Ixelles

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Coordinates: 50°50′N, 04°22′E

  Ixelles (French)
Elsene (Dutch)
La Cambre Abbey in Ixelles.
 
Location on map of Belgium
Coat of arms Ixelles municipality in the Brussels-Capital Region
Geography
Country Belgium
Community French Community of Belgium flag French Community
Flemish Community of Belgium flag Flemish Community
Region Brussels-Capital Region flag Brussels-Capital Region
Arrondissement Brussels
Coordinates 50°50′N, 04°22′E
Area 6.34 km²
Population (Source: NIS)
Population
– Males
– Females
- Density
77,511 (01/01/2006)
48.68%
51.32%
12217 inhab./km²
Age distribution
0–19 years
20–64 years
65+ years
(01/01/2006)
17.07%
70.99%
11.95%
Foreigners 39.02% (01/07/2005)
Economy
Unemployment rate 18.9% (01/01/2006)
Mean annual income 11,196 €/pers. (2003)
Government
Mayor Willy Decourty (LB)
Governing parties MR, LB
Other information
Postal codes 1050
Area codes 02
Web address www.ixelles.be

Elsene (Dutch) or Ixelles (French) is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium.

Contents

[edit] Geography

Ixelles or Elsene is located in the south of Brussels and is divided into two parts by the Avenue Louise (French: Avenue Louise, Dutch: Louizalaan), which is part of the City of Brussels municipality. The smaller west part of the municipality includes the Bailli Street (French: Rue du Bailli, Dutch: Baljuwstraat) and extends roughly from the Avenue Louise to the Avenue Brugmann (French: Avenue Brugmann, Dutch: Brugmannlaan).

The larger east part of the municipality includes the sites of the Université Libre de Bruxelles and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel, and the Eugène Flagey square (French: Place Eugène Flagey, Dutch: Eugène Flageyplein).

The Bois de la Cambre (French) or Ter Kamerenbos (Dutch) is located just south of Ixelles.

[edit] Matongé

Ixelles is known throughout Belgium for its high population of people of African origins. This population is mainly concentrated in the environs of Porte de Namur intersection, renamed popularly as Matongé or Matongué after the marketplace and the commercial district with the same name in Kalamu, Kinshasa. The core of Matongé was formed in late 1950s by the foundation of Maisaf (Maison Africaine, "African House") which served as a centre for university students from the Belgian Congo. After the independence of Congo, the district faced an influx of immigrants from Congo who shaped the neighbourhood in a style to resemble the original Matongé. There are also communities from other African countries like Rwanda, Burundi, Mali, Cameroon, and Senegal present in the district. The famous shopping arcade Galerie d'Ixelles is located in the heart of Matongé.

Matongé mural near Porte de Namur: a celebration of cultural diversity
Matongé mural near Porte de Namur: a celebration of cultural diversity

The district also attained notoriety from early 2000s with gang violence perpetrated by African gangs like Black Démolition. It was the scene of race riots in January 2001. Matongé, with its more recent immigrant communities from Latin America, Pakistan, and India along with African ones, is seen as a symbol of multiculturalism in Belgium.

[edit] History

[edit] Medieval origins

The origins of the village of Ixelles date from the foundation of the Abbey of La Cambre (Dutch: Abdij ter Kameren) by a Benedictine nun in 1196. The abbey was located near the springs of the Maelbeek in the Sonian Forest, the remnant of which closest to Brussels became known as Bois de la Cambre (Ter Kamerenbos). The abbey was consecrated by the Bishop of Cambrai soon after its foundation. Boniface of Brussels and Alice of Schaarbeek were two of its most famous residents in the 13th century.

Ixelles town hall
Ixelles town hall

Around 1300, during the reign of John II, Duke of Brabant, a hostel was built near the abbey to provide meals to the wood bearers working in the forest. Soon, a hamlet and a couple of chapels were built, including the Church of the Holy Cross (French: Sainte Croix, Dutch: Heilige Kruis), also dedicated by the Bishop of Cambrai in 1459. The area included several ponds, still visible today, that provided fish to the abbey and to the neighbouring hamlets. At that time, part of Ixelles was a dependence of Brussels; the other part was the property of the local lord.

