Gembloux

Gembloux Djiblou (Walloon) Gembloers (Dutch)
Municipality
Town hall with belfry in the background
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Gembloux
Gembloux Location in Belgium Location of Gembloux in Namur Province
Coordinates: 50°34′N 04°41′E / 50.567°N 4.683°E / 50.567; 4.683
Country	Belgium
Community	French Community
Region	Wallonia
Province	Namur
Arrondissement	Namur
Government
• Mayor	Benoît Dispa (Bailli)
• Governing party/ies	Bailli, Ecolo
Area
• Total	96.48 km2 (37.25 sq mi)
Population  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	25,933
• Density	270/km2 (700/sq mi)
Postal codes	5030-5032
NIS code	92142
Area codes	081
Website	www.gembloux.be

Gembloux (French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃.blu] ^ⓘ; Walloon: Djiblou; Dutch: Gembloers, Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɣɛmˌbluːrs]) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium.

On 1 January 2006, the municipality had 21,964 inhabitants. The total area is 95.86 km², yielding a population density of 229 inhabitants per km². The mayor, who was elected on 8 October 2006, is Benoît Dispa.

The municipality consists of the following districts: Beuzet, Bossière, Bothey, Corroy-le-Château, Ernage, Gembloux, Grand-Leez, Grand-Manil, Isnes, Lonzée, Mazy, and Sauvenière.

This city is well known for its Agricultural University and for its cutlery. The university is housed in the historical Abbey of Gembloux, which dates from the tenth century.

Gembloux's belfry is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, in recognition of its architecture and testimony to the rise in municipal power in the area.^[2]

History

The central city grew around the Gembloux Abbey, founded in the tenth century. In the vicinity of the city, in 1578, the Battle of Gembloux was fought during the Eighty Years' War. In May 1940, the Battle of Hannut and the Battle of the Gembloux Gap took place nearby, tank battles during the larger Battle of France.

Notable inhabitants

• The Marquess of Trazegnies d'Ittre
• Christophe Szpajdel, sketch artist (born 1970)

Twin towns

Gembloux is twinned with

• - Épinal, France : since 1974
• - Loughborough, United Kingdom : since 1993
• - Skyros, Greece : since 1994
• - Aller, Spain : since 2007

Gallery

• 
  Gembloux town hall square and belfry
• 
  University Faculty of agronomic sciences
• 
  Tour du Guet fortification
• 
  13th century Château de Corroy-le-Château

See also

• List of protected heritage sites in Gembloux
• Crealys Science Park

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Gembloux.