Binche
Binche | |
---|---|
![]() Binche, the old city and its surrounding wall | |
Country | ![]() |
Community | French Community |
Region | Wallonia |
Province | Hainaut |
Arrondissement | Thuin |
Government | |
• Mayor | Laurent Devin (PS) |
• Governing party/ies | PS, MR |
Population (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 33,598 |
Postal codes | 7130, 7131, 7133, 7134 |
NIS code | 56011 |
Area codes | 064 |
Website | www.binche.be |
Binche (French pronunciation: [bɛ̃ʃ]) is a Walloon municipality in the Belgian province of Hainaut.[2] On January 1, 2006, Binche had a total population of 32,409. The total area is 60.66 km² which gives a population density of 534 inhabitants per km². Since 1977, the municipality of Binche has gathered the town of Binche itself with seven old municipalities : Bray, Buvrinnes, Epinois, Leval-Trahegnies, Péronnes-lez-Binche, Ressaix and Waudrez.
The motto of the city is "Plus Oultre" (meaning "Further" in Old French), which was the motto of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who in 1545 gave the medieval Castle of Binche to his sister, Queen Mary of Hungary. She lavished attention on Binche, which she had rebuilt under the direction of an architect-sculptor Jacques du Broeucq, remembered today as the first master of Giambologna. The château, intended to rival Fontainebleau, was destroyed by the soldiers of Henry II of France in 1554.
In 2003, the Carnival of Binche was proclaimed one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO.
Notable people
- Gilles Binchois (c. 1400 – 1460), composer
- Berthe Dubail (1911-1984) painter.
See also
- Carnival of Binche, a yearly festival
- La Binchoise, a brewery in Binche
Notes
- ^ "Wettelijke Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2018". Statbel. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
- ^ Also spelt Binch in some English sources.
External links
Media related to Binche at Wikimedia Commons
- Official site of the city of Binche (in French)
- Union binchoise des Étudiants de Louvain
- Patrimoine du musée International
- Rugbyclub de Binche
- La Binchoise, Belgian Brewery, Binche