Rotselaar | |
|---|---|
 Church in Rotselaar | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Rotselaar in Flemish Brabant | |
 Interactive map of Rotselaar | |
  Rotselaar Location in Belgium | |
| Coordinates:50°57′N04°43′E / 50.950°N 4.717°E /50.950; 4.717 | |
| Country | Belgium |
| Community | Flemish Community |
| Region | Flemish Region |
| Province | Flemish Brabant |
| Arrondissement | Leuven |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Jelle Wouters (CD&V) |
| • Governing parties | CD&V,N-VA |
| Area | |
• Total | 37.22 km2 (14.37 sq mi) |
| Population (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 16,678 |
| • Density | 448.1/km2 (1,161/sq mi) |
| Postal codes | 3110, 3111, 3118 |
| NIS code | 24094 |
| Area codes | 016 |
| Website | rotselaar.be |
Rotselaar (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈrɔtsəlaːr]) is amunicipality located in theBelgian province ofFlemish-Brabant, near the convergence of theDemer and theDijle. Since 1 January 1977 the municipality comprises the towns of Rotselaar proper,Werchter andWezemaal. On 1 January 2006 Rotselaar had a total population of 15,068. The total area is 37.57 km2 which gives apopulation density of 401 inhabitants per km2.
Rotselaar is located at the convergence of two rivers, theDemer and theDijle, which in turn have theWinge and theLosting as tributaries, and theLaak River forms the border betweenWerchter andTremelo to the north. It's also located at the junction of threegeographical areas. In rough terms, Werchter to the north of the Demer is a part of theSouth Campine, Wezemaal and Rotselaar Heikant of theHageland, whereas Rotselaar-Centre to the west of the Dijle is a part ofBinnen-Vlaanderen (Inner Flanders), which is also known asDijleland.[2]
Rotselaar andWezemaal were first mentioned in written accounts in 1044. Only a century later, between 1138 and 1152,Werchter appears in historical documents.[3]
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In the 12th century, Rotselaar and Wezemaal were ruled by theDuke of Brabant, whereas the Counts ofAarschot and the House of the Berthouts controlled Werchter. From about 1170,vassals of the Duke of Brabant settled at Wezemaal and Rotselaar. In the course of the 13th century, these vassals rose to the nobleHereditary Marshals of Brabant and started to "rule" thedominium of Rotselaar and Wezemaal as lords. In the 14th century, the Lords of Wezemaal and Rotselaar managed to detract Werchter (andHaacht) from the sphere of influence of the House of the Berthouts, thus uniting the three villages of Wezemaal, Werchter and Rotselaar for the first time in history, which from that moment on together formed the Land, or theBarony of Rotselaar. The Barony of Rotselaar passed into the hands of the powerfulHouse of Croÿ in 1516, to be added to theMargraviate ofAarschot, which was later elevated to the Duchy of Aarschot in 1533.
Until deep in the 19th century, the inhabitants lived primarily ofagriculture. From 1488 onwards, the population of Wezemaal, Werchter and Rotselaar was severely hit by periodically recurring wars (1488-1489, 1542, and a series of wars from 1570 up to 1750). From 1750, welfare began to increase again, first thanks to agricultural innovations and in the second half of the 19th century thanks to the effects of theIndustrial Revolution.
An artillery duel was fought in Rotselaar in theFirst World War, known as the ‘Slag aan de Molen’ (English: Battle of the Mill). In that battle, 360Belgian andGerman soldiers were killed. During the First World War, a total 67 houses were burned and 38 civilians were killed in Rotselaar.
The origin of theplacenames is unclear. Rotselaar is thought to mean "laar of Hrosda". Alaar (plural form islaren) is an open spot or clearing in a forest suitable for living,laren were used quite intensively by man in the past, amongst others for grazing the cattle, and Hrosda is a maleGermanic name.Wezemaal is believed to come from "Wis" and "male" (adepression), andWerchter is thought to be a watername, but the meaning of the name is unknown.[3]
When the name of Rotselaar first appeared in written accounts, it was spelled "Rotslar". Over the centuries, this evolved into "Rotselaer", and eventually into "Rotselaar". InMiddle Dutch, the "e" in "Rotselaer" was used to show that the vowel preceding it sounds longer, in modern spelling the vowel is doubled to achieve the same effect, which gives "Rotselaar".
