Etterbeek

Infobox Belgium Municipality
name=Etterbeek
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flag_link=Symbols of Brussels#Municipalities
arms_link=Symbols of Brussels#Municipalities
region=BE-REG-BRU
community=BE-FR
BE-NL
province=
arrondissement=Brussels
nis=21005
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0-19=
20-64=
65=
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postal-codes=1040
telephone-area=02
web= [http://www.etterbeek.be/ www.etterbeek.be]
lat_deg=50
lat_min=50
lon_deg=04
lon_min=23

Etterbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It neighbours the municipalities of the City of Brussels, Ixelles (Elsene), Auderghem (Oudergem), Woluwe-Saint-Pierre (Sint-Pieters-Woluwe), Woluwe-Saint-Lambert (Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe) and Schaerbeek (Schaarbeek).

The main campus of the Dutch-speaking Vrije Universiteit Brussel is called "Campus Etterbeek", although it is situated on the adjacent territory of Ixelles/Elsene.

History

Origins and etymology

According to legend, Gertrude, daughter of Pippin of Landen, founded a chapel here in the 8th century. A document by Otto I, dated 966, mentions the church of "Iatrebache". The name "Ietrebecca" – possibly from the Celtic root "ett" meaning “rapid movement” and the Dutch word "beek" meaning “stream” – is found for the first time in a document dated 1127. The current spelling appears eleven years later in 1138, around which time a newer and larger church was built.

Middle Ages

In the Middle Ages, Etterbeek was a rural hamlet mostly independent of Brussels, if we don’t count the taxation rights on beer given to Brussels around 1300 by John II, Duke of Brabant. The following two centuries counted several grievous moments: in 1489, Albert, Duke of Saxe ravaged Etterbeek in his pursuit of the rebels who fought against Maximilian of Austria; in 1580, the village is destroyed once more, this time by the iconoclasts during the Protestant Reformation wars. Peace came back under the reigns of Archdukes Albert and Isabella.

Barony and municipality

In 1673, Etterbeek gained its independence from neighbouring Sint-Genesius-Rode, when Charles II of Spain promoted it into a barony. The first baron was Don Diego-Henriquez de Castro, general treasurer of the Netherlands armies. The Castro house was sold in 1767 and can still be seen today as Etterbeek’s oldest building.

Under the French regime, Etterbeek was made into a commune, within the canton of Sint-Stevens-Woluwe (in French: "Woluwe-Saint-Etienne"). From then on, and especially after the Belgian Revolution of 1830 and the development of Brussels as a capital city, the population of Etterbeek grew quickly. In 1876, there were more than 10,000 inhabitants, in 1900 more than 20,000, and in 1910 more than 33,000. In the first decade of the 20th century, under the reign of Leopold II, construction boomed and changed the town’s character with the addition of the broad avenues and residential areas that we know today.

Places of interest

*Two catholic churches are located in Etterbeek ("Saint-Antoine" or "Sint-Antonius" church and "Notre-Dame-du-Sacré-Coeur"). A third one ("Sainte-Gertrude" or "Sint-Gertrude" church) was destroyed in the nineties as it threatened to collapse.
*The "Fondation René Carcan", a foundation and museum in René Carcan’s old studio, is located in Etterbeek.
*The "Cauchie" house was built in 1905 by Art Nouveau architect, painter and designer Paul Cauchie. Its façade is remarkable for its allegorical sgraffiti.
*Of a completely different character, the "Barony" dates from 1680 and is the oldest building in town.
*Etterbeek has a few green areas, including the Jean-Felix Hap garden. The better known Cinquantenaire and Park Leopold are bordering the municipality’s territory.

Famous inhabitants

The following people were born in Etterbeek:
*Constantin Meunier, painter and sculptor (1831-1905)
*Arthur Maurice Hocart, anthropologist (1883-1939)
*Georges Rémi a.k.a. Hergé, comics writer and artist, creator of "Tintin and Snowy" (1907-1983)
*Jean Brachet, biochemist (1909-1998)
*Monique De Wael a.k.a. Misha Defonseca (1937) writer of ""
*André Franquin, cartoonist, creator of "Gaston" and the "Marsupilami" (1924-1997)
*Alexandre de Merode, member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) (1934-2002)
*Roland Lethem, filmmaker and writer (b. 1942)
*Godelieve Quisthoudt-Rowohl, German politician (b. 1947)
*Herman Van Rompuy, politician (b. 1947)
*Charles Picqué, politician, freemason, and mayor of Saint-Gilles (b. 1948)
*Philippe Francq, comic book artist (b. 1961)
*Georges Grün, football defender (b. 1962)
*Lara Fabian, international singer (b. 1970)
*Richard Makela a.k.a. Monsieur R, rap artist (b. 1975)
*Marouane Fellaini, football player (b. 1987)
*Giani Esposito (1930-1974), actor

The following people lived part of their life in Etterbeek:
*Adrien de Gerlache, officer of the Belgian Navy and leader of two Belgian Antarctic Expeditions (1866-1934)
*Jean Absil, composer and organist (1893-1974)
*Edgar Pierre Jacobs, comic book artist, creator of "Blake and Mortimer" (1904-1987)
*René Carcan, engraver and sculptor (1925-1993)
*Jean-Baptiste Baronian, Belgian-Armenian writer (b. 1942)
*Lyndsay Daneil,writer (b. 1978)

Transportation

There is a rail station called "Etterbeek-Station" or "Gare d'Etterbeek" but, like the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, it is also located in Ixelles or Elsene. Presently, Etterbeek has one rail station (Mérode) and three metro stations (Mérode, Thieffry and Pétillon).

ports

*Etterbeek hosts two football clubs (R.R.C. Etterbeek and Armenia) playing in Belgian Provincial leagues at the Guy Thys stadium, named after the famous Belgian manager in summer 2003. He led Belgium national football team to fourth place at the 1986 FIFA World Cup.
*In the summer of 1996, the municipal swimming pool burnt down. It has now been rebuilt and is again open to the public.

Proposed redevelopment "Les Jardins de la Chasse"

A project is currently proposed to redevelop an area of Etterbeek near the "Avenue des Casernes". This project would result in the town hall and police station being relocated to new buildings in a central administrative centre on this site. [cite web |url=http://www.etterbeek.irisnet.be/site/fr/Files/jardins_chasse |format=pdf |title=Les Jardins de la Chasse |language=French |accessdate=2008-10-12] The new site is being called the "Tuinen van de Jacht" (Dutch), or "Jardins de la Chasse" (French).

Events

Etterbeek hosts an annual medieval market at the end of May on the "Avenue du 2ème Régiment de Lanciers" in the south of the municipality.

Twin Cities

*FRA: Fontenay-sous-Bois
*ITA: Forte dei Marmi
*CAN: Beauport, Quebec

References

External links

* [http://www.etterbeek.be/ Official website of Etterbeek] , in French or in Dutch