- City status in Belgium
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City status in Belgium is granted to a select group of municipalities by a royal decree or by an act of law.
History
During the Middle Ages, towns had defined privileges over surrounding villages. As the nobility strengthened their power over regions in feudal Europe, they bestowed on towns the rights to organize annual fairs, levy tolls or build walls and other defense works. Under the French occupation of Belgian provinces, these privileges were abolished and replaced by an honorific title of city (Dutch stad, French ville). This was imposed upon the Belgian provinces by order of the French Convention Nationale on the 2 brumaire in the year II (23 October 1793). A number of towns lost their title of city.
At the time of Dutch rule and incorporation into the United Kingdom of the Netherlands (1815-1830), some towns recovered their city title. On the 30th May 1825, a royal decree was published and included the list of the towns that were granted the title. Even with Belgian independence (1831-) this list was scarcely changed. After the merging of municipalities throughout Belgium in 1977, some towns had the opportunity to apply for the title of city. The request had to be based on historical facts such as having the title before the French occupation or during the Middle Ages or had to be based on the development of a high population in their urban centres. 44 towns were granted the title of city between 1982 and 1999.
List of cities in Belgium
A - B - C - D - E - F - G - H - I - J - K - L - M - N - O - P - Q - R - S - T - U - V - W - X - Y - Z City Arrondissement Province Population Year of the Royal Order Communal Charter Aalst (Alost) Aalst 
East Flanders77360 1825 1174 Aarschot (fr: Aerschot) Leuven 
Flemish Brabant27864 1825 1194 Andenne Namur 
Namur24407 1825 Antoing Tournai 
Hainaut7549 1825 1817 (titre) Antwerp (nl: Antwerpen; fr: Anvers) Antwerp 
Antwerp461496 1825 1221 Arlon (nl:Aarlen; de: Arel) Arlon 
Luxembourg26367 1825 Ath (nl: Aat) Ath Hainaut26799 1825 1166 Bastogne Bastogne Luxembourg14144 1825 1332 Beaumont Thuin Hainaut6698 1825 Beauraing Dinant Namur8344 1985 Beringen Hasselt 
Limburg41072 1985 1239 Bilzen Tongeren Limburg30057 1985 1386 Binche Thuin Hainaut32409 1825 Blankenberge Bruges 
West Flanders18175 1985 Borgloon (fr: Looz) Tongeren Limburg10152 1985 ± 1200 Bouillon Neufchâteau Luxembourg5455 1825 Braine-le-Comte (nl: 's-Gravenbrakel) Soignies Hainaut20305 1825 Bree Maaseik Limburg14503 1985 1386 Bruges (nl: Brugge) Bruges West Flanders117224 1825 1128 Brussels
(fr: Bruxelles; nl: Brussel; de: Brüssel)Brussels-Capital 144784 1825 1229 Charleroi Charleroi Hainaut201300 1825 Châtelet Charleroi Hainaut35621 1825 Chièvres Ath Hainaut6198 1825 Chimay Thuin Hainaut9774 1825 Chiny Virton Luxembourg5013 1825 Ciney Dinant Namur14958 1985 Comines-Warneton (nl: Komen-Waasten) Mouscron Hainaut17562 1825 (Warneton) Couvin Philippeville Namur13476 1985 Damme Bruges West Flanders10899 1985 1180 Deinze Ghent East Flanders28320 1825 1241 Dendermonde (fr: Termonde) Dendermonde East Flanders43347 1825 1233 Diest Leuven Flemish Brabant22740 1825 1229 Diksmuide (Dixmude) Diksmuide West Flanders15733 1825 12th Dilsen-Stokkem Maaseik Limburg19106 1987 1244 (Stokkem) Dinant Dinant Namur13012 1825 Durbuy Marche-en-Famenne Luxembourg10531 1825 1331 Eeklo Eeklo East Flanders19535 1825 1240 Enghien (nl: Edingen) Soignies Hainaut11980 1825 Eupen Verviers 
Liège18248 1808 1808 (title) Fleurus Charleroi Hainaut22221 1982 Florenville Virton Luxembourg5449 1997 Fontaine-l'Evêque Charleroi Hainaut16687 1825 Fosses-la-Ville Namur Namur9311 1825 Geel Turnhout Antwerp35189 1985 Gembloux (nl: Gembloers) Namur Namur21964 1985 Genappe (nl: Genepiën) Nivelles 
