Linkebeek (, ) is a Belgian

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 Halle-Vilvoorde district (''arrondissement'') of 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 ...

. The municipality only comprises the town of Linkebeek proper. On 1 January 2006, Linkebeek had a total population of 4,759. 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 . It directly borders 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 ...

and is part of the city's urban sprawl, contiguous with Moensburg (

Uccle Uccle (French language, French, ) or Ukkel (Dutch language, Dutch, ) is one of the List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the southern part of the region, it ...

) – it was a component of the short-lived Arrondissement of Brussels-Periphery.

Language and politics

The official language is Dutch with French facilities. In 1954, these special linguistic rights or "facilities" were given to Francophones, who then constituted nearly 40% of the population according to the 1947 census. Nowadays, Francophones make up the majority of the population. Francophones can request official documents from the local administration in French, but the official language remains Dutch. There are also primary and nursery schools teaching in French. Since the 2012 municipal elections, the municipal council consists of 13 French-speaking councillors, led by Damien Thiéry (MR), and two Dutch-speaking councillors (elected under "ProLink"). Damien Thiéry (MR) was the acting mayor from 2007 to 2015. He was never appointed mayor by the Flemish government for having violated language law, as confirmed by multiple

Council of State A council of state is a governmental body in a country, or a subdivision of a country, with a function that varies by jurisdiction. It may be the formal name for the cabinet or it may refer to a non-executive advisory body associated with a head ...

rulings. The French-speaking majority refused to propose anyone else as mayor. In October 2015 the Flemish minister Liesbeth Homans (N-VA) appointed Eric De Bruycker (ProLink) as mayor. This caused controversy, and the French-speaking majority in the municipal council demanded his resignation. When De Bruycker refused, the 13 French-speaking councillors resigned to provoke a

snap election A snap election is an election that is called earlier than the one that has been scheduled. Snap elections in parliamentary systems are often called to resolve a political impasse such as a hung parliament where no single political party has a ma ...

. An election was then scheduled for 13 December to elect 13 councillors; the mayor and the other Flemish councillor both remain in office. A few days later, mayor De Bruycker submitted his resignation. If accepted by Flemish minister Liesbeth Homans, he will remain as acting mayor. Prolink, the Flemish party of De Bruycker, decided not to participate in the election and called on voters to vote blank. The 13 December 2015 snap election resulted in the status quo: the French-speaking list won all 13 seats. However, about 15% did not vote (despite its being compulsory) and about 13% voted blank.

Twin towns

* Saint-Lambert-du-Lattay (

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 ...

) since 1981 * Kenton (

England England is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is located on the island of Great Britain, of which it covers about 62%, and List of islands of England, more than 100 smaller adjacent islands. It ...

) since 1996

Famous inhabitants

* Herman Teirlinck, writer (1879–1967) *

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...

, actress and humanitarian *

Roméo Elvis Roméo Johnny Elvis Kiki van Laeken (; born 13 December 1992), better known by his stage name Roméo Elvis (), is a Francophone Belgians, Belgian Rapping, rapper and record producer. His career began with the release of two Extended play, EPs ...

, rapper and hip-hop artist * Angèle Van Laeken, singer-songwriter and musician * Jehan Frison (on French Wikipedia) (1882–1961), painter and engraver * Rodolphe Wytsman (1860–1927), painter * Juliette Wytsman (1866–1925), painter

References

External links

*
Official website
– Information available in Dutch and French Municipalities of Flemish Brabant {{FlemishBrabant-geo-stub