'Charleroi' (
Walloon: ''Tchålerwè'') is the largest city and
municipality of
Wallonia, located in the
province of
Hainaut,
Belgium. On
January 1 2006, Charleroi had a total population of 201,300. The agglomeration has a population of around 500,000 inhabitants, which makes it the fifth agglomeration of the country. The inhabitants are called ''Carolorégiens'' or simply ''Carolos''.
The municipality features an industrial area, iron and steel industry, glassworks, chemicals, and electrical engineering. Charleroi is in the center of a vast coal basin, called ''
Pays noir''. Many
slag heaps still surround the city. Charleroi is also known for its publishing industry with
Dupuis, one of the main publishers of
Franco-Belgian comics, located in Marcinelle.
Geography
The municipality of Charleroi is situated on both banks of the river
Sambre, in an area that is marked by industrial activities (
coal mining and
steel industry), the so-called ''
Pays Noir'' ("black land"). Although most of the factories have closed since the
1950s, the landscape is still dotted with
slag heaps and old industrial buildings. The municipality includes the central city of Charleroi and the following former municipalities, that were merged into Charleroi in
1977:
Couillet,
Dampremy,
Gilly,
Gosselies,
Goutroux,
Jumet,
Lodelinsart,
Marchienne-au-Pont,
Marcinelle,
Monceau-sur-Sambre,
Montignies-sur-Sambre,
Mont-sur-Marchienne,
Ransart,
Roux.
History
Origins
The Charleroi area was already settled in the
Prehistoric period, with traces of metallurgical and commercial activities along the
Sambre. Several public buildings, temples and villas were built in that area in the
Roman period. Burying places, with jewels and weapons, were also found. The first written mention of a place called Charnoy dates from a
9th-century offering in the
Lobbes abbey, which lists various neighbouring towns and related
tithe duties. During the
Middle Ages, Charnoy was just one of the many small hamlets in the area, with no more than about 50 inhabitants, part of the County of
Namur.
Foundation of the City
The history of the city of Charleroi starts in 1666. In the spring of that year,
Francisco Castel Rodrigo, Governor of the Netherlands at the service of the five-year-old
Charles II of Spain, expropriated the area from the local lords to build a fortress near the Sambre. In September of that same year, the name Charnoy is officially ended and replaced by that of the newly founded city of Charles-Roy, so named in honour of Charles II. The
chronogram F'V'N'D'AT'V'R 'C'ARO'L'OREG'IVM' (MLCDVVVI), can be found in the register of the parish of Charnoy for the year 1666. A year later,
Louis XIV’s armies under the command of
Turenne besieged the unfinished fortress.
Vauban completed the fortification work; the future city was granted its privileges; a bridge was built over the river; and free land was distributed to the inhabitants.
From 1666 to the Belgian Revolution
Shortly after its foundation, the new city was in turn besieged by the Dutch, ceded to the Spanish in
1678 (
Treaty of Nijmegen), taken by the French in
1693, ceded again to the Spanish in
1698 (
Treaty of Rijswijk), then taken by the French, the Dutch, and the Austrians in
1714 (
Treaty of Baden). The
French Prince of Conti took the city again in
1745, but it was ceded back to
Austria in
1748, starting a period of prosperity under
Joseph II. The glass, steel and coal industries, which had already sprung up a century earlier, could now flourish.
Trouble started again in
1790, year of the civil uprising that eventually led to the
United States of Belgium. The Austrians occupied the city, were forced out by the French after the
Battle of Jemappes on
November 6,
1792, but took it back again four months later. On
June 12,
1794, the French revolutionary
Army of Sambre-et-Meuse under the command of
Jean-Baptiste Jourdan, invested Charleroi and won a decisive victory in the ensuing
Battle of Fleurus. The city took the revolutionary name of Libre-sur-Sambre until 1800.
Napoleon stayed in Charleroi for a couple of days in July
1815, just before the
Battle of Waterloo. After his defeat, the whole area was annexed to the
Netherlands and new walls were built around the city.
From 1830 until now
The
Belgian Revolution of
1830 ushered in a new era of prosperity, still based mostly on glass, metallurgy, and coal, hence the area’s name of “Black Country” (in
French ''Pays Noir''). After the
Industrial Revolution, Charleroi benefited from the increased use of coke in the metallurgical industry. People from all over
Europe were attracted by the economic opportunities and the population grew rapidly. By
1871, the fortified walls around the city were completely torn down.
