Auderghem

Auderghem Auderghem (French) Oudergem (Dutch)
Municipality
Château Sainte-Anne
Flag Coat of arms
Auderghem municipality in the Brussels-Capital Region
Interactive map of Auderghem
Auderghem Location in Belgium
Coordinates: 50°49′00″N 04°25′34″E
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community French Community
Region	Brussels-Capital
Arrondissement	Brussels-Capital
Government
• Mayor	Sophie de Vos (LB - DéFI)
• Governing parties	LB (DéFI), Ecolo-Groen
Area
• Total	8.97 km2 (3.46 sq mi)
Population  (2020-01-01)
• Total	34,404
• Density	3,840/km2 (9,930/sq mi)
Postal codes	1160
NIS code	21002
Area codes	02
Website	www.auderghem.be (in French) www.oudergem.be (in Dutch)

Auderghem (French, pronounced [odœʁɡɛm] ^ⓘ; former Dutch spelling) or Oudergem (Dutch, pronounced [ˈʌudərɣɛm] ^ⓘ) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the south-eastern part of the region, along the Woluwe valley and at the entrance to the Sonian Forest, it is bordered by Etterbeek, Ixelles, Watermael-Boitsfort, and Woluwe-Saint-Pierre, as well as the Flemish municipalities of Tervuren and Overijse. Like all municipalities in Brussels, it is officially bilingual (French–Dutch).

Despite large roads slicing through and the increasing traffic, the municipality has an environmental advantage, and it has been able to preserve a relatively important part of its natural and historic legacy: the creeks, Rouge Cloître Abbey and its art centre, the Priory of Val Duchesse, the Château of Trois-Fontaines, the Château Saint-Anne, and the Chapel of St. Anne.

History

Three forest villages (Auderghem, Watermael, and Boitsfort-Bosvoorde) were one for centuries. In 1794, the soldiers of the French Revolution decided to separate these into three distinct municipalities. In 1811, Napoleon decided to reunite the three villages, by imperial decree, into a single administrative entity. However, Auderghem was withdrawn from this union by royal act, leaving Watermael-Boitsfort on its own. Thus, Auderghem became an independent municipality in 1863, with only 1,600 inhabitants.

With the construction of the rail line linking Brussels and Tervuren as well as, in 1910, the construction of the Boulevard du Souverain/Vorstlaan, modernisation came to the municipality and the population grew quickly. In 1956, Paul Henri Spaak lead the Intergovernmental Conference on the Common Market and Euratom at the Château of Val Duchesse in Auderghem, which prepared the Treaties of Rome in 1957 and the foundation of the European Economic Community and Euratom in 1958.

Demographics

As of 2004, the majority of Brussels' Japanese expatriate population lives in Auderghem.

Main sights

• The Priory of Val Duchesse, a gift from the Belgian King, is rarely open to the public. In 1963, Belgium's cabinet ministers met there, planting the seeds of the country's federalisation, though at conditions fiercely criticised especially in some Flemish nationalist circles.
• Similarly, the Chapel of St. Anne, whose origins go back to the 12th century, is not open to the public. Decommissioned in 1843, it was sold several times. Its sculptures from the Middle Ages and notable period furniture are still there to admire.
• Auderghem also has a peaceful cemetery hidden in greenery and arranged like a park.
• The municipality also offers many green spaces.

• 
  Rouge Cloître Abbey
• 
  Château of Val Duchesse
• 
  Chapel of St. Anne

Notable inhabitants

• Léon Huygens (1876–1918), painter
• Marie-Thérèse Bodart (1909–1981), novelist, essayist, and playwright
• Odette De Wynter (1927–1998), first woman notary in Belgium

Education

Source:

Public secondary schools

• Athénée royal d'Auderghem

Subsidised religious secondary schools

• Centre scolaire St-Adrien Val Duchesse
• Institut St-Julien Parnasse
• Ecole Sainte-Bernadette
• Institut Dominique Pire

Subsidised non-religious secondary schools

• De l'autre côté de l'école

Private international schools

• The Japanese School of Brussels

References

Bibliography

• State, Paul F. (2004). Historical dictionary of Brussels. Historical dictionaries of cities of the world. Vol. 14. Lanham, MD: Scarecrow Press. ISBN 978-0-8108-5075-0.

External links

• Media related to Auderghem at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website (in French)
• Official website (in Dutch)