Menen (; ; or ) 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' ...

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 West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...

. 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 language, Picard. In 1173, the village was still called Rekkem, similar to R ...

. 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: 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 980 inhabitants per km². The city of Menen gives its name to the

Menin Gate The Menin Gate (), 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 are unknown. The m ...

Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) 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 comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...

, which is a monument to those killed in

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

. 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 (UNESCO ) is a List of specialized agencies of the United Nations, specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) with the aim of promoting world peace and International secur ...

World Heritage List World Heritage Sites are landmarks and areas with legal protection under an international treaty administered by UNESCO for having cultural, historical, or scientific significance. The sites are judged to contain "cultural and natural heritag ...

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 World Heritage Sites, in recognition of the civic (rather than church) Belfry (architecture), belfries serving as an architectural manifestation of ...

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 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 ...

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 a British army officer and statesman. From a gentry family, he ...

's allied Army in August 1706. Between 1744 and 1748, it was again under French rule after the

Siege of Menin (1744) The siege of Menin took place between 28 May and 4 June 1744 during the War of the Austrian Succession, and was the first battle fought in the Austrian Netherlands. A French army under the nominal command of King Louis XV of France and operationa ...

. There was a devastating fire in 1750, that almost completely destroyed the city. During the Flanders Campaign of the

Wars of the French Revolution The French Revolutionary Wars () were a series of sweeping military conflicts resulting from the French Revolution that lasted from 1792 until 1802. They pitted France against Great Britain, Austria, Prussia, Russia, and several other countries ...

the city changed hands several times. 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 co ...

in September 1793. Menen was a

barrier town A barrier or barricade is a physical structure which blocks or impedes something. Barrier may also refer to: Places * Barrier, Kentucky, a community in the United States * Barrier, Voerendaal, a place in the municipality of Voerendaal, Netherla ...

for the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, commonly referred to in historiography as the Dutch Republic, was a confederation that existed from 1579 until the Batavian Revolution in 1795. It was a predecessor state of the present-day Netherlands ...

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

French French may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France ** French people, a nation and ethnic group ** French cuisine, cooking traditions and practices Arts and media * The French (band), ...

with

francophone The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important a ...

s. The

mayor In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a Municipal corporation, 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 responsibilitie ...

, , 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 elements, no ...

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 ...

. 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. Africa * ...

CC De Steiger that houses the city's theater,

public library A public library is a library, most often a lending 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 servic ...

and a concert space for live music.

Gallery

File:Townhall Menen.jpg, Townhall Menen File:Belfry of Menen (DSCF9322).jpg,

Belfry The belfry /ˈbɛlfri/ is a structure enclosing bells for ringing as part of a building, usually as part of a bell tower or steeple. It can also refer to the entire tower or building, particularly in continental Europe for such a tower attached ...

File:Menen - Schippershof 1.jpg, in Menen. File:Sint-Franciscuskerk, Menen (DSCF9328).jpg, Sint-Franciscuskerk File:Cc de steiger menen.jpg, CC de steiger Menen File:Cemitary Menen.png, Cemetery Menen: WW1 and

WW2 World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies and the Axis powers. Nearly all of the world's countries participated, with many nations mobilising ...

allied Soldiers and

Resistance fighters During World War II, resistance movements operated in German-occupied Europe by a variety of means, ranging from non-cooperation to propaganda, hiding crashed pilots and even to outright warfare and the recapturing of towns. In many countries, r ...

File:Provinciaal Mausoleum van Politieke gevangenen Menen.jpg, Provincial Mausoleum of Political Prisoners File:Menen duits kerkhof.jpg, German

military cemetery File:Menen, de watertoren oeg55937 foto5 205-08-09 17.17.jpg,

Watertower A water tower is an elevated structure supporting a water tank constructed at a height sufficient to pressurize a distribution system for potable water, and to provide emergency storage for fire protection. Water towers often operate in conjun ...

