Binche (; ;

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

: ''Bing'') is a

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

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' ...

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

, in the

province of Hainaut A province is an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions outside Italy. The term ''provin ...

, Belgium. Since 1977, the municipality consists of Binche, Bray, Buvrinnes, Épinois, Leval-Trahegnies,

Péronnes-lez-Binche Péronnes-lez-Binche (, ; ) is a town in Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Binche located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It was a municipality before the 1977 fusion of the Belgian municipalities. Péronnes became known for ...

, Ressaix, and Waudrez districts. According to the surveys from 2021, Binche had a total population of 33,416, approximately 550 inhabitants per km². The motto of the city is "'' Plus Oultre''" (meaning "Further beyond" in Old French), which was the motto of

Holy Roman Emperor The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...

Charles V Charles V may refer to: Kings and Emperors * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise Others * Charles V, Duke ...

, who in 1545 gave the medieval Castle of Binche to his sister, Queen Mary of Hungary. Her attention was spent on Binche, which she had rebuilt into

Binche Palace Binche Palace () was a royal residence located in Binche, in today's Belgian province of Hainaut, Wallonia. The medieval castle and subsequent Renaissance palace served as residence for the counts of Hainaut, the dukes of Burgundy and the H ...

under the direction of the architect-sculptor

Jacques du Broeucq Jacques du Broeucq (c.1505 – c.1584) was a sculptor and architect from Southern Netherlands, who is believed to have spent c. 1530-35 in Italy. Jacques du Broeucq was born and died in Mons and is perhaps best known as the teacher of Giambologn ...

, remembered today as the first master of

Giambologna Giambologna (1529 – 13 August 1608), also known as Jean de Boulogne (French), Jehan Boulongne (Flemish) and Giovanni da Bologna (Italian), was the last significant Italian Renaissance sculptor, with a large workshop producing large and small ...

. This château, intended to rival

Fontainebleau Fontainebleau ( , , ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Functional area (France), metropolitan area of Paris, France. It is located south-southeast of the Kilometre zero#France, centre of Paris. Fontainebleau is a Subprefectures in Franc ...

, was eventually destroyed by the soldiers of

Henry II of France Henry II (; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was List of French monarchs#House of Valois-Angoulême (1515–1589), King of France from 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I of France, Francis I and Claude of France, Claude, Du ...

in 1554. In 2003, the

Carnival of Binche The Carnival of Binche () is an annual festival held in Binche, Hainaut Province, Hainaut, Belgium, during the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday. The carnival's history dates back to approximately the 14th century, and it is ...

was proclaimed one of the

Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage—such traditions, rituals, dance, and knowledge—and ...

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

. In addition, the

Belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...

and City Hall were inscribed on the

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

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 World Heritage Sites, in recognition of the civic (rather than church) Belfry (architecture), belfries serving as an architectural manifestation of ...

site, for its importance in civic functions, architecture, and its testimony to the power and influence of the town.

History

Binche came into being during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, near the Roman road that connected Bagacum, the capital of the Nervii, (now Bavay) to Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium, (now Cologne). The road influenced trade and communication throughout Binche. The city was officially founded in the 12th century by Yolande of Gelders, widow of Duke Baldwin III, Count of Hainaut, Baldwin III from County of Hainaut, Hainaut. Their son Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut, Baldwin IV fortified the city, which served as a frontier fortress against France. In the 14th century, the city wall was extended to its present size. The city reached the peak of its economic power when Belgium was under Spanish Empire, Spanish rule. Binche was the residence of Margaret of Austria, Duchess of Savoy, Mary of Hungary, governess of the Netherlands for her brother, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor Charles V. She had a magnificent Binche Palace, palace built, designed by Jacques Du Broeucq, to compete with that of Fontainebleau. Charles V visited Binche in 1549 on invitation from his sister. For this occasion, she organized magnificent celebrations. This period of prosperity came to an end in 1554 as the palace, the city, and the surrounding area were plundered by the troops of Henry II of France, King Henry II of France. Until the beginning of the 18th century, Hainaut Province, Hainaut was the site of repeated military conflicts between the kingdoms of France and Spain. The Industrial Revolution brought renewed prosperity. Coal mines' slag heaps still shape the landscape. Adding to this were the brickyards, tanneries, glaziers, Brewery, breweries, lime kilns, and soap factories. Thousands of people worked at home as lace makers, cobblers, and tailors. Post offices and train stations were introduced in the city during this time.

Carnival

The three-day

is one of the best known in Belgium. It takes place around Shrove Tuesday (or Mardi Gras) just before Lent (the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and Easter). Performers known as Gilles wear elaborate costumes in the national colours of red, black and yellow. During the parade, they throw Orange (fruit), oranges at the crowd. In 2003, it was recognized by

as one of the

. File:Binche - Les Gilles.jpg, The Gilles, clad in their costumes and wax masks, wielding sticks used to ward off spirits File:0 Binche - Les Gilles le jour du mardi gras (1).JPG, The Gilles wearing their hat with ostrich feathers on Shrove Tuesday

Sport

Each year the town hosts the single day Binche-Chimay-Binche professional cycling race, which is rated as a 1.1 event on the UCI Europe Tour.

Transportation

Binche railway station has been the terminus for passenger services on line 108 (Erquelinnes - Mariemont) since 1984. The island platform is out of use. The large gothic style station building was designed by Leuven architect Pierre Langerock. It has coloured stained glass windows and is a protected monument. There are some inscriptions remaining from the Nazi German occupation. To the front of the station is a square half-encircled by a balustrade. Sculpted in the Neo-classical style from blue stone, it incorporates statues commemorating illustrious figures from Binche’s past, including

, Margaret of York and Mary of Hungary (governor of the Netherlands), Mary of Hungary. A monument dedicated to independence was added in 1931. The area has been a heritage quarter since 1978.

Notable people

* Gilles Binchois ( – 1460), composer * Berthe Dubail (1911–1984), painter.

History

Carnival

Sport

Transportation

Notable people

See also

Notes

External links