Binche (; wa, Bince;

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

: ''Bing'') is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

from

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

, in the

province of Hainaut Hainaut (, also , , ; nl, Henegouwen ; wa, Hinnot; pcd, Hénau), historically also known as Heynowes in English, is a province of Wallonia and Belgium. To its south lies the French department of Nord, while within Belgium it borders (clock ...

, Belgium. Since 1977, the municipality consists of Binche, Bray, Buvrinnes, Épinois, Leval-Trahegnies,

Péronnes-lez-Binche Péronnes-lez-Binche ( wa, Perone) is town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Binche located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It was a municipality before the 1977 fusion of the Belgian municipalities. Péronnes became known ...

, Ressaix, and Waudrez districts. According to the surveys from 2021, Binche had a total population of 33,416, approximately 550 inhabitants per km². The motto of the city is "'' Plus Oultre''" (meaning "Further beyond" in Old French), which was the motto of Holy Roman Emperor

Charles V Charles V may refer to: * Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558) * Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain * Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise * Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690) * Infa ...

, who in 1545 gave the medieval Castle of Binche to his sister, Queen Mary of Hungary. Her attention was spent on Binche, which she had rebuilt into

Binche Palace Binche Palace (french: Château de Binche) is located in Binche in the Belgian province of Hainaut, Wallonia. The medieval castle and subsequent Renaissance palace served as residence for the counts of Hainaut, the dukes of Burgundy and the ...

under the direction of the architect-sculptor

Jacques du Broeucq Jacques du Broeucq (c.1505 – c.1584) was a sculptor and architect from Southern Netherlands, who is believed to have spent c. 1530-35 in Italy. Jacques du Broeucq was born and died in Mons and is perhaps best known as the teacher of Giambologna ...

, remembered today as the first master of Giambologna. This château, intended to rival Fontainebleau, was eventually destroyed by the soldiers of

Henry II of France Henry II (french: Henri II; 31 March 1519 – 10 July 1559) was King of France from 31 March 1547 until his death in 1559. The second son of Francis I and Duchess Claude of Brittany, he became Dauphin of France upon the death of his elder bro ...

in 1554. In 2003, the

Carnival of Binche The Carnival of Binche (french: Carnaval de Binche) is an annual event in the Belgian town of Binche during the Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday preceding Ash Wednesday.Spencer, p.16 The carnival is the best known of several that take place in Wall ...

was proclaimed one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

. In addition, the Belfry and City Hall were inscribed on the

World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for ...

as part of the

Belfries of Belgium and France The Belfries of Belgium and France are a group of 56 historical buildings designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, in recognition of the civic (rather than church) belfries serving as an architectural manifestation of emerging civic indep ...

site, for its importance in civic functions, architecture, and its testimony to the power and influence of the town.

History

Binche came into being during the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...

, near the Roman road that connected

Bagacum Bavay () is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. The town was the seat of the former canton of Bavay. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Bavaisiens'' or ''Bavaisiennes'' Geography Bav ...

, the capital of the

Nervii The Nervii were one of the most powerful Belgic tribes of northern Gaul at the time of its conquest by Rome. Their territory corresponds to the central part of modern Belgium, including Brussels, and stretched southwards into French Hainault. ...

, (now

Bavay Bavay () is a commune in the Nord department in the Hauts-de-France region of northern France. The town was the seat of the former canton of Bavay. The inhabitants of the commune are known as ''Bavaisiens'' or ''Bavaisiennes'' Geography Bava ...

) to

Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium Colonia Claudia Ara Agrippinensium was the Roman colony in the Rhineland from which the city of Cologne, now in Germany, developed. It was usually called ''Colonia'' (colony) and was the capital of the Roman province of Germania Inferior and t ...

, (now

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

). The road influenced trade and communication throughout Binche. The city was officially founded in the 12th century by Yolande of Gelders, widow of Duke Baldwin III from Hainaut. Their son Baldwin IV fortified the city, which served as a frontier fortress against France. In the 14th century, the city wall was extended to its present size. The city reached the peak of its economic power when

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

was under Spanish rule. Binche was the residence of Mary of Hungary, governess of the Netherlands for her brother, Emperor Charles V. She had a magnificent palace built, designed by

Jacques Du Broeucq Jacques du Broeucq (c.1505 – c.1584) was a sculptor and architect from Southern Netherlands, who is believed to have spent c. 1530-35 in Italy. Jacques du Broeucq was born and died in Mons and is perhaps best known as the teacher of Giambologna ...

