester.jpg, Landscape in Gooik File:Decam 01.jpg, Lambic, Kriek and Gueuze De Cam, Gooik File:Galmaarden_-_Congobergstraat_-_Brabantse_Trekpaarden.jpg, Brabant draft horses. File:Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1568) The Blind Leading the Blind.jpg, ''

The Blind Leading the Blind "The blind leading the blind" is an idiom and a metaphor in the form of a parallel phrase, it is used to describe a situation where a person who knows nothing is getting advice and help from another person who knows almost nothing. History Th ...

'' (Pieter Bruegel the Elder (1568) File:Sint-Anna-Pede - Sint-Annakerk - 01.JPG, Little church in Sint-Anna-Pede (Dilbeek). File:Pieter Bruegel.ste Anne.jpg, ''The Blind Leading the Blind'' in Sint-Anna-Pede.

References

* Tim Webb, Chris Pollard, Joris Pattyn, Lambicland,

External links

*
The Pajottenland
official ''Pajottenland & Zennevallei'' tourist site

Geography of Flemish Brabant Regions of Flanders Areas of Belgium {{FlemishBrabant-geo-stub

Geography

See also

References

External links