Tervuren
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For the breed of dog, see Belgian Shepherd Dog (Tervueren).
| Tervuren | ||
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| Geography | ||
| Country |  Belgium |
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| Region |  Flemish Region |
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| Community | Flemish Community |
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| Province |  Flemish Brabant |
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| Arrondissement | Leuven | |
| Coordinates | ||
| Area | 32.92 km² | |
| Population (Source: NIS) | ||
| Population – Males – Females - Density |
20,636 (01/01/2006) 48.45% 51.55% 627 inhab./km² |
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| Age distribution 0–19 years 20–64 years 65+ years |
(01/01/2006) 26.10% 57.00% 16.90% |
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| Foreigners | 23.60% (01/07/2005) | |
| Economy | ||
| Unemployment rate | 5.47% (01/01/2006) | |
| Mean annual income | 14,504 €/pers. (2003) | |
| Government | ||
| Mayor | Bruno Eulaerts (GT-VLD) | |
| Governing parties | GT-VLD, Groen!, N-VA | |
| Other information | ||
| Postal codes | 3080 | |
| Area codes | 02 | |
| Web address | www.tervuren.be | |
Tervuren (older spelling: Tervueren) is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Duisburg, Tervuren, Vossem and Moorsel. On January 1, 2006, Tervuren had a total population of 20,636. The total area is 32.92 km², which gives it a population density of 627 inhabitants per km².
The official language of Tervuren is Dutch (the same as everywhere in Flanders), though the language is more commonly referred to as Flemish. Local minorities consist primarily of French speakers who migrated from Wallonia or Brussels, and of nationals from many countries of the European Union, the USA, and Canada. The reason for this diverse spread of nationalities is due to expatriate workers and their families migrating for work in Brussels, usually either for the European Union or for multinational corporations. The British School of Brussels has been located in Tervuren since 1970.
Tervuren is one of the richest municipalities in Belgium. It is linked to Brussels by a large processional avenue (Tervurenlaan/Avenue de Tervueren) built by king Leopold II in time for the Universal Exhibition of 1897. This interweaves with a combined heritage and commuter tramline. Until 1959 Tervuren was also served by an electric railway, whose disused terminus opposite the Royal Museum for Central Africa is now a pub named the Spoorloos Station (Trackless Station).
[edit] History
For centuries people thought that Tervuren was the same place as "Fura", where saint Hubert (Hubertus) died in 727 AD. There is, however, no historical proof of this.
A document dating from 1213 AD details the wooden fortification built by Henry I, Duke of Brabant. This evolved in the castle of Tervuren, the residence of the dukes of Brabant in the 14th and 15th centuries. The castle was demolished in 1782.
Tram 44, which travels between Brussels and Tervuren (and the Royal Museum for Central Africa), is in Tervuren because of Leopold II. It was because of his desire to bring visitors from around the world to his 1897 exhibition of the Congo that this transport to Brussels exists.
[edit] Culture
The Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) is an ethnographical and natural history museum. It focuses mainly on the Congo, Belgium's former colony. However, some aspects (especially regarding to biological research) extend to the whole of the Congo River basin, Middle Africa, East Africa and West Africa. It was at first intended purely as a colonial museum, but after 1960 it became more focused on ethnography and anthropology. Like in most museums, there is both a research department and a public exhibit department. Despite its name, not all research is pertaining to Africa. For example, there is research undergoing into the archaeozoology of Sagalassos. Some researchers even have strong ties with the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.
Tervuren Library (Gemeentelijke Openbare Bibliotheek Tervuren - GOBT) is situated at Vandersandestraat 15. It contains around 43,300 printed documents, and 886 DVDs.
[edit] External links
- Arboretum of Tervuren - This web site lets you discover one of the jewels of the green crown of Brussels: The Geographic Arboretum of Tervuren.
- Tervuren wiki - A wiki covering Tervuren.
- Official Tervuren official website - Only available in Dutch
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Municipalities in the Province of Flemish Brabant, Flanders, Belgium |
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Halle-Vilvoorde: Affligem | Asse | Beersel | Bever | Dilbeek | Drogenbos | Galmaarden | Gooik | Grimbergen | Halle | Herne | Hoeilaart | Kampenhout | Kapelle-op-den-Bos | Kraainem | Lennik | Liedekerke | Linkebeek | Londerzeel | Machelen | Meise | Merchtem | Opwijk | Overijse | Pepingen | Roosdaal | Sint-Genesius-Rode | Sint-Pieters-Leeuw | Steenokkerzeel | Ternat | Vilvoorde | Wemmel | Wezembeek-Oppem | Zaventem | Zemst |
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