Menen (; french: Menin ; vls, Mêenn or ) is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...

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 ...

located in the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

province of

West Flanders ) , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg , shield_size = , image_map ...

. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe and

Rekkem Rekkem is a section of the Belgian city of Menen, in the province of West Flanders. Until 1977, it was an independent municipality. It was called ''Retchème'' in Picard. In 1173, the village was still called Rekkem, similar to Reclinghem in Ar ...

. The city is situated on the French/Belgian border. On January 1, 2006, Menen had a total population of 32,413. The total area is 33.07 km² 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 980 inhabitants per km². The city of Menen gives its name to the

Menin Gate The Menin Gate ( nl, Menenpoort), officially the Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing, is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves a ...

Ypres Ypres ( , ; nl, Ieper ; vls, Yper; german: Ypern ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality ...

, which is a monument to those killed in

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

. The gate is so called as the road from that gate is the road to Menen. The town hall of Menen, with its large belfry, was inscribed on the

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. I ...

World Heritage List A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

in 1999 as part of the

Belfries of Belgium and France The Belfries of Belgium and France are a group of 56 historical buildings designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, in recognition of the civic (rather than church) belfries serving as an architectural manifestation of emerging civic ind ...

site, because of its civic importance and architecture.

History

Menen's position near the French border led to many sieges in the history of the city. There were as many as 22 sieges between 1579 and 1830. The city was part of France between 1668 and 1713. Vauban turned Menen into a model-fortification (1679–1689). The city was besieged and taken by the

Duke of Marlborough General John Churchill, 1st Duke of Marlborough, 1st Prince of Mindelheim, 1st Count of Nellenburg, Prince of the Holy Roman Empire, (26 May 1650 – 16 June 1722 O.S.) was an English soldier and statesman whose career spanned the reign ...

's allied Army in August 1706. During the

Flanders Campaign The Flanders Campaign (or Campaign in the Low Countries) was conducted from 20 April 1792 to 7 June 1795 during the first years of the War of the First Coalition. A coalition of states representing the Ancien Régime in Western Europe – Au ...

of the Wars of the French Revolution the city changed hands several times. There was a devastating fire in 1750 that almost completely destroyed the city. It was also the scene of a

battle A battle is an occurrence of combat in warfare between opposing military units of any number or size. A war usually consists of multiple battles. In general, a battle is a military engagement that is well defined in duration, area, and force ...

in September 1793. Menen was a

barrier town The barrier towns were present-day Belgian towns, heavily fortified by the Dutch, on the Austrian Netherlands's border with France, and as such were particularly important in the wars between the Dutch Republic and Ancien Régime France. The Barrie ...

for the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands ( Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

against France from 1715 to 1781. In 2013 the city drew international attention by forbidding its civil servants to speak French with

francophone French became an international language in the Middle Ages, when the power of the Kingdom of France made it the second international language, alongside Latin. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the ...

s. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well as ...

, , ordered that, if necessary, the communication should be in

sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...

Culture

A new art museum, the Stadsmuseum ’t Schippershof, opened in 1999, holds many works by Menen-born sculptor

Yvonne Serruys Yvonne Serruys (26 March 1873 – 1 May 1953) was a Franco-Belgian artist. In 1920, she received the Légion d’honneur. Biography Born in Menen, West Flanders into a wealthy francophone family, Serruys studied painting and drawing with E ...

. Opposite 't Schippershof there is the

cultural center A cultural center or cultural centre is an organization, building or complex that promotes culture and arts. Cultural centers can be neighborhood community arts organizations, private facilities, government-sponsored, or activist-run. Asia * ...

CC De Steiger CC, cc, or C-C may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters * C.C. (''Code Geass''), a character in the ''Code Geass'' anime series, pronounced "C-two" * C.C. Babcock, a character in the American sitcom ''The Nanny'' * Come ...

that houses the city's theater,

public library A public library is a library that is accessible by the general public and is usually funded from public sources, such as taxes. It is operated by librarians and library paraprofessionals, who are also Civil service, civil servants. There are ...

and a concert space for live music.

Gallery

File:Menen - Schippershof 1.jpg, in Menen. File:Menen duits kerkhof.jpg, German

military cemetery in Menen. File:Menen - Casemates 1.jpg, Menen

casemates A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" mean ...

