Menen

Menen

Menen

City and municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

This article is about the Belgian municipality. For the Nauruan district, see Meneng District.

Menen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmeːnə(n)] ⓘ; French: Menin [mənɛ̃]; West Flemish: Mêenn [ˈmeːnən] or Mêende [ˈmeːndə]) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe and Rekkem. The city is situated on the French/Belgian border. On January 1, 2006, Menen had a total population of 32,413. The total area is 33.07 km2 which gives a population density of 980 inhabitants per km2.

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The city of Menen gives its name to the Menin Gate in Ypres, which is a monument to those killed in World War I. The gate is so called as the road from that gate is the road to Menen.

The town hall of Menen, with its large belfry, was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1999 as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, because of its civic importance and architecture.[2]

History

Menen's position near the French border led to many sieges in the history of the city. There were as many as 22 sieges between 1579 and 1830.

The city was part of France between 1668 and 1713. Vauban turned Menen into a model-fortification (1679–1689).

The city was besieged and taken by the Duke of Marlborough's allied Army in August 1706. During the Flanders Campaign of the Wars of the French Revolution the city changed hands several times. There was a devastating fire in 1750, that almost completely destroyed the city. It was also the scene of a battle in September 1793.

Menen was a barrier town for the Dutch Republic against France from 1715 to 1781.

In 2013, the city drew international attention by forbidding its civil servants to speak French with francophones. The mayor, Martine Fournier [nl], ordered that, if necessary, the communication should be in sign language.[3]

Culture

A new art museum, the Stadsmuseum ’t Schippershof, opened in 1999, holds many works by Menen-born sculptor Yvonne Serruys. Opposite 't Schippershof there is the cultural center CC De Steiger that houses the city's theater, public library and a concert space for live music.

Towns

The municipality of Menen consists of Menen proper, Lauwe and Rekkem. In the area of Rekkem, there is also the hamlet of Paradijs (Rekkem) [nl], separated from Rekkem proper by the A14/E17. In addition to the central town, Menen proper also contains the parishes and districts of De Barakken [nl] and Ons Dorp [nl]. Menen proper is mainly located north of the Leie; Lauwe and Rekkem are located south of the river. The urban area of the city of Menen is directly connected with the urban area of the French municipality of Halluin.

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Notable people from Menen

Paul Deman 1914
  • Paul Deman (1889–1961), cyclist
  • David De Marchi (born 1985), Industrial Markets Goeroe, was born in La Louviere
  • Bernard Lietaer, (1942-2019), economist, was born in Lauwe
  • Jean-André van der Mersch (1734–1792), leader of the Brabant patriots in the Brabant Revolution in 1789
  • Arthur Van Overberghe (born 1990), cyclist
  • Yvonne Serruys (1873–1953), Franco-Belgian artist
  • Gerard Vandenbussche (1902–1986) entrepreneur
  • Louis Verhelst (born 1990), cyclist
  • Albert Wauquier (born 1940), neurophysiologist, sleep medicine, writer
  • Maurits Withouck [nl] (born 1928), sculptor

References

  1. [1]
    "Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2022". Statbel.
  2. [2]
    "Belfries of Belgium and France". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  3. [3]
    "Français interdit: Belgian town of Menen bans the use of French". Independent.co.uk. 5 September 2013. Archived from the original on 2022-05-12.
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