Wavre is also called "the City of the Maca", referring to the statue of the small boy trying to climb the wall of the city hall. Tradition holds that touching the Maca's buttocks brings a year of luck.
The foundations of a wealthyRomanvilla were found very close to Wavre, complete with a portico and many rooms. This part ofGaul, however, was ravaged by theGermanic invasions in the 3rd and 4th century, and it is only in the year 1050 that Wavre was mentioned for the first time, as a dependency of theCounty of Leuven, part of theBrabantpagus. The chapel built by the counts near the formerGallo-Roman villa was ceded to theAffligem Abbey a few years later. By the 13th century a market already existed in the budding town built at the crossroads of theBrussels-Namur andNivelles-Leuven roads. In 1222, DukeHenry I ofBrabant granted the town its citycharter. At around the same time, the Affligem Abbey expanded its Wavre possessions into apriory, which attracted pilgrims from a wide region around the city.[2]
The relative peace of the city came to an end on 8 March 1489, when DukeAlbert ofSaxony took it and pillaged it in retaliation for Wavre's sympathy withBrabant’s revolt againstAustria. From then on until the beginning of the 18th century, the city went through one disaster after another. Between the destruction by DukeCharles ofGuelders in 1504 and that brought byLouis XIV’s wars around 1700, Wavre would know several debilitating crises, either at the hand of foreign armies (e.g., the Spanish in 1604) or because of epidemics (1624–1625, 1668) or major fires (28 April 1695 and 17 July 1714). The 18th century was relatively prosperous, but a troubled period started again around 1790, with Wavre's participation in theBrabant Revolution againstAustrian interests. After theBattle of Fleurus (1794), the city becameFrench. Like many of its neighbours, the city suffered from mandatoryconscription, curtailment of religious freedoms, and the dissolution of the old administrative offices.
On 18 and 19 June 1815, theBattle of Wavre was fought here on the same day as theBattle of Waterloo.Napoleon had sentMarshal Grouchy to pursue part of the retreatingPrussian army under the command of GeneralJohann von Thielmann. Despite hearing the cannon sound from nearby Waterloo, Grouchy decided to obey his orders and engage the one Prussian Corps in Wavre. By the time Grouchy's battle was over, Napoleon had already lost at Waterloo.
The century that followed saw the expansion of local industry, including foundries, a paper mill, and a sugar refinery. Wavre was severely affected by both world wars, with heavy fighting, bombing and several houses put on fire. In the 21st century, Wavre enjoyed renewed prosperity as the capital of the Belgian province ofWalloon Brabant created in 1995.
Rue de la Source in Wavre town centreTown hall of WavreBasilica of Our Lady of Basse-Wavre
TheGothic-style church of St John the Baptist was built in 1475. Its main tower houses a 50-bell carillon.
The city hall dates from the 18th century. It is housed in the former church of theCarmelites and features a cloistered courtyard.
In 1975, the firstWalibi amusement park, named afterWavre,Limal, andBierge, to the west of the city centre further up the Dyle. Since then, Walibi has become the largest amusement park in Belgium and spawned similar parks in France and the Netherlands. The park was once known as the best themepark in Europe and has over 1,000,000 visitors per year.[3]
The Basilica of Our Lady of Basse-Wavre,Basilique Notre-Dame de Basse-Wavre is a centre of pilgrimage for Roman Catholics.
TheJeu de Jean et Alice is a remake of a medieval play, more exactly a spoken, sung, and danced dialog between Jean and Alice, Lords of Wavre, and the city's population. The play commemorates the granting of the charter to the city in 1222; it is now an elaborate production (with more than 500 participants) that takes place every five years.
Since about 200 years ago, theGrand Tour, a religious procession takes place every year on the Sunday that follows June 24, feast ofSt John the Baptist, patron saint of the city.
The city's carnival includes a handful of traditional giants that take part in the festivities.[4]
Wavre is the location of theWavre Transmitter, a broadcasting facility for shortwave, medium wave, FM and TV of the Belgian broadcasting society. As aerial for medium wave a guyed steel framework mast is used. It is the thirdtallest structure in Belgium. The aerials for FM and TV are on a free standing lattice tower. On 13 October 1983 a storm destroyed the main transmission mast for TV transmission.
Basse-Wavre railway station (Gare de Basse-Wavre) is located in Basse-Wavre ("lower Wavre") a suburb to the east of the city centre and lower down the Dyle.[a]
Wavre is the home ofRJ Wavre football club, a team with quite a prestigious past but which has struggled in recent times. The city is elected to host2026 Hockey World Cup.[6]
Jeanne Deckers (1933–1985), better known asThe Singing Nun, lived for nearly 20 years in Wavre, with her partner Annie Pécher; the pair died together after taking overdoses of barbiturates and alcohol and were buried in the city.
