Grimbergen is in the Dutch languagearea of Belgium. The French-speaking minority is represented by four members on the 30-seat local council. Grimbergen is mostly known for its Norbertine abbey and the beer once brewed there. Grimbergen's proximity to Brussels makes it a residential town for commuting.
In Roman times, several important roads passed near the territory of present Grimbergen. A fort was built in the 8th century at the strategic point where the road crossed the river Zenne. The local lord soon acquired a large piece of territory in this area, extending to the rivers Scheldt, Rupel, and Dender.
Grimbergen abbey church
In the 12th century, the name of the hamlet was Grentberghis, which came from the Old DutchGrientbergen, meaning mounds of coarse sand. A community of Augustinian monks had already tried to settle here a century earlier during the reign of Godfrey III, Duke of Lower Lorraine, but it was only in the early 12th century that their religious community prospered. Under the leadership of Norbert of Xanten, the Norbertine monks built the Grimbergen Abbey here in 1128, founding a beer brewery. A few years later, the animosity between the powerful Grimbergen family and their then infant overlord Godfrey III of Leuven precipitated the Wars of Grimbergen. The unrest caused the destruction of the local castle by the Duke of Brabant, the move of the ruling Grimbergen lord to nearby Ninove, and the parceling of his territory. The city's coat of arms dates from that period.
At the beginning of the 14th century, half of the territory became part of the estate of the House of Nassau. Like everywhere else in Flanders, the Wars of Religion of the end of the 16th century caused widespread destruction. In 1752, Anne, Princess Royal and Princess of Orange, who had received the land from her consort William IV, Prince of Orange-Nassau, ceded the barony to the Prince of Berghes, who owned the other half, thereby reuniting the original land of Grimbergen as a single, but short-lived, princedom.
After the French Revolutionedit
The feudal regime and the power of the lords came to an abrupt end under the French Regime in 1794. The clerical powers of the abbey were abrogated a couple of years later, until a few years after the Belgian Revolution of 1830.
The majestic church of the Grimbergen Abbey, dedicated to Saint Servatius, patron saint of the city, was rebuilt several times since its foundation in 1128. The current construction dates from 1660 and ranks among the most harmonious Baroque buildings in Belgium. The tower houses a 49-bell carillon. The houses lining the central square in front of the church have also been rebuilt in the original style of the 18th century. In 1999, the church of Grimbergen was given the title of basilica.
The Grimbergen beer museum is located next door and gives its visitors an opportunity to taste the famous local brew.
The oldest astronomical public observatory in the country [1] is located in the former farm dependencies of the abbey.
Grimbergen is particularly rich in castles, counting four of them on its territory, including the beautiful 17th century Renaissance-styleGuldendal, and the ruins of the lords of Grimbergen's old keep now named the Prinsenkasteel. It also counts several farms dating from the 17th century as well as two medieval water mills.
Volkssterrenwacht Mira. It is the oldest planetarium in Belgium founded in 1967.[2] The original planetarium was located in the Abbey of Grimbergen, however in 2000 an extension was added.[3]
The main annual event is the Sint-Servaasommegang, loosely translated as procession of Saint Servatius. It dates from 1280 and takes place on the Saint's birthday, May 13, or on the first following Sunday.
A well-attended kermesse takes place on the first Sunday of September.
A nativity scene is organized in the abbey church around Christmas.
Since 2015 Grimbergen has its own field hockey club named Merode Hockey Grimbergen. After only three years they got enough funding together to build a state of the art hockey field. Starting from January 2019 the club will be playing their own field at the Populierendallaan 111.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grimbergen.
Official Website (in Dutch, with some tourist information in English)
Official Website of the Museum for Old Techniques (in Dutch/French/English)
The Prince's Fort in Grimbergen - Werbeka Netshop (in English)
(in Dutch)
(mostly in Dutch)
February 17, 2024
grimbergen, beer, beer, this, article, needs, additional, citations, verification, please, help, improve, this, article, adding, citations, reliable, sources, unsourced, material, challenged, removed, find, sources, news, newspapers, books, scholar, jstor, oct. For the beer see Grimbergen beer This article needs additional citations for verification Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources Unsourced material may be challenged and removed Find sources Grimbergen news newspapers books scholar JSTOR October 2013 Learn how and when to remove this template message Grimbergen Dutch pronunciation ˈɣrɪmbɛrɣe n is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish region of Belgium 10 km 6 2 mi north of the capital Brussels The municipality comprises the towns of Beigem Grimbergen Humbeek and Strombeek Bever In 2017 Grimbergen had a total population of 37 030 The total area is 38 61 km2 14 91 sq mi which gives a population density of 959 km2 2 480 sq mi GrimbergenMunicipalityFlagCoat of armsLocation of GrimbergenGrimbergenLocation in Belgium Location of Grimbergen in Flemish BrabantCoordinates 50 56 N 04 23 E 50 933 N 4 383 E 50 933 4 383Country BelgiumCommunityFlemish CommunityRegionFlemish RegionProvinceFlemish BrabantArrondissementHalle VilvoordeGovernment MayorBart Laeremans Vernieuwing Governing party iesOpenVLD N VA VernieuwingArea Total38 67 km2 14 93 sq mi Population 2018 01 01 1 Total37 355 Density970 km2 2 500 sq mi Postal codes1850 1853NIS code23025Area codes02Websitewww grimbergen beGrimbergen is in the Dutch language area of Belgium The French speaking minority is represented by