Heavy fighting took place in
World War I because of the city’s strategic location on the Sambre. After
World War II, Charleroi witnessed a general decline of its heavy industry. Following the merger with several surrounding municipalities in 1977, the city is today the largest city in
Wallonia and the fourth largest in Belgium.
Politics
The Socialist Party (Parti Socialiste or PS) has had a stronghold in Charleroi for some time. However, in October 2006, PS mayor
Jacques Van Gompel was jailed on fraud and forgery charges
[1].
Léon Casaert, also of the PS, became the new mayor, with a PS, MR, cdH majority. The MR stepped down from the coalition just before the 2007 general election, citing official charges of corruption levelled against a PS alderman in Charleroi.
[1] After the
2007 general election, the PS put its local party office under full confinement, with the city executive resigning.
[2] Mayor Casaert was charged with fraud on June 18, 2007, but will only step down after a new city executive has been formed.
[3]
Municipal elections
Sights
★ The
belfry is included in the list of
World Heritage Sites.
★ The ''Maison Dorée'' was built in
1899 by the
Art Nouveau architect Alfred Frère. The name of this masterpiece comes from the golden
sgraffiti that adorn the
façade.
★ The city is also the home of several museums (fine arts, glass, photography, ...)
Transport
Air
The local airport,
Brussels South Charleroi Airport, is a base of low-cost airline
Ryanair. Eastern European low-cost carrier
Wizz Air flies to
Budapest,
Ljubljana and
Warsaw, while Italian operator OnAir has seasonal services to
Pescara,
Italy.
The current terminal, which has exceeded capacity, is to be replaced by a new one in 2007 (currently under construction), boosting total capacity to 3,000,000 passengers a year.
Public transport
Public transport is run by
TEC (Transport En Commun), the
Wallon public transport company. The greater Charleroi region is served by bus lines and a
light rail Metro system (
Métro Léger de Charleroi). Part of the latter is famous for incorporating one of the few remnants of the
Vicinal, the former Belgian national tramway network.
The métro: grand plans unrealized
The TEC Light Rail Métro is equally famous for the parts of it which were never built, partially built, or fully completed but not opened. It was planned in the 1960s as a 48-km light rail network, operating on
heavy rail metro infrastructure, consisting of eight lines radiating from a central loop downtown. However only one line (to Petria), part of another line (to Gilly), and three-quarters of the loop were actually built and opened to traffic, all between 1976 and 1996. The high costs of construction, together with a decline in Charleroi's traditional "smokestack" industries, and questioning of the scope of the whole project in proportion to the actual demand for it, are all cited as reasons for the original plan going unfulfilled.
Completion of the central loop and the Gilly line to Soleilmont are planned within the next five years. Part of another branch (to Châtelet) was fully completed but never placed in service, and is unlikely ever to be opened or completed.
People born in Charleroi
★
Jean-Marie Andre, scientist
★
Pierre Carette, extreme-left terrorist
★
Jules Destrée, lawyer and politician (born in
Marcinelle,
19th century)
★
Georges Lemaître, priest and astronomer (
20th century)
★
Fabrice Lig, music producer (
20th century)
★
Joseph Maréchal, Jesuit priest, philosopher (
20th century)
★
Joëlle Milquet, politician (
20th century)
★
Chantal Mouffe, political theorist (
20th century)
★
François-Joseph Navez, painter (
18th century)
★
William Pagonis, US Lt. General (
20th century)
★
Paul Pastur, lawyer and politician
★
Marcel Thiry, poet (
19th century)
★
Annette Vande Gorne, composer
★
Fernand Verhaegen, painter and etcher (born in Marchienne-au-Pont,
19th century)
Other people who lived in Charleroi
★
Paul Cuvelier, painter and comics artist
★
Muriel Degauque, suicide bomber in Iraq
★
Marc Dutroux, convicted for kidnapping, abusing 6 girls and murdering four of them
Twin cities
★ :
Hirson
★ :
Saint-Junien
★ :
Schramberg
★ :
Waldkirch
★ :
Manoppello
★ :
Casarano
★ :
Follonica
★ :
Himeji, Hyōgo
★ :
Donetsk
★ :
Pittsburgh
★ :
Charleroi
References
1. Le MR quitte la majorité à Charleroi
2. Le collège carolo démissionnera ce mardi
3. Casaert reste bourgmestre
See also
★
Municipalities of Belgium
★
List of municipalities of the Walloon Region
★
R. Charleroi S.C.
★
ICDI affair
External links
★
Official web site
★
Unofficial history of tramways in Charleroi (in French)
★
Urban adventurers explore and photograph an unused Métro line
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