Wemmel (; ) is a

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

in the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

Flemish Brabant Flemish Brabant ( ; ) is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also ...

, in the

Flemish region The Flemish Region (, ), usually simply referred to as Flanders ( ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—alongside the Wallonia, Walloon Region and the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region. ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. The municipality only comprises the town of Wemmel proper. On January 1, 2018, Wemmel had a total population of 16,347. The total area is , which gives a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

of . The official language of Wemmel is Dutch, as in the rest of

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

. In 1954, however, special linguistic ''facilities'' were given to local French-speakers. Although outside the

Brussels-Capital Region Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a region of Belgium comprising 19 municipalities, including the City of Brussels, which is the capital ...

, Wemmel is sometimes considered part of the suburbs of

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

– it directly borders the city municipality of Jette and the neighbourhood of

Laeken (French language, French, ) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ) is a residential suburb in the north-western part of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. It belongs to the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, municipality of the ...

, and was a component of the short-lived Arrondissement of Brussels-Periphery. The Brussels orbital motorway, known as the ''ring'', cuts through the southern part of the town.

History

The centre of Wemmel initially developed around the Sint-Servaaskerk (), because the ground there was best suited for building. Around the year 370, Frankish invaders drove out the ruling Romans, who had settled the area around the 2nd century AD. Wemmel eventually became part of the

Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant, a Imperial State, state of the Holy Roman Empire, was established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant of 1085–1183, and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries. The Duchy comprised part of the Bu ...

. One of the first lords of Wemmel of which there is a historical record was marshal Goswinus van Wembelne, who lived at the beginning of the 12th century. His descendants would be the lords of Wemmel until the end of the 12th century, when Isabella van Wembelne married Aernout II of Kraainem, and Wemmel became part of the already considerable possessions of Kraainem. Many notable men would come from this noble family, including Aernout III, who would die fighting on the French king's side at the

Battle of the Golden Spurs The Battle of the Golden Spurs (; ) or 1302 Battle of Courtrai was a military confrontation between the royal army of Kingdom of France, France and rebellious forces of the County of Flanders on 11 July 1302 during the 1297–1305 Franco-Flem ...

. His son Leo was a skillful diplomat, who would sign the 1366 treaty that resolved a dispute between the

County of Flanders The County of Flanders was one of the most powerful political entities in the medieval Low Countries, located on the North Sea coast of modern-day Belgium and north-eastern France. Unlike the neighbouring states of Duchy of Brabant, Brabant and ...

and the

over the Lordship of Mechelen. In 1838 all family belongings in Wemmel were sold to count Willem Bernard de Limburg-Stirum, who had become the mayor. Two of his daughters inhabited the castle until 1926. Their heirs then donated the castle to the municipality, since then it has served as the town hall. The castle was entirely renovated in 1992–1993.

Marquess of Wemmel

Leo's granddaughter married Gyselbrecht Taye, the lord of Elewijt, and Wemmel once again came under a different lord, this time belonging to the well known Coudenbergh family from

. This family would govern the

heerlijkheid A ''heerlijkheid'' (a Dutch language, Dutch word; pl. ''heerlijkheden''; also called ''heerschap''; Latin: ''Dominium'') was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and Judiciary, judicial unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking ...

as it was raised in status first to a

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

and later to a margravate, only losing power in 1792 as France invaded the

Low Countries The Low Countries (; ), historically also known as the Netherlands (), is a coastal lowland region in Northwestern Europe forming the lower Drainage basin, basin of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta and consisting today of the three modern "Bene ...

as part of the

French Revolutionary Wars The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted French First Republic, France against Kingdom of Great Britain, Great Britain, Habsb ...

. Through the marriage between Marie Josepha Taye 6th Marquess of Assche, 3rd Marquess of Wemmel and count Jan-Antoon Van der Noot, the House of vander Noot inherited all the power and castles. Members of his family would play an important role in the Brabantian Revolution. In 1838, all the ruling family's possessions in Wemmel were sold to William Bernard of Limburg-Stirum, who then became mayor. Two of his daughters would continue to live in Wemmel Castle at the centre of the town until 1926. Their heirs donated the chateau to the municipality, and it has served as the municipality's town hall ever since.

Language situation

The official language is Dutch, as everywhere in

. In 1954, however, special linguistic ''facilities'' were given to local French-speakers (according to an official census, they were more than 30% in 1947). They can request official documents from the local administration in French. Since Wemmel is part of the bilingual judicial and electoral district of Brussels-Halle-Vilvoorde, French can be used before the courts. Some primary and maternity schools also teach in French.

Sights

File:Wemmel.JPG, Aerial view File:Wemmel E1a JPG.jpg, Sint-Servaas Church File:StServaasWemmel.jpg, The interior of the church File:Wemmel CH1bJPG.jpg, Wemmel Castle and park, today town hall

References

External links