four members on the 30 seat local council Grimbergen is mostly known for its Norbertine abbey and the beer once brewed there Grimbergen s proximity to Brussels makes it a residential town for commuting Contents 1 History 1 1 Roman Empire and Middle Ages 1 2 After the French Revolution 2 Sights 3 Demographics 4 Events and sports 5 Notable people 6 References 7 External linksHistory editRoman Empire and Middle Ages edit In Roman times several important roads passed near the territory of present Grimbergen A fort was built in the 8th century at the strategic point where the road crossed the river Zenne The local lord soon acquired a large piece of territory in this area extending to the rivers Scheldt Rupel and Dender nbsp Grimbergen abbey churchIn the 12th century the name of the hamlet was Grentberghis which came from the Old Dutch Grientbergen meaning mounds of coarse sand A community of Augustinian monks had already tried to settle here a century earlier during the reign of Godfrey III Duke of Lower Lorraine but it was only in the early 12th century that their religious community prospered Under the leadership of Norbert of Xanten the Norbertine monks built the Grimbergen Abbey here in 1128 founding a beer brewery A few years later the animosity between the powerful Grimbergen family and their then infant overlord Godfrey III of Leuven precipitated the Wars of Grimbergen The unrest caused the destruction of the local castle by the Duke of Brabant the move of the ruling Grimbergen lord to nearby Ninove and the parceling of his territory The city s coat of arms dates from that period At the beginning of the 14th century half of the territory became part of the estate of the House of Nassau Like everywhere else in Flanders the Wars of Religion of the end of the 16th century caused widespread destruction In 1752 Anne Princess Royal and Princess of Orange who had received the land from her consort William IV Prince of Orange Nassau ceded the barony to the Prince of Berghes who owned the other half thereby reuniting the original land of Grimbergen as a single but short lived princedom After the French Revolution edit The feudal regime and the power of the lords came to an abrupt end under the French Regime in 1794 The clerical powers of the abbey were abrogated a couple of years later until a few years after the Belgian Revolution of 1830 Up until then the town s character was mostly rural and agricultural In the middle of the 19th century the new road linking Vilvoorde to Aalst and the Brussels Willebroek canal started attracting industrial concerns The vicinal tramway arrived in 1887 and a local airfield was built after World War I Sights editGrimbergen is home to the following sights nbsp Grimbergen carillon nbsp The Prinsenkasteel The majestic church of the Grimbergen Abbey dedicated to Saint Servatius patron saint of the city was rebuilt several times since its foundation in 1128 The current construction dates from 1660 and ranks among the most harmonious Baroque buildings in Belgium The tower houses a 49 bell carillon The houses lining the central square in front of the church have also been rebuilt in the original style of the 18th century In 1999 the church of Grimbergen was given the title of basilica The Grimbergen beer museum is located next door and gives its visitors an opportunity to taste the famous local brew The oldest astronomical public observatory in the country 1 is located in the former farm dependencies of the abbey Grimbergen is particularly rich in castles counting four of them on its territory including the beautiful 17th century Renaissance style Guldendal and the ruins of the lords of Grimbergen s old keep now named the Prinsenkasteel It also counts several farms dating from the 17th century as well as two medieval water mills Volkssterrenwacht Mira It is the oldest planetarium in Belgium founded in 1967 2 The original planetarium was located in the Abbey of Grimbergen however in 2000 an extension was added 3 Demographics editGroup of origin Year2023 4 Number Belgians with Belgian background 22 068 56 06 Belgians with foreign background 12 067 30 65 Neighboring country 991 2 52 EU27 excluding neighboring country 1 932 4 91 Outside EU 27 9 144 23 23 Non Belgians 5 233 13 29 Neighboring country 711 1 81 EU27 excluding neighboring country 2 663 6 76 Outside EU 27 1 859 4 72 Total 39 368 100 Events and sports editThe main annual event is the Sint Servaasommegang loosely translated as procession of Saint Servatius It dates from 1280 and takes place on the Saint s birthday May 13 or on the first following Sunday A well attended kermesse takes place on the first Sunday of September A nativity scene is organized in the abbey church around Christmas The main football club used to be K F C Strombeek but is now named F C Molenbeek Brussels Strombeek and located in neighboring Sint Jans Molenbeek Since 2015 Grimbergen has its own field hockey club named Merode Hockey Grimbergen After only three years they got enough funding together to build a state of the art hockey field Starting from January 2019 the club will be playing their own field at the Populierendallaan 111 Notable people editAugust De Winter 1925 2005 politician Hugo Broos born 1952 former football player and coach Alison Van Uytvanck born 1994 tennis playerReferences edit Wettelijke Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2018 Statbel Retrieved 9 March 2019 Volkssterrenwacht Mira Toerisme Vlaams Brabant in Dutch Retrieved 22 October 2020 Volkssterrenwacht Mira Nemo Kennislink in Dutch Retrieved 22 October 2020 Origin Statbel statbel fgov be Retrieved 2023 07 03 External links edit nbsp Wikimedia Commons has media related to Grimbergen Official Website in Dutch with some tourist information in English Official Website of the Museum for Old Techniques in Dutch French English The Prince s Fort in Grimbergen Werbeka Netshop in English Alternate website in Dutch Carillon mostly in Dutch Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Grimbergen amp oldid 1193338263, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
