Fleurus

Fleurus
	Fleurus
	Fleurus
State :	Belgium
Region :	Wallonia
Province :	Hainaut
District :	Charleroi
Coordinates :	50 ° 29 ′ N , 4 ° 33 ′ E Coordinates: 50 ° 29 ′ N , 4 ° 33 ′ E
Area :	59.28 km²
Residents:	22,918 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density:	387 inhabitants per km²
Post Code:	6220, 6221, 6222, 6223, 6224
Prefix:	071
Mayor:	Jean-Luc Borremans
; Local government address :	Chemin de Mons, 61 ; 6220 Fleurus
Website:	www.fleurus.be

Fleurus [ flœˈʀʏs ], Fleuru in Walloon , is a municipality in the Belgian province of Hainaut , Arrondissement Charleroi . The city lies on the Sambre and is a junction on the Tamines - Landen railway line .

history

Archaeological finds prove agriculture since the Neolithic. Remains of roads from the Roman era have been preserved, the Chaussée Brunhaut .

Fleurus 868 was first mentioned, back then as Fledelciolum / Flederciolum . The current name of the place was first used in the 17th century. Possibly it goes back to the Celtic name for the watercourse through the community.

Fleurus has been the scene of several important military conflicts since early modern times.

On August 29, 1622 a Protestant army under Christian von Braunschweig and Ernst von Mansfeld struck a Spanish contingent, see Battle of Fleurus (1622) .
On June 30, 1690, an army from four nations suffered a devastating defeat against French troops, see Battle of Fleurus (1690) .
On June 26, 1794, the French revolutionary army under Jourdan was victorious over an Austrian army under Friedrich Josias von Sachsen-Coburg-Saalfeld , see Battle of Fleurus (1794) .
Finally, on June 16, 1815, the Prussians and the French met nearby, see Battle of Ligny . After the Battle of Waterloo , the place was set on fire by French troops in retreat.

Even in the two world wars of the 20th century, Fleurus and the surrounding area were the scene of heavy battles.

Community structure

Since the municipal reform in 1977, the following places belong to Fleurus:

Brye (Walloon Briye )
Heppignies ( Epniye )
Lambusart ( Lambussåt )

Ruins of the old Soleilmont Abbey

Saint-Amand ( Sint-Amand )
Wagnelée ( Wagnlêye )
Wanfercée-Baulet ( Wanfercêye-Bålet )
Wangenies ( Wanjniye )

Attractions

The ruins of the old Cistercian abbey of Mont Soleil evidence of a centuries-old monastic tradition, which in modern day Trappist - abbey Notre Dame de Soleil Mont lives.

Radiochemical industrial plant

Fleurus has hit the headlines in recent years because of two more serious accidents at the Institut national des RadioElements (IRE), a facility for the production of radiopharmaceutical preparations.

2006

Due to a hydraulic failure , a cobalt source was lifted out of a radiation- shielding pool of water, although no radiation process was taking place and the door to the room was open. A technician entered the room due to the alarm being triggered. During the stay of only 20 seconds, he received a radiation dose of around 4.6 Sievert , which can be life-threatening in the medium term ( INES 4).

2008

After completing a production process, three smaller collection tanks were transferred to a larger waste water tank. This led to an unexpected chemical reaction with the formation of radioactive iodine -131. Due to a defective measuring computer, this could slowly and unnoticed escape into the environment through a chimney for a few days. When the problem was noticed, on the instructions of the Belgian supervisory authority, production in the entire plant was stopped and a district sector of 5 kilometers in a north-easterly direction was banned from consuming agricultural products for a few days (INES 3).

literature

ENSI annual reports, chapter Instructive incidents

Web links

Commons : Fleurus - collection of images, videos and audio files