, to compete with that of Fontainebleau. Charles V visited Binche in 1549 on invitation from his sister. For this occasion, she organized magnificent celebrations. This period of prosperity came to an end in 1554 as the palace, the city, and the surrounding area were plundered by the troops of King Henry II of France. Until the beginning of the 18th century, Hainaut was the site of repeated military conflicts between the kingdoms of France and Spain. The

Industrial Revolution The Industrial Revolution was the transition to new manufacturing processes in Great Britain, continental Europe, and the United States, that occurred during the period from around 1760 to about 1820–1840. This transition included going f ...

brought renewed prosperity. Coal mines' slag heaps still shape the landscape. Adding to this were the

brickyard A brickyard or brickfield is a place or yard where bricks are made, fired, and stored, or sometimes sold or otherwise distributed from. Brick makers work in a brick yard. A brick yard may be constructed near natural sources of clay or on o ...

tanneries Tanning may refer to: *Tanning (leather), treating animal skins to produce leather *Sun tanning, using the sun to darken pale skin **Indoor tanning, the use of artificial light in place of the sun **Sunless tanning, application of a stain or dye t ...

glazier A glazier is a tradesman responsible for cutting, installing, and removing glass (and materials used as substitutes for glass, such as some plastics).Elizabeth H. Oakes, ''Ferguson Career Resource Guide to Apprenticeship Programs'' ( Infobase: ...

s, breweries,

lime kiln A lime kiln is a kiln used for the calcination of limestone ( calcium carbonate) to produce the form of lime called quicklime (calcium oxide). The chemical equation for this reaction is : CaCO3 + heat → CaO + CO2 This reaction can take p ...

s, and soap factories. Thousands of people worked at home as lace makers, cobblers, and tailors. Post offices and train stations were introduced in the city during this time.

Carnival

The three-day

is one of the best known in Belgium. It takes place around

Shrove Tuesday Shrove Tuesday is the day before Ash Wednesday (the first day of Lent), observed in many Christian countries through participating in confession and absolution, the ritual burning of the previous year's Holy Week palms, finalizing one's Lenten ...

(or Mardi Gras) just before

Lent Lent ( la, Quadragesima, 'Fortieth') is a solemn religious observance in the liturgical calendar commemorating the 40 days Jesus spent fasting in the desert and enduring temptation by Satan, according to the Gospels of Matthew, Mark and Luke ...

(the 40 days between Ash Wednesday and

Easter Easter,Traditional names for the feast in English are "Easter Day", as in the '' Book of Common Prayer''; "Easter Sunday", used by James Ussher''The Whole Works of the Most Rev. James Ussher, Volume 4'') and Samuel Pepys''The Diary of Samuel ...

). Performers known as

Gilles The Gilles are the oldest and principal participants in the Carnival of Binche in Belgium. They go out on Shrove Tuesday from 4 am until late hours and dance to traditional songs. Other cities, such as La Louvière and Nivelles, have a traditio ...

wear elaborate costumes in the

national colours National colours are frequently part of a country's set of national symbols. Many states and nations have formally adopted a set of colours as their official "national colours" while others have ''de facto'' national colours that have become well ...

of red, black and yellow. During the parade, they throw

oranges An orange is a fruit of various citrus species in the family Rutaceae (see list of plants known as orange); it primarily refers to ''Citrus'' × ''sinensis'', which is also called sweet orange, to distinguish it from the related ''Citrus × ...

at the crowd. In 2003, it was recognized by

as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity. File:Binche - Les Gilles.jpg, The

, clad in their costumes and wax masks, wielding sticks used to ward off spirits File:0 Binche - Les Gilles le jour du mardi gras (1).JPG, The Gilles wearing their hat with ostrich feathers on

Sport

Each year the town hosts the single day Binche-Chimay-Binche professional cycling race, which is rated as a 1.1 event on the

UCI Europe Tour The UCI Continental Circuits are a series of road bicycle racing competitions which were introduced in 2005 by the Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) to expand cycling around the world. The five circuits (representing the continents of Africa, the ...

Transportation

Binche railway station has been the terminus for passenger services on line 108 (Erquelinnes - Mariemont) since 1984. The island platform is out of use. The large gothic style station building was designed by Leuven architect Pierre Langerock. It has coloured stained glass windows and is a protected monument. There are some inscriptions remaining from the German occupation. To the front of the station is a square half-encircled by a balustrade. Sculpted in the Neo-classical style from blue stone, it incorporates statues commemorating illustrious figures from Binche’s past, including Charles V, Margaret of York and Mary of Hungary. A monument dedicated to independence was added in 1931. The area has been a heritage quarter since 1978.

Notable people

Gilles Binchois Gilles de Bins dit Binchois (also Binchoys; – 20 September 1460) was a Franco-Flemish composer of early Renaissance music. A central figure of the Burgundian School, Binchois and his colleague Guillaume Du Fay were deeply influenced by the ...

( – 1460), composer * Berthe Dubail (1911–1984) painter.

History

Carnival

Sport

Transportation

Notable people

See also

Notes

External links