[edit] Before the Revolution

In 1478, the wars between Louis XI of France and Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor brought devastation to the abbey and the surrounding areas. In 1585, the Spanish burnt down most of the buildings to prevent them from being used as a refuge by the calvinists. The abbey was restored in time for the Joyous Entry of the Archdukes Albert and Isabella in 1599. Further manors and castles (Ermitage, Ten Bosch, Ixelles) were built in Ixelles in the 16th century, gradually transforming the hamlet into a full-fledged village. The purity of the pond water attracted breweries to the area, some of which survived well into the 20th century.

[edit] A municipality of its own

In 1795, like many of the other towns surrounding Brussels, Ixelles was proclaimed a municipality of its own by the French regime after the Revolution. The abbey was stripped of its religious functions, becoming among others a cotton-manufacturing plant, a farm, a military school, and a hospital. Many of the medieval gates of Brussels that lined what is now the inner ring road were taken down and more streets were built to accommodate the migration towards the suburbs. Ixelles' population grew nearly one-hundred-fold, from 677 in 1813 to more than 58,000 in 1900.

Abbey of La Cambre – Abdij ter Kameren
Abbey of La Cambre – Abdij ter Kameren

At the end of the 19th century, some of the ponds were drained and a new Church of the Holy Cross was built. The first streetcars appeared in 1884 and the first movie theatre in 1919. Ixelles and the Avenue Louise became one of the classy areas of Brussels. Artists and celebrities moved in, leading to architectural novelties such as Art Nouveau and Art Deco.

[edit] Sights

  • The buildings of the Abbey of la Cambre (Abdij ter Kameren) house a renown school for the visual arts, the National Geographic Institute, and various parish functions.
  • The Ixelles ponds offer a welcome green spot in the middle of the city.
  • The Art Deco building on the Flagey square used to house the studios of the Belgian radio and television broadcasting companies (RTBF and VRT)
  • Several Art Nouveau houses were built by Victor Horta and can still be seen today.
  • The Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) and the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) both have their campuses in Ixelles – Elsene.
  • The Ixelles Cemetery is one of the most important cemeteries in the country as it contains the graves of a number of famous Belgian personalities. French General Georges Boulanger committed suicide here, on the tomb of his mistress, who had died a couple of months earlier.
  • Ixelles also houses several interesting churches and museums, including a fine-arts museum and the Constantin Meunier museum, established in the residence where the artist lived part of his life.

[edit] Events

  • Several fairs are organized in Ixelles, including the Spring Fair on the Flagey square, which takes place between the fourth and sixth Sunday after Easter, and the Boondael Fair at the end of July.

[edit] Famous inhabitants

The following people were born in Ixelles:

The following people lived part of their life in Ixelles:

[edit] Twin cities

[edit] See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

[edit] External links


Flag of the Brussels Capital Region
Municipalities in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium
Flag of Belgium
Anderlecht | Auderghem / Oudergem | Berchem-Sainte-Agathe / Sint-Agatha-Berchem | Bruxelles-Ville / Stad Brussel | Etterbeek | Evere | Forest / Vorst | Ganshoren | Ixelles / Elsene | Jette | Koekelberg | Molenbeek-Saint-Jean / Sint-Jans-Molenbeek | Saint-Gilles / Sint-Gillis | Saint-Josse-ten-Noode / Sint-Joost-ten-Node | Schaerbeek / Schaarbeek | Uccle / Ukkel | Watermael-Boitsfort / Watermaal-Bosvoorde | Woluwe-Saint-Lambert / Sint-Lambrechts-Woluwe | Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe
Authorities
Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region | Brussels Parliament | Governor of Brussels-Capital