File:Menen, molen de Goede Hoop oeg55911 foto4 2015-08-09 10.54.jpg,

Windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

: molen de Goede Hoop File:Menen - Casemates 1.jpg, Menen

casemates A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armoured 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" mea ...

File:Generaal J. Van der Mersch.JPG, Statue of General

Jean-André van der Mersch Jean-André van der Mersch (also known as Jan Andries vander Mersch or Jan André van der Meersch) (Menen, 1734 – Dadizele, 14 September 1792) was a leading figure in the Brabant Revolution best known for his victory against Austrian forces of J ...

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, with the confluence in the city of Ghent, Belgium. Its total length ...

; 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

municipality of

Halluin Halluin (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. Geography It is located at the north of the Métropole Européenne de Lille, on the Belgium, Belgian border ...

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

Wevelgem Wevelgem () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Gullegem, Moorsele and Wevelgem proper. On January 1, 2006, Wevelgem had a total populatio ...

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

Aalbeke Aalbeke is a village in the Belgian province of West Flanders and since 1977 a part of Kortrijk. Aalbeke has 8511 as a postal code and covers an area of 717 ha. The district had 2,953 inhabitants on December 31, 2007. Aalbeke is located 6 ...

(Kortrijk) *e.

Mouscron Mouscron (; Dutch language, Dutch and , ; Picard language, Picard and Walloon language, Walloon: ''Moucron'') is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city of Wallonia located in the Belgium, Belgian Hainaut Provinc ...

(

Wallonia Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...

) *f.

Neuville-en-Ferrain Neuville-en-Ferrain () is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of t ...

(

) *g.

(

) *h.

Wervik Wervik (; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Wervik and the town of Geluwe. On January 1, 2014, We ...

(Wervik) *i. Geluwe (Wervik)

Notable people from Menen

* Jonathan Breyne (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 Sciences. He was known for his w ...

(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 Polydore (Pol) Deman (25 April 1889 in Rekkem, West Flanders, Belgium – 31 July 1961 in Outrijve, Belgium)

(1889–1961), cyclist *

Bernard Lietaer Bernard Lietaer (7 February 1942 – 4 February 2019) was a Belgians, Belgian civil engineer, economist, author, and educator. He studied monetary systems and promoted the idea that communities can benefit from creating their own local or compl ...

, (1942–2019), economist, was born in Lauwe *

(1734–1792), leader of the Brabant patriots in the Brabant Revolution in 1789 * Arthur Van Overberghe (born 1990), cyclist *

(1873–1953), Franco-Belgian artist * Gerard Vandenbussche (1902–1986) entrepreneur *

Louis Verhelst Louis Verhelst (born 28 August 1990 in Menin) is a Belgian former professional cyclist. Major results ;2008 : 1st Grand Prix Bati-Metallo ;2011 : 6th Paris–Roubaix Espoirs : 9th Dwars door de Antwerpse Kempen : 9th GP van de stad Geel ;2012 ...

(born 1990), cyclist * Albert Wauquier (born 1940), neurophysiologist, sleep medicine, writer * (born 1928), sculptor

Politics

Mayors

* 1921-1938: August Debunne (socialist) * 1939-1942: Armand Deweerdt (liberal) * 1944-1946: Armand Deweerdt (liberal) * 1947-1964: René Gombert (liberal) * 1964-1982: Paul Isebaert (N/D) * 1983-1989: Fernand Dehaene (Christian Democrat) * 1989-1994: Gilbert Bossuyt (Socialist) * 1995-2000: Jean Libbrecht (liberal) * 2001-2012: Gilbert Bossuyt (socialist) ** 2003-2004: Karl Debuck (replacement mayor) * 2013-2018: Martine Fournier (Christian Democrat) * 2019-: Eddy Lust (liberal) The Chairs of the majority coalition are written in Bold: 2018 = New Flemish Alliance: 4, Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats: 6, SP.A/Greens: 8

References

External links

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