The name "Rotselaar" can have four different meanings, and it is important to make a distinction between these meanings in order to avoid ambiguities. In a first meaning, "Rotselaar" refers to the whole of themunicipality of Rotselaar as it exists since the merger of municipalities that came into effect on 1 January 1977 and reduced the number of autonomous municipalities inBelgium to 589. If used in this sense, the name "Rotselaar" includesWezemaal andWerchter. The term "Groot-Rotselaar" (Greater Rotselaar) is also commonly used to refer to Rotselaar, Wezemaal and Werchter as a whole. In a second meaning, "Rotselaar" refers specifically to the town of Rotselaar proper as it existed before the merger with Wezemaal and Werchter in 1977. This is, especially within Groot-Rotselaar, the most common meaning of the name "Rotselaar". In a third meaning, "Rotselaar" refers to the historical Land of Rotselaar, which comprised not only modern-day Rotselaar, Wezemaal and Werchter, but also other villages, such asHaacht andWakkerzeel. The name "Rotselaar" in this sense is rarely used.
Rotselaar can also have a fourth meaning, where it refers to Rotselaar-Centre, as opposed to Rotselaar Heikant, which is also referred to as simply "Heikant". Rotselaar proper (as it existed prior to 1977) consists of two parts: Rotselaar-Centre and Rotselaar Heikant. If used in this sense, the name "Rotselaar" refers only to Rotselaar-Centre and doesn't include Heikant. In most cases, the name "Rotselaar" includes Rotselaar Heikant, but the name "Heikant" is commonly used to distinguish between the two parts of Rotselaar.
TheMunicipal Council is aunicameral body composed of 25councillors, including themayor andaldermen. The councillors areelected directly by thevoters in the municipality. The Municipal Council is renewed entirely every six years. The municipal elections of 8 October 2006 were the first municipal and provincial elections inBelgium since the transfer of the competence with regards to themunicipalities andprovinces from theFederal Government to theRegions on 13 June 2001.
The Municipal Council is responsible for everything that is of local interest. This organ draws up rules and ordinances, establishes municipaltaxes, approves thebudget and theaccounts of the municipality, scrutinises the local services, and looks after the interests of its population in general (spatial planning,road building,security,health,youth,sport,...). The council also appoints thealdermen. Themayor is nominated by the majority and appointed by theFlemish Government. The council meets once per month.
Between 2007 and 2013, the majority consisted of theCD&V/N-VA combined list, with 14 out of 25 seats.VLD (5 seats),SP.A-Spirit (2 seats),Groen!Sociaal (2 seats) andVlaams Belang (2 seats) were in the opposition in the Municipal Council, and together had 11 seats out of 25. ThePresiding Officer of the Municipal Council was Werner Mertens (CD&V).
Between 2013 and 2018, the majority consisted of CD&V and OpenVLD, CD&V having attained 12 seats, and OpenVLD 3 seats, forming a majority. NV-A (5 seats), GroenSociaal (2 seats) and anders (a local party, 3 seats) were part of the opposition.
In the elections of October 2018, CD&V stayed the largest party with 10 seats, followed by N-VA (5 seats), Open VLD (3 seats), anders (3 seats), Groen (3 seats) and SP.A (1 seat).[4] CD&V announced a coalition with the second party N-VA to form a majority for the legislative session of 2019 and beyond.[5]
The currentmayor of Rotselaar is Jelle Wouters (CD&V). His primary responsibilities as mayor include, but are not limited to: security (police, fire service), personnel, communication, festivities, honorary and legal affairs.[6] The mayor is assisted by a number ofaldermen, who together form the College of Mayor and Aldermen. Rotselaar is entitled to five aldermen because it has between 10,000 and 19,999 inhabitants.
The officialcoat of arms of the municipality of Rotselaar was adopted by the municipal council in 1968 and ratified byRoyal Decree in 1973. After the merger with the municipalities of Werchter and Wezemaal, the coat of arms was confirmed by the municipal council and 1981 and ratified in 1982.The coat of arms consists of threefleur-de-lisgules on a field of silver.
