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Aarschot () is a
city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...
and
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 of
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
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 ...
,
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 comprises the city of Aarschot proper and the towns of Gelrode, Langdorp and Rillaar. On 1 January 2019, Aarschot had a total population of 30,106. 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 446 inhabitants per km2. It is located in the part of
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 ...
called Hageland, located to the east of
Leuven Leuven (, , ), also called Louvain (, , ), is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located about east of Brussels. The municipalit ...
. Aarschot is a very typical town with a long history, dating back to the era of the Roman emperors, according to myths. The church, which dominates the look of the city, is built with the typical brown stone quarried from the hills in the surrounding areas. These same hills were in the Middle Ages home to some of the most well-regarded vineyards of Europe. Today the chain hills, which originate in Bolderberg,
Heusden-Zolder Heusden-Zolder (; ) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian Limburg (Belgium), province of Limburg near Hasselt. On 1 January 2006 Heusden-Zolder had a total population of 30,769. The total area is 53.23  ...
, and continue as far as
Calais Calais ( , , traditionally , ) is a French port city in the Pas-de-Calais department, of which it is a subprefecture. Calais is the largest city in Pas-de-Calais. The population of the city proper is 67,544; that of the urban area is 144,6 ...
in
France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
, are mainly covered with woods and fruit yards. The title of
Duke of Aarschot The Duke of Aarschot (or ''Aerschot'') was one of the most important aristocratic titles in the Low Countries, named after the Brabantian city of Aarschot. The title was held by the House of Croÿ and the House of Arenberg. The present Duke is Leo ...
, created in 1533, is the oldest (not-Sovereign) Ducal title in Belgium (title created for the House of Croÿ, later inherited by the
House of Arenberg The House of Arenberg is an aristocratic lineage that is constituted by three successive families that took their name from Arenberg, a small territory of the Holy Roman Empire in the Eifel region. The inheritance of the House of Croÿ, House of C ...
that still holds it). While the Church of Our Lady (''Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk'') definitely leaves its mark on the appearance of the city, nothing defines Aarschot better than the river that passes through it: the Demer. Aarschot is situated in the valley of this brown-colored river. Aarschot was hit very hard in World War I. When German troops occupied the city on 19 August 1914, Colonel Stenger, commander of the 8th German Infantry Brigade, was shot dead on the balcony of the house of Mayor Tielemans, in which he was quartered. Later on it was established that the deadly shots were fired by one of his own German soldiers. The German reprisal was extremely harsh. Many houses were set alight and 156 people were executed, including Mayor Tielemans and his 15-year-old son. The next day, the entire population was ordered to evacuate the city. Aarschot is known as one of the seven Martyr cities of Belgium because of this event. File: Aarschot_Hertogenmolens_R01.jpg, ''Hertogensmolens'' downstream side File: Aarschot_OLV_R01.jpg, Tower of the Church of Our Lady (from the south)


Economy

Aarschot is known in the region as a hub for schools and shopping, with a fairly extensive industrial area. In the city center, numerous shops line the streets leading to the Grote Markt. However, the city faces significant vacancy in its downtown area. Since the beginning of 2014, the city has implemented regulations to promote the opening of pop-up stores in the short term, aiming to reduce vacancy rates. https://web.archive.org/web/20140821161531/https://www.aarschot.be/files/regl_inzake_fin_onderst_pop-up_stores.pdf In the Hageland region, Leuven serves as the dominant commercial center, offering a wider and more varied range of goods and services. Aarschot is also known for its several large retail spaces. Some garden centers have established themselves along the road to Rillaar. Nearby, the Gouden Kruispunt (Tielt-Winge) serves as a retail hub with over 60 stores. In 2015, construction began on the De Witte Molen small and medium-sized enterprise (SME) zone.


Famous inhabitants

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Front 242 Front 242 is a Belgian electronic music group that came into prominence during the 1980s. Pioneering the style they called electronic body music, they influenced the electronic and industrial music genres. History Formation Front 242 were for ...
,
electronic music Electronic music broadly is a group of music genres that employ electronic musical instruments, circuitry-based music technology and software, or general-purpose electronics (such as personal computers) in its creation. It includes both music ...
group *
Scala & Kolacny Brothers Scala & Kolacny Brothers is a Belgian women's choir conducted by Stijn Kolacny, and arranged and accompanied by Steven Kolacny on the piano. They have released five studio albums (in multiple languages), starting with ''On the Rocks'' in, 200 ...
, choir * Dany Verlinden, soccer player


References


External links

* *
Official website
- Only available in Dutch
Aarschot, martyr city

Reconstruction of the bridge over the Groote Laak in Aarschot in 1940.
from the Site of the Walloon regional archives (fr). {{Authority control Municipalities of Flemish Brabant