Tienen

Last updated
Tienen
Collage van Tienen.jpg
Collage of Tienen
Flag of Tienen.svg
Blason Tirlemont.svg
Location of Tienen
Tienen
Belgium location map.svg
Red pog.svg
Tienen
Location in Belgium
Tienen in the Province of Flemish Brabant
Tienen Flemish-Brabant Belgium Map.svg
Coordinates: 50°48′N04°56′E / 50.800°N 4.933°E / 50.800; 4.933
CountryFlag of Belgium (civil).svg  Belgium
Community Flemish Community
Region Flemish Region
Province Flemish Brabant
Arrondissement Leuven
Government
  MayorKatrien Partyka (CD&V)
  Governing party/ies CD&V, Open VLD, N-VA, Groen
Area
  Total72.77 km2 (28.10 sq mi)
Population
 (2018-01-01) [1]
  Total34,675
  Density480/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Postal codes
3300
NIS code
24107
Area codes 016
Website www.tienen.be

Tienen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈtinə(n)] ; French : Tirlemont [tiʁləmɔ̃] ) is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises Tienen itself and the towns of Bost, Goetsenhoven, Hakendover, Kumtich, Oorbeek, Oplinter, Sint-Margriete-Houtem and Vissenaken.

Contents

On 1 January 2017, Tienen had a total population of 34,365. The total area is 71.77 km2 (27.71 sq mi) which gives a population density of 444 inhabitants per square kilometre (1,150/sq mi).

History

French commander Charles Francois Dumouriez, who used the town as a base during the March 1793 Battle of Neerwinden Charles-Francois Dumouriez.PNG
French commander Charles François Dumouriez, who used the town as a base during the March 1793 Battle of Neerwinden

In the early Middle Ages, the town was probably ruled by an old German family Thienen.

During the 1635 to 1659 Franco-Spanish War, Tienen was part of the Spanish Netherlands and was captured by a combined Franco-Dutch army in May 1635. [2] Its capture resulted in one of the most serious atrocities of the Dutch Revolt; the town was sacked, over 200 civilians killed and many buildings damaged, including Catholic churches and monasteries. This ended Dutch prospects of winning over the predominantly Catholic population of the Southern Netherlands. [3]

After the 1714 Treaty of Utrecht, the town was incorporated into the Austrian Netherlands; in the French Revolutionary Wars, it was used as a base by French Republican General Charles François Dumouriez during the Battle of Neerwinden. On 16 March 1793, the French repulsed an Austrian army commanded by Prince Josias of Coburg. [4]

This was the last victory for the veteran Dumouriez, hero of Valmy and Jemappes; within a week, his army suffered such catastrophic defeats that he defected to the French Royalists. [5]

Economy

Tienen is the centre of sugar production in Belgium; a huge sugar beet processing factory, the Sugar refinery of Tienen (Tiense Suikerraffinaderij - Raffinerie Tirlemontoise), is located at the eastern edge of the town. It is the site of facilities owned by Citrique Belge, that produces citric acid, and Havells Sylvania, a manufacturer of energy saving lamps. [6]

Culture and significant landmarks

Tienen is the location of a summer rock festival known as 'Suikerrock'. [7]

The Sint-Germanus (St. Germain) Church dates from the 12th century and has an altarpiece by the 19th-century painter Gustaaf Wappers. [8] Its belfry has earned that complex a designation on the UNESCO World Heritage Site list of Belfries of Belgium and France. [9]

The principal church, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ten-Poel (Our Lady of the Pool), was begun in the 12th and enlarged in the 15th century; [8] it remains unfinished.

Transport

The town is served by Tienen railway station, the oldest in Belgium still in use. [10]

Notable inhabitants

International relations

Twin towns—Sister cities

Tienen is twinned with:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heiloo</span> Municipality and town in North Holland, Netherlands

Heiloo is a municipality and town in the Netherlands, located in the province of North Holland. The community is part of the cooperation region Kennemerland and is located in the historical region of West Friesland. Heiloo had a population of 24,144 in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dendermonde</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Dendermonde is a city in the Flemish province of East Flanders in Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, Mespelare, Oudegem, Schoonaarde, and Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde. Dendermonde is at the mouth of the river Dender, where it flows into the Scheldt. The town has a long-standing folkloric feud with Aalst, south along the same river, which dates from the Middle Ages.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Evergem</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Evergem is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Belzele, Doornzele, Ertvelde, Evergem proper, Kerkbrugge-Langerbrugge, Kluizen, Rieme, Sleidinge and Wippelgem. In 2021, Evergem had a total population of 35,791.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mechelen</span> City in Antwerp Province, Belgium