Walloon Brabant14136 1985 Genk Hasselt Limburg64519 1999 Geraardsbergen (fr: Grammont) Aalst East Flanders31380 1825 1068 Ghent (nl: Gent, fr: Gand) Ghent East Flanders233120 1825 1178 Gistel Ostend West Flanders11125 1985 13th Halen Hasselt Limburg8624 1985 1206 Halle (fr: Hal) Halle-Vilvoorde Flemish Brabant34882 1825 1225 Hamont-Achel Maaseik Limburg13770 1985 14th (Hamont) Hannut (nl: Hannuit) Waremme Liège14291 1985 Harelbeke Kortrijk West Flanders26172 1985 1153 Hasselt Hasselt Limburg70035 1825 1236 Herk-de-Stad (fr: Herck-la-Ville) Hasselt Limburg11795 1985 1386 Herentals Turnhout Antwerp26071 1985 1209 Herve Verviers Liège16772 1825 Hoogstraten Turnhout Antwerp18582 1985 1210 Houffalize Bastogne Luxembourg4749 1825 Huy (nl: Hoei) Huy Liège20071 1825 1066 Izegem Roeselare West Flanders26544 1825 1817 (title) Kortrijk (fr: Courtrai) Kortrijk West Flanders73657 1825 1127 Jodoigne (nl: Geldenaken) Nivelles Walloon Brabant12440 1985 La Louvière Soignies Hainaut77210 1985 La Roche-en-Ardenne Marche-en-Famenne Luxembourg4267 1825 Landen Leuven Flemish Brabant14682 1985 1211 Le Rœulx Soignies Hainaut7977 1825 Lessines Soignies Hainaut17848 1825 Leuven (fr: Louvain, de: Löwen) Leuven Flemish Brabant90706 1825 1211 Leuze-en-Hainaut Tournai Hainaut13223 1825 Liège (nl: Luik) Liège Liège186805 1825 Lier (fr: Lierre) Mechelen Antwerp33272 1825 1212 Limbourg (nl, de: Limburg) Verviers Liège5616 1825 Lokeren Sint-Niklaas East Flanders37850 1825 1804 (title) Lommel Maaseik Limburg31898 1990 Lo-Reninge Diksmuide West Flanders3306 1985 Maaseik Maaseik Limburg23631 1825 1244 Malmedy (de: Malmünde ) Verviers Liège11829 historical Marche-en-Famenne Marche-en-Famenne Luxembourg16994 1825 Mechelen (fr: Malines; de: Mecheln) Mechelen Antwerp78268 1825 1301 Menen (fr: Menin) Kortrijk West Flanders32413 1825 Mesen (fr : Messines) Ypres West Flanders988 1985 Mons (nl, de: Bergen) Mons Hainaut91221 1825 Mortsel Antwerp Antwerp24427 1999 Mouscron (nl:Moeskroen) Mouscron Hainaut52825 1986 Namur (nl: Namen) Namur Namur107178 1825 Neufchâteau Neufchâteau Luxembourg6539 1825 Nieuwpoort (fr : Nieuport) Veurne West Flanders10855 1825 Ninove Aalst East Flanders35651 1825 12th Nivelles (nl: Nijvel) Nivelles Walloon Brabant24290 1825 Ostend (nl: Oostende; fr, de Ostende) Ostend West Flanders68931 1825 1267 Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve Nivelles Walloon Brabant29521 1982 Oudenaarde (fr: Audenarde) Oudenaarde East Flanders28517 1825 1189 Oudenburg Ostend West Flanders8929 1985 Peer Maaseik Limburg15810 1985 Péruwelz Tournai Hainaut16843 1825 Philippeville Philippeville Namur8320 1825 Poperinge Ypres West Flanders19623 1825 1147 Rochefort Dinant Namur12038 1985 Roeselare (fr: Roulers) Roeselare West Flanders55775 1825 1250 Ronse (fr: Renaix) Oudenaarde East Flanders24158 1825 Saint-Ghislain Mons Hainaut22466 1825 Saint-Hubert Neufchâteau Luxembourg5718 1825 Sankt Vith (fr: Saint Vith) Verviers Liège9169 historical Scherpenheuvel-Zichem (fr: Montaigu-Zichem) Leuven Flemish Brabant22064 1985 1605 Seraing Liège Liège60740 1999 Sint-Niklaas (fr: Saint-Nicolas) Sint-Niklaas East Flanders69725 1825 Sint-Truiden (fr: Saint-Trond) Hasselt Limburg38247 1825 8th Soignies (nl: Zinnik) Soignies Hainaut25420 1825 Spa Verviers Liège10543 1825 1594 Stavelot Verviers Liège6671 1825 Thuin Thuin Hainaut14625 1825 Tielt Tielt West Flanders19269 1825 Tienen (fr: Tirlemont) Leuven Flemish Brabant31835 1825 Tongeren (fr: Tongres) Tongeren Limburg29687 1825 Torhout Bruges West Flanders19453 1825 Tournai (nl : Doornik) Tournai Hainaut67534 1825 1188 Turnhout Turnhout Antwerp39791 1825 1212 Verviers Verviers Liège53597 1825 Veurne (Furnes) Veurne West Flanders11843 1825 Vilvoorde (fr: Vilvorde) Halle-Vilvoorde Flemish Brabant37324 1985 1192 Virton Virton Luxembourg11165 1825 Visé (nl: Wezet ) Liège Liège16817 1825 Walcourt Philippeville Namur17516 1985 Waregem Kortrijk West Flanders35852 1999 Waremme (nl: Borgworm) Waremme Liège14050 1985 Wavre (nl: Waver) Nivelles Walloon Brabant32201 1825 Wervik (fr: Wervicq) Ypres West Flanders17607 1825 Ypres (nl: Ieper) Ypres West Flanders34897 1825 1174 Zottegem (fr: Sottegem) Aalst East Flanders24548 1985 Zoutleeuw (fr: Léau) Leuven Flemish Brabant7947 1985 1107 See also
Categories:- City
- Populated places in Belgium
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