File:Generaal J. Van der Mersch.JPG, Statue of General Jean-André van der Mersch Belfry of Menen (DSCF9322).jpg, Belfry File:Sint-Franciscuskerk, Menen (DSCF9328).jpg, Sint-Franciscuskerk (church) File:Menen, molen de Goede Hoop oeg55911 foto4 2015-08-09 10.54.jpg, Windmill: molen de Goede Hoop File:Menen, de watertoren oeg55937 foto5 205-08-09 17.17.jpg, Watertower

Towns

The municipality of Menen consists of Menen proper, Lauwe and

. In the area of Rekkem, there is also the hamlet of , separated from Rekkem proper by the A14/ E17. In addition to the central town, Menen proper also contains the parishes and districts of and . Menen proper is mainly located north of the

Leie The Lys () or Leie () is a river in France and Belgium, and a left-bank tributary of the Scheldt. Its source is in Pas-de-Calais, France, and it flows into the river Scheldt in Ghent, Belgium. Its total length is . Historically a very pollute ...

; Lauwe and Rekkem are located south of the river. The urban area of the city of Menen is directly connected with the urban area of the French municipality of

Halluin Halluin (; nl, Halewijn) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Geography It is located at the north of the Métropole Européenne de Lille, on the Belgian border, contiguous with the Belgian town of Menen. Population Tr ...

. The municipality of Menen borders the following villages: *a. Moorsele (Wevelgem) *b.

Wevelgem Wevelgem () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Gullegem, Moorsele and Wevelgem proper. On January 1, 2006, Wevelgem had a total population of 31,020. The total area is 3 ...

(Wevelgem) *c. Marke (Kortrijk) *d. Aalbeke (Kortrijk) *e.

Mouscron Mouscron (; Dutch and vls, Moeskroen, ; Picard and Walloon: ''Moucron'') is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, along the border with the French city of Tourcoing, which is part of the Lille metropo ...

(

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

) *f. Neuville-en-Ferrain (

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

) *g.

(

) *h.

Wervik Wervik (; french: Wervicq, ; vls, Wervik; la, Viroviacum) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Wervik and the town of Geluwe. On January 1, 2014, Wervik had a total ...

(Wervik) *i. Geluwe (Wervik)

Notable people from Menen

Jonathan Breyne Jonathan Breyne (born 4 January 1991) is a Belgian cyclist, who currently rides for Belgian amateur team Gaverzicht–BE Okay. In 2013, Breyne was accused of using illegal drugs following the discovery of clenbuterol in a sample taken following ...

(born 1991), cyclist *

Yves Chauvin Yves Chauvin (; 10 October 1930 – 27 January 2015) was a French chemist and Nobel Prize laureate. He was honorary research director at the '' Institut français du pétrole'' and a member of the French Academy of Science. He was known for his wo ...

(1930–2015), French chemist, Nobel Prize winner 2005 *

Françoise Chombar Françoise Chombar (born May 1962) is a Belgian businesswoman. She is the current CEO and one of the original founders of the semiconductor company . She took over as a CEO from her husband and co-founder Rudi de Winter in 2004, having previously ...

(born 1962), entrepreneur

Paul Deman Paul Deman (25 April 1889 in Rekkem, West Flanders, Belgium – 31 July 1961 in Outrijve, Belgium)David De Marchi David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...

(born 1985), Industrial Markets Goeroe, was born in La Louviere * Bernard Lietaer, (1942-2019), economist, was born in Lauwe * Jean-André van der Mersch (1734–1792), leader of the Brabant patriots in the Brabant Revolution in 1789 *

Arthur Van Overberghe Arthur Vanoverberghe (born 7 February 1990) is a Belgian former racing cyclist. He rode at the 2013 UCI Road World Championships. Major results ;2007 : 1st Stage 3a (TTT) Sint-Martinusprijs Kontich ;2008 : National Junior Road Championships ::1 ...

(born 1990), cyclist *

(1873–1953), Franco-Belgian artist * Gerard Vandenbussche (1902–1986) entrepreneur * Louis Verhelst (born 1990), cyclist * Albert Wauquier (born 1940), neurophysiologist, sleep medicine, writer * (born 1928), sculptor

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Municipalities of West Flanders Divided cities Vauban fortifications in Belgium