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Uccle | |
|---|---