Municipality in French Community, Belgium
Braine-l'Alleud
(
French pronunciation:
[b??n
lalø]
ⓘ
;
Dutch
:
Eigenbrakel
[??i???(n)?braːk?l]
ⓘ
;
Walloon
:
Brinne-l'-Alou
) is a
municipality
of
Wallonia
, in the
province
of
Walloon Brabant
,
Belgium
, about 20 kilometres (12 miles) south of
Brussels
.
The municipality consists of the following districts: Braine-l'Alleud (including the hamlet of Sart-Moulin),
Lillois-Witterzee
, and
Ophain-Bois-Seigneur-Isaac
. Bordering Flanders, the town is home to a minority of Dutch speakers.
The famous Lion of
Waterloo
, where the eponymous
battle
took place, is in the territory of Braine-l'Alleud.
History
[
edit
]
Middle Ages
[
edit
]
Several archaeological finds point to
prehistoric
settlements in this area. The first historical mention of a parish on Braine-l'Alleud's current territory, then called
Dudinsart
, dates from 1131, date at which
Godfrey I, Duke of Brabant
ceded it to the
Abbey of Gembloux
. The Duke, however, still owned exempt land (or
franchise
) on this territory, as specified in a legal document by
Henry I
dated 1197. The name of the municipality changed to the current one, derived from “Braine”, former name of the stream that crosses its territory (now called the “Hain”), and “alleu(d)”, a
medieval
French word designating exempt land (English
allod
). The latter name was added to the former to distinguish this community from two neighbouring ones also called Braine.
At the beginning, the franchise might not have been much more than a right to local administration. By 1489, however, the local lord enjoyed complete juridical power on its territory, which was still formally part of the
fiefdom
obtained from the
Duke of Brabant
.
Battle of Waterloo
[
edit
]
In 1815, part of the fighting that took place at the
Battle of Waterloo
actually occurred on the territory of Braine-l’Alleud. The town's church of Saint-Etienne became a
field hospital
.
Sights
[
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]
- The
Lion's Mound
, erected on the site of the
Battle of Waterloo
, attracts thousands of visitors every year. A nearby visitor centre, a wax museum and a painted
Waterloo Panorama
also help retrace the events that led to
Napoleon
's defeat in 1815.
- Converted into a tourist information centre, the former house of
Cardinal
Mercier
is a good starting point to explore the town.
- Braine-l'Alleud is also home to a (slightly) smaller version of the well-known
Manneken Pis
, named
El Gamin qui piche
("The Peeing Kid" in
Walloon
).
- The hamlet of Sart-Moulin is the inverted name of which inspired
Herge
's
Moulinsart castle
.
Sport
[
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]
Braine l'Alleud is home to
RCS Braine
football club, founded in 1913 and one of the oldest continuously existing clubs in the country.
The city also has a successful women's basketball club,
BC Castors Braine
.
The free-to-play, 18-hole Parc du Bourdon
disc golf
course is situated 1 kilometer from Braine L'Alleud train station.
[2]
Folklore
[
edit
]
- Both Ophain and Braine-l'Alleud host yearly
carnivals
featuring giant puppets like in most other
Belgian
towns.
Famous inhabitants
[
edit
]
Transportation
[
edit
]
It is served by the following 10 bus lines:
[3]
Line
|
From
|
Via
|
Via
|
To
|
Line 36
|
Braine-l'Alleud
|
|
|
Wavre
|
Line 40
|
Uccle
|
Alsemberg
|
|
Braine-l'Alleud
|
Line 65
|
Braine-le-Comte
|
Virginal
|
B.S.I
|
Braine-l'Alleud/Nivelles
|
Line 66
|
Braine-l'Alleud
|
|
|
Nivelles
|
Line 67
|
Braine-l'Alleud Barriere
|
|
|
Braine-l'Alleud Railway Station
|
Line 75
|
Braine-l'Alleud
|
|
|
Waterloo
|
Line 114
|
Braine-l'Alleud
|
|
|
Halle
|
Line 115
|
Braine-l'Alleud
|
|
|
Tubize
|
Line 3 Rapido Bus
|
Waterloo
|
Braine-l'Alleud
|
Ottignies
|
Louvain-de-Neuve (LLN)
|
Line W
|
Brussels
|
Waterloo
|
|
Braine-l'Alleud
|
- Taxi: Multiple taxi services exist and pick up and drop off around the town.
- Bicycle: Dedicated bicycle paths exist in the surroundings.
International relations
[
edit
]
Twin towns ? Sister cities
[
edit
]
Braine-l'Alleud is
twinned
with:
References
[
edit
]
External links
[
edit
]
Places adjacent to Braine-l'Alleud
|
---|
|