In line with many other municipalities adopting modern fashions, themunicipal government decided in 2002 to introduce a newhouse style with a modernlogo replacing the coat of arms in communication and on municipal documents.[7]
This is the meaning of the logo: thekeep "Ter Heide" is the symbol for thecultural heritage of Rotselaar, the field tracks symbolise therural aspects of the municipality and theagriculture, the blue river is the symbol for the three rivers of Rotselaar, theDemer, theDijle and theWinge, and the lake, the green represents thenatural environment andnature reserves of Rotselaar, theplantations and the hills covered with forests, and last but not least, the sun gives Rotselaar blossomingvineyards and refers to therecreational facilities and activities in Rotselaar.[8]
There are 7primary schools in Rotselaar.[9] There is also asecondary school in Rotselaar, the Montfortcollege, which has a good reputation in the field ofeducation in the region. The Montfortcollege also offersboarding facilities.[10] While many of Rotselaar's youths attend primary schools in Rotselaar itself, most go to secondary schools outside of Rotselaar because the waiting lists for the Montfortcollege are often very long, except for boarding school students. Of the youths who attend secondary schools outside of Rotselaar, most go to school inLeuven. The "Hagelandse Academie voor Beeldende Kunst" (Hageland Academy forVisual Arts) is also located in Rotselaar.[11]
The Domain Ter Heide is the mainrecreational domain in Rotselaar. It is also called, inDutch, "het meer van Rotselaar" or "de Plas van Rotselaar" (the lake of Rotselaar). It is popular amongwalkers,cyclists andbird-watchers.Fishing is allowed in the fishing zone domain from June 1 to April 15, between sunrise and sunset. But you have to have a publicFlemish fishing permit, which is available in thepost office.[12]
A variety of otherleisure activities are also possible, such asswimming or sunbathing. Outside of the swimming season, the domain's swimming zone is open daily from 08:30 to sunset, but during the swimming season it is open from 10:00 to 20:30. Access to the swimming zone is free for inhabitants of Rotselaar. Others have to pay for entry and swimming is only allowed whenlifeguards are present and the green flag is out. The swimming season lasts roughly from the middle of May to the end of August, depending on the weather. The swimming zone is delimited by a ditch and a line ofbuoys, and swimming is prohibited outside of this zone, among other reasons because there is a surfing zone as well. For reasons ofhygiene, dogs are not allowed during the swimming season in the entire domain, however, from September 1 dogs on aleash are allowed in the domain, but not in the swimming zone.
Windsurfing is allowed from theEaster holidays to October 15 in the surfing zone, which is separate from the swimming zone for reasons of safety.Ice skating on natural ice is possible as well, though rarely, but it is strictly forbidden to enter the ice unless the municipal government explicitly allows ice skating. If the municipal government allows ice skating, it will publish so in the local press, the "Dorpskrant" (a local newspaper published by the municipal government) and on thewebsite of Rotselaar. There is also anature zone in the domain, which is off-limits to the public. Other possible activities include, but are not limited to,squash andbeach volleyball.
Rock Werchter is amusic festival held annually during the first weekend of the summer holidays in Werchter. It was first organised in 1974 and since 2003 the festival lasts four days, and the 2003 and 2005 editions won the Arthur award for the best festival in the world of theInternational Live Music Conference. It's the largest music festival inBelgium and one of the largest festivals in Europe. It's even famous over the Belgian borders. Each year, many renowned groups and artists perform at Rock Werchter, and over 320,000 people come to the festival. Originally it was a double-festival, called "Rock Torhout-Werchter", with two festival areas on different places inBelgium: one in Werchter and one inTorhout. There is also a "Rock Werchterroute", a cycling route, around Werchter andLeuven, which also organises an annual music festival which is among the most popular in Belgium,Marktrock.
Rotselaar maintainssister city relationships withBad Gandersheim, a city in southernLower Saxony,Germany, located betweenHannover andKassel, since 1987. In 1990, atown twinning committee was created for the purpose of furthering the ties between Rotselaar and Bad Gandersheim through visits,exhibitions, language courses and other initiatives. An annual town twinningweekend is organised as well, alternately in Rotselaar and Bad Gandersheim.[13]
There has been acooperation project between Rotselaar andSal, one of theislands in thearchipelago ofCape Verde. The island is around 30 km long by 15 km wide, and has roughly the same number ofinhabitants as Rotselaar. Sal has 4 habitational centres:Espargos with the main urban and administrative centre and theinternational airport of Cape Verde, Santa Maria, wheretourism andhotels are situated, Pedra de Lume, once the site of salt collection (hence the name of the island, "sal" isPortuguese for "salt"), and Palmeira, a fishing village with aport.[13]
The request for cooperation came from Sal itself. Basilio Ramos, thenmayor of Sal, sought to establish a link with amunicipality in the vicinity ofLeuven. As a formerstudent of theK.U.Leuven he wanted to strengthen the ties withBelgium. This form of cooperation is different from the others. The cooperation with Sal is a form of development cooperation where the accent is on exchange and partnership in the administrative and the professional fields, and in particular on the exchange of experiences in the fields of environment andyouth work.
In 1989, themunicipal government adopted theRomanian village ofVrânceni, which is a part ofCăiuţi in the easterncounty ofBacău, as part of the project "AdoptieDorpen Roemenië" (Adoption Villages Romania). The local action committee organises various activities throughout the year, of which the yields go to the adoption village. Among others, a school building was constructed in Vrânceni with the help of Rotselaar.[13]
Famous persons that were born, lived or died in Rotselaar, Wezemaal or Werchter include, but are not limited to:
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