Mechelen is a city and municipality in the province of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Mechelen proper, some quarters at its outskirts, the hamlets of Nekkerspoel (adjacent) and Battel, as well as the villages of Walem, Heffen, Leest, Hombeek, and Muizen. The river Dyle (Dijle) flows through the city, hence it is often referred to as the Dijlestad.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sint-Katelijne-Waver</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Sint-Katelijne-Waver is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-Waver and Sint-Katelijne-Waver proper. In 2021, Sint-Katelijne-Waver had a total population of 21,197. The total area is 36.12 km2. Roosendael, a ruined relic of a cistercian abbey is situated here and today hosts a youth and touristic centre with pleasant walkways.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sint-Truiden</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Sint-Truiden is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium, and has over 41,500 inhabitants, which makes it one of the largest cities in Limburg. The municipality includes the former communes of Aalst, Brustem, Duras, Engelmanshoven, Gelinden, Gorsem, Groot-Gelmen, Halmaal, Kerkom-bij-Sint-Truiden, Melveren, Metsteren, Ordingen, Runkelen, Velm, Wilderen, and Zepperen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bilzen</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Bilzen is a city and a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacob van Thienen</span>

Jacobvan Thienen was a Flemish architect of the early 15th century. He is believed to have designed the spectacular Brussels Town Hall circa 1402. This Gothic building, which stands in the city's Grand-Place, is widely regarded as a masterpiece of medieval European secular architecture. The building's distinctive belfry was, however, the work of a different architect, Jan van Ruysbroeck.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Matheus de Layens</span>

Matheus de Layens was a Brabantine architect from the 15th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Pieter and François Hemony</span> 17th-century European bellfounders

Pieter Hemony and his brother François Hemony were the greatest bellfounders in the history of the Low Countries. They developed the carillon, in collaboration with Jacob van Eyck, into a full-fledged musical instrument by casting the first tuned carillon in 1644.

Lieve is a Dutch language feminine name derived from the Godelieve, a female 11th-century Flemish saint. The masculine given name is probably a form of Lieven. Both names contain the Germanic element "lief-" ("dear") and lief and lieve still retain that meaning in Dutch. People with the name include:

Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk is a common church dedication in Belgium and the Netherlands and may refer to:

Jean d'Oisy (1310–1377) was the architect of several ecclesiastical buildings in Brabantine Gothic style. He was one of the earliest introducers of northern French Gothic style into the Low Countries and a teacher of the reputed Brabantian architect Jacob van Thienen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Binnenstad (Maastricht)</span> Neighborhood of Maastricht in Netherlands, Limburg

Binnenstad is a neighbourhood in Maastricht, Netherlands. Until 2007, it was officially named City. As its name suggests, it is the most centrally located area of Maastricht.

The Abbey of Onze-Lieve-Vrouw ter Nieuwe Plant, formerly also Roesbrugge Abbey is a community of Augustinian canonesses belonging to the Congregation of Windesheim. The sisters are informally known as the Roesbrugge Dames - the Roesbrugge Ladies. Located in Roesbrugge from 1239 to the late 16th century, the community then moved into Ypres, West Flanders, Belgium, where it exists today. Its adjacent school is the Lyceum Onze Lieve Vrouw ter Nieuwe Plant.

CornilCacheux was a French pipe organ maker.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ninove Abbey</span> Church in Ninove, Belgium

Ninove Abbey was a monastery of the Premonstratensian Order in the center of Ninove, in the province of East Flanders, Belgium. Only the abbey church now remains.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wortegem</span> Village in Flemish Region

Wortegem is a village and seat of the municipality of Wortegem-Petegem in the Belgian province of East Flanders. It is located about 17 kilometres (11 mi) east of Kortrijk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Overslag, Belgium</span> Village in East Flanders, Belgium

Overslag is a village in the municipality of Wachtebeke in the province of East Flanders in Belgium. The original village was cut in two by the Belgium–Netherlands border. The eponymous village in the Netherlands is part of the municipality of Terneuzen.

References

  1. "Wettelijke Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2018". Statbel. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  2. De Périni 1896, p. 179.
  3. Lasaffer 2006, pp. 3–4.
  4. Soboul 1975, p. 298.
  5. Thiers 1838, p. 298.
  6. www.havells-sylvania.com Archived 2010-06-20 at the Wayback Machine
  7. www.suikerrock.be
  8. 1 2 Chisholm 1911.
  9. "World Heritage List | Belfries of Belgium and France". UNESCO . Retrieved 2021-03-16.
  10. Timothy (2020-06-10). "Belgium's third oldest railway station: Ronse". Trip By Trip. Retrieved 2023-11-16.
  11. "Bielsko-Biała - Partner Cities". © 2008 Urzędu Miejskiego w Bielsku-Białej. Retrieved 2008-12-10.

Sources