Koekelberg (; ) is one of the 19 municipalities of 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 ...

, Belgium. Located in the north-western part of the region, it is bordered by Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Ganshoren, Jette, and

Molenbeek-Saint-Jean (French language, French, ) or (Dutch language, Dutch, ), often simply called Molenbeek, is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the western p ...

. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally

bilingual Multilingualism is the use of more than one language, either by an individual speaker or by a group of speakers. When the languages are just two, it is usually called bilingualism. It is believed that multilingual speakers outnumber monolin ...

(French–Dutch). , the municipality had a population of 22,648 inhabitants, the smallest in the region. 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 municipality is dominated by the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart (or Koekelberg Basilica), one of the largest

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

churches in the world. Its main transportation hub are the interconnected Simonis and Elisabeth metro stations, served by the

Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company The Brussels Intercommunal Transport Company ( or ; or ) is the local public transport operator in Brussels, Belgium. It is usually referred to in English by the double acronym STIB/MIVB, or by its French acronym, STIB. STIB/MIVB is respon ...

(STIB/MIVB) system.

Main sights

Koekelberg has a rich cultural and architectural heritage. Some of the main points of interest include: * The National Basilica of the Sacred Heart (or Koekelberg Basilica), a

minor basilica Basilicas are Catholic church buildings that have a designation, conferring special privileges, given by the Pope. Basilicas are distinguished for ceremonial purposes from other churches. The building need not be a basilica in the architectura ...

and

parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the Church (building), church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in com ...

, as well as one of the largest churches by area in the world. Completed only in 1969, and combining Art Deco with

neo-Byzantine Neo-Byzantine architecture (also referred to as Byzantine Revival) was a Revivalism (architecture), revival movement, most frequently seen in religious, institutional and public buildings. It incorporates elements of the Byzantine architecture, ...

elements, its

cupola In architecture, a cupola () is a relatively small, usually dome-like structure on top of a building often crowning a larger roof or dome. Cupolas often serve as a roof lantern to admit light and air or as a lookout. The word derives, via Ital ...

provides a panoramic view of Brussels and its outskirts. * The Municipal Hall of Koekelberg, located on the /. Built in 1882, it was fitted with a geometric

Art Deco Art Deco, short for the French (), is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design that first Art Deco in Paris, appeared in Paris in the 1910s just before World War I and flourished in the United States and Europe during the 1920 ...

facade designed by the architect Henri-Aimé Jacobs in 1938. * The Church of St. Anne, a

designed in postmodern style by the architects Jean Cosse and Brigitte-Noël de Groof and built in 1989–1990. * The Lefever House, an early 20th-century (1913)

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

town house designed by the architect Fernand Lefever. * The buildings of the former Victoria biscuit factory, now home to the Belgian Chocolate Village, a museum dedicated to chocolate. * Finally, the municipality maintains several green areas, including Elisabeth Park and Victoria Park. File:Bruxelles - Basilique Nationale du Sacré-Cœur à Koekelberg (5).jpg, National Basilica of the Sacred Heart File:Belgique - Bruxelles - Maison Lefever - 01.jpg, Lefever House File:DSP. Ancienne usine Victoria. Rue De Neck. Koekelberg.JPG, Belgian Chocolate Village File:Elisabeth Park (3).jpg, Elisabeth Park

Politics

The current city council was elected in the October 2018 elections. The current mayor of Koekelberg is Ahmed Laaouej, a member of PS, who is in coalition on the municipal council with Ecolo - Groen and Alternative Humaniste.

Economy

Koekelberg is the birthplace of the modern

column still A column still, also called a continuous still, patent still or Coffey still, is a variety of still consisting of two columns. Column stills can produce rectified spirit (95% alcohol by volume, ABV). Description The first column (called the ana ...

. In 1820, Jean‐Baptiste Cellier‐Blumenthal moved to Koekelberg and did the first experiments with his column still. The Belgians began distilling with his design soon after as they wanted to innovate in their distilleries. It is also home to the first whisky produced in Brussels.

Footnotes

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

*
Official site
(in French and Dutch) {{Authority control Municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region Populated places in Belgium