Berchem-Sainte-Agathe ( French, ) or Sint-Agatha-Berchem (

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 ...

, ), often simply called Berchem, is one of the 19 municipalities of the

Brussels-Capital Region Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...

, Belgium. Located in the north-western part of the region, it is bordered by

Ganshoren Ganshoren (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-western part of the region, it is bordered by Jette, Koekelberg, and Sint-Agatha-Berchem, as well as the Flemish municipality of As ...

Koekelberg Koekelberg (, ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the north-western part of the region, it is bordered by Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Ganshoren, Jette and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. In common with all ...

and

Molenbeek-Saint-Jean (French, ) or (Dutch, ), often simply called Molenbeek, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, from which it is separated b ...

, as well as the

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

municipalities of Asse and

Dilbeek Dilbeek () is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Dilbeek proper, Groot-Bijgaarden, Itterbeek (with Sint-Anna-Pede), Schepdaal (with Sint-Gertrudis-Pe ...

. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch). , the municipality had a population of 25,298. The total area is , which gives a

population density Population density (in agriculture: 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 geographical ...

of . The municipality is known for its calm and peaceful character. It is said that Berchem is a "village in the city".

History

In 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 ...

, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe was a modest village on the edge of Brussels. In 1795, it received the status of an autonomous municipality. In 1841, it separated from neighbouring

, and in 1954, it became a part of the

Main sights

Berchem-Sainte-Agathe has a rich cultural and architectural heritage. Some of the main points of interest include: * The former Church of St. Agatha, an old 12th-century Romanesque church. Completely renovated from 1972 to 1974, it is now desecrated and used for cultural ceremonies and celebrations. * The Villa Marie-Mirande, an Art Nouveau house by the architect Victor Tinant * The ''Cité Moderne'', a housing project designed and built from 1922 to 1925 by the

modernist Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...

architect Victor Bourgeois File:Eglise Sainte-Agathe.JPG, Former Church of St. Agatha File:Villa-marie-mirande.jpg, Villa Marie-Mirande File:Belgique - Bruxelles - Cité Moderne - 01.jpg, ''Cité Moderne''

Famous inhabitants

* David Lachterman (1934–1992), radio and television comedian and commentary expert * Alexis Saelemaekers (b. 1999), football player who has played as a winger for R.S.C. Anderlecht and

A.C. Milan Associazione Calcio Milan (), commonly referred to as AC Milan or simply Milan, is a professional Association football, football club in Milan, Italy, founded in 1899. The club has spent its entire history, with the exception of the 1980–81 ...

* Françoise Schepmans (b. 1960), politician and former mayor of Molenbeek, was born there. *

Jean-Claude Van Damme Jean-Claude Camille François Van Varenberg (, ; born 18 October 1960), known professionally as Jean-Claude Van Damme (, ), is a Belgian actor, martial artist, filmmaker, and fight choreographer. Born and raised in Brussels, Belgium, at the ag ...

(b. 1960), actor and martial artist, was born there. * Rudi Vervoort (b. 1958), politician and Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region, was born there.

References

Notes

External links