Haren | |
|---|---|
 Church of St. Elizabeth in the centre of Haren | |
  Haren Location within Brussels Show map of Brussels  Haren Haren (Belgium) Show map of Belgium | |
| Coordinates:50°53′31″N4°25′6″E / 50.89194°N 4.41833°E /50.89194; 4.41833 | |
| Country | Belgium |
| Region | Brussels-Capital Region |
| Arrondissement | Brussels-Capital |
| Municipality | City of Brussels |
| Area | |
• Total | 5.83 km2 (2.25 sq mi) |
| Population (2012) | |
• Total | 4,635 |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 1130 |
| Area codes | 02 |
Haren (French:[aʁœn]ⓘ;Dutch:[ˈɦaːrə(n)]ⓘ; sometimes writtenHaeren in French) is a former municipality ofBrussels, Belgium, that was merged into theCity of Brussels in 1921. It is an outlying part of the municipality and is situated at the north-eastern edge of theBrussels-Capital Region, borderingMachelen outside the boundary. Haren'spostal code is 1130.
In contrast to most of Brussels, Haren has maintained nearly as manyDutch-speakers asFrench-speakers and has preserved a somewhat rural appearance.[citation needed]
The first mention of Haren dates from a little after 1050 in a book on the miracles ofSaint Trudo and designates avilla.[1] A second mention dated more precisely to 1138, relates to the foundation and endowment of thechapter ofSaint Gudula (future cathedral of Brussels), the most important ecclesiastical owner in Haren.[1] The lords of Haren were involved in the management of theCity of Brussels in the 17th century.
Brussels' first airport was located in Haren between 1914 and the early 1950s. The site, which was later used by theBelgian Air Force, serves since 2018 asNATO's new headquarters, previously located south of theBoulevard Léopold III/Leopold III-laan.[2] The current site ofBrussels Airport is located several kilometres to the east.[3]
Between 1932 and 1997, Haren was also the location of aRenault automobile factory, which in 1969, for the first time, produced more than 100,000 cars in a single year. At that time, it was concentrating on the assembly ofRenault 4 andRenault 6 models, mostly for sale inBenelux, Germany and Scandinavia.[4] Renault also assembled AMC'sRambler automobiles there for sale in European markets.[5]
Haren has three railway stations:Buda (formerly called Haren-Buda, situated just outside the Brussels boundary) online 25 betweenBrussels andAntwerp,Haren (formerly called Haren-Linde) online 26 betweenHalle andVilvoorde, andHaren-South online 36 between Brussels andLeuven. The marshalling yard of theNational Railway Company of Belgium (SNCB/NMBS), sometimes referred to asSchaarbeek Vorming, is largely located within the territory of Haren.
Historical list ofmayors orburgomasters of Haren:[10]
In 1921, Haren ceased to be a municipality, the mayor being from then on that of the City of Brussels.
However, the people living in Haren are less than elated to see a "super-prison" inserted into their village. The Haren locals have been subjected to all sorts of large-scale projects for years, and the arrival of the prison means the destruction of a nature reserve and walking path to Diegem.
Media related toHaren (Belgium) at Wikimedia Commons