Waterloo (Belgium)

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Waterloo
Waterloo wapen.svg flag
Waterloo (Walloon Brabant)
Waterloo
Waterloo
State : BelgiumBelgium Belgium
Region : Wallonia
Province : Walloon Brabant
District : Nivelles
Coordinates : 50 ° 43 '  N , 4 ° 24'  E Coordinates: 50 ° 43 '  N , 4 ° 24'  E
Area : 21.03 km²
Residents: 30,328 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density: 1,442 inhabitants per km²
Post Code: 1410
Prefix: 02 (Brussels area)
Mayor: Florence Reuter ( MR )

Local government address : 		Administration Communale
28, rue François Libert
1410 Waterloo
Website: www.waterloo.be
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Waterloo [ watəʀˈloː ] (German mostly [ ˈvaːtərloː ], Walloon Waterlô ) is a municipality in the province of Walloon Brabant in Belgium about 15 kilometers south of Brussels . On June 18, 1815, the Battle of Waterloo took place in their vicinity .

geography

Waterloo has an area of ​​21.41 km² . The municipality is located a few kilometers south of the Brussels-Capital Region . It is only separated from the Brussels-Capital Region by the municipalities of Hoeilaart and Sint-Genesius-Rode , both of which are in Flemish Brabant . Waterloo is thus directly on the Dutch-French language border on the French-speaking side, which leads through the residential development . The place name is of Lower Franconian origin and refers to the water-rich swampy area and an old name Lo (o) for forest.

The municipality has six districts :

  • Faubourg Ouest (in the north of Waterloo, west of the Chaussée de Bruxelles)
  • Faubourg Est (in the northeast, east of the Chaussée de Bruxelles)
  • Chenois (to the west of the city and the Brussels-Charleroi railway line)
  • Center (center and city center)
  • Joli-Bois (eastern, partially forested, part of the city)
  • Mont-St-Jean (southern part of the city towards the battlefields and the Lion's Mound )

International population

In 2019 Waterloo had 30,328 inhabitants, and the number is rising. Due to its proximity to the Belgian capital and the attractive, wooded surroundings, Waterloo developed into a preferred residential community for wealthy Brussels residents in the course of suburbanization . In the course of the development of Brussels to the “capital of the EU” and a strong European economic metropolis, more than 5,500 foreigners from 100 different countries settled in Waterloo by the end of 2007. The international population consists mainly of American, British and Scandinavian families who came to Waterloo because of their work at the European institutions, NATO or the numerous international companies in the Brussels agglomeration . There are three schools abroad in Waterloo. The St. John's International School is the oldest and largest international school in Belgium. The Scandinavian School of Brussels and the European Montessori School are also located in Waterloo.

Infrastructure and economy

  • Impressions

  • Waterloo City Hall and Police Station built in the early 1990s

  • Church of St. Joseph, next to the tourist office in the center of Waterloo

  • The Château d'Argenteuil on the current site of the Scandinavian school

  • The Scandinavian Church at Waterloo

  • The former battlefields south of Waterloo in the neighboring community of Braine-l'Alleud with the “ Lion's Hill ” in the middle and the monument to the King's German Legion in the foreground

  • The landmark, the "Lion of Waterloo" (in the neighboring municipality of Braine-l'Alleud)

  • On the anniversaries of the Battle of Waterloo, this is recreated in the fields in front of Waterloo

  • Waterloo Railway Station (2008)

The municipality is connected to the Brussels ring road (R0) by several driveways . This can be used to reach either of Brussels' airports in less than half an hour .

Waterloo has a train station on the Brussels – Charleroi line (train route 124). This offers, among other things, direct connections to Brussels and Leuven . As part of the Brussels S-Bahn , which was completed on December 13, 2015 , the train route was expanded by two to four tracks to ensure that long-distance and local traffic can run simultaneously. Lines S 1 and S 9 stop in Waterloo.

Waterloo is connected to many TEC bus routes and since September 1, 2008 has been one of the few cities in Wallonia to have an internal bus service called "ProxiBus Waterloo".

Since the 1990s, due to Waterloo's favorable location, more and more companies have been settling in newly built office complexes and industrial areas . For example, the European company Mastercard has its headquarters in Waterloo.

Battle of Waterloo

The Battle of Waterloo took place near the place on June 18, 1815 , in which Napoleon's troops were defeated by a coalition army under the command of the Duke of Wellington and the Prussians allied with them   under  Field Marshal  Blücher  . The defeat led to the end of the Napoleonic era and the restoration in Europe . The battle of Waterloo killed around 50,000 soldiers. Napoleon's headquarters was seven kilometers further south in the Maison du Roi on the Chaussée de Charleroi (N5), which is lined with many war memorials.

The battle was named after the place in which Wellington had taken up quarters and from which the news of the victory was therefore sent. The battlefield itself was in fields of the municipality of Braine-l'Alleud about 4.2 km south. Since the generals of the Prussian troops and the Allies, Blücher and Wellington , met near an inn called the Belle Alliance after the retreat of the defeated French , the battle in Germany is also called the Battle of Belle Alliance (memorials in Berlin on Mehringplatz, formerly Belle-Alliance-Platz, and on the Kreuzberg ).

After the battle, a large hill was raised between the farmsteads of La Haye Sainte and Hougoumont , on which a lion cast from captured French cannons sits enthroned ( Butte du Lion ), now lined with restaurants, exhibitions and souvenir shops. This whole area is currently being rebuilt, some houses are being demolished, others are being renovated, e.g. B. the panorama.

In the center of Waterloo, the Wellington Museum is located in the former Auberge Bodenghien hostel from 1705, which was a relay station for mail riders in 1815 . Wellington had his headquarters in this building during the battle.

Twin cities

Waterloo maintains the following cities partnerships :

In addition, relationships are maintained with numerous cities of the same name around the world (see Waterloo ). Furthermore, Waterloo is a founding member of the Federation of European Napoleon Cities .

Trivia

London's Waterloo Station was named after the Battle of Waterloo, which was victorious for England. In German and English , the phrase “to experience his Waterloo” (“facing one's Waterloo”) is used to describe a complete defeat with irreversible consequences, as experienced by Napoleon Bonaparte in battle. In this transferred meaning, the place name Waterloo became the title for the ABBA Grand Prix winner song Waterloo from 1974. Presumably as a result of the great popularity of the ABBA title, the place name (as well as the proverbial battle associated with it) is also used in German-speaking area still today often incorrectly pronounced “Woterlu” ( ˌwɔːtə (r) ˈluː ) on the assumption that it is an English name.

Web links

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

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  1. ^ Quartiers von Waterloo ( Memento of September 1, 2006 in the Internet Archive )
  2. ↑ Population numbers ( Memento from November 16, 2008 in the Internet Archive )
  3. ↑ Announcement of the ProxiBus in Waterloo ( Memento of October 14, 2015 in the Internet Archive )
  4. ↑ Musee. In: museewellington.be. March 4, 2010, accessed May 16, 2020 .
  5. ↑ town twinning