Last modified: 2008-04-05 by ivan sache
Keywords: woluwe-saint-pierre | sint-pieters-woluwe |
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![[Flag of Woluwe-St.P.]](../images/b/be-bxlwp.gif)
Municipal flag of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 9 January 2006
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The municipality of Woluwe-Saint-Pierre (French) / Sint-Pieters-Woluwe (Dutch) (38,554 inhabitants on 1 January 2007; 885 ha) is one of the 19 bilingual municipalities forming the Region of Brussels-Capital.
The Woluwe is a river tributary of the Senne, whose name refers to the
Germanic roots wel, woel or wale, "a source", "a fountain", and euw, eeu or eawe, "water". The town was called successively Wolewe (1154), Obwolewa (1164), Welewe (1270), Woluwe Santi Petri (1409) and St. Peters Woluwe (1435).
Woluwe-Saint-Pierre is mentioned for the first time, as Wolewe, in 1117
on the chart of the abbey of Forest. It was originally an important hamlet made of big farms exploited for more than seven centuries by the abbey of Park, located near Leuven.
In 1561, the pressure exerted by the Protestants against the Spanish
occupation increased, and the bells of the St. Peter church were
removed and hidden; they were placed back in 1585 only. In 1617,
Archduke Albert improved the situation of the village by improving the
roads between Brussels and Tervuren, building the road known today as rue du Duc.
In 1880, the municipal territory was split in two sections by the
railway linking Borough Léopold and Tervuren, and two stations
were built. The line was suppressed in 1958 and the bridge over the
Tervuren street was demolished in 1972. The Tervuren street was built
in 1897 upon Léopold II's request for the International Exposition of the Golden Jubilee. A tramway was set up and this wide street was lined
with trees. Wealthy houses were built along the street by famous
architects, such as the Stoclet Palace, built by Jozef Hoffmann for the
coal magnate Adolphe Stoclet in Art Nouveau / Art Déco styles.
In 1899, architect Lainé was commissioned by Léopold II to built a big park in the valley of Woluwe; the horsetrack of Stockel was opened in 1906. The track was also used for famous air shows involving the best pilots in the world. The horsetrack was suppressed in 1958 and replaced in 1975 by a modern sports center.
In 1921, the Société locale d'Habitations à bon Marché, sponsored by the municipality, built the garden city known as Cité de Joli-Bois.
However, urbanization really started only after the Second World War,
with the buildings of the boroughs of Joli-Bois, Stockel and Europe.
Several embassies are located in Woluwe-Saint-Pierre.
Source: Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 9 January 2006
The municipal flag of Woluwe-Saint-Lambert, as communicated by the municipal administration, is horizontally divided white-green.
Arnaud Leroy & Ivan Sache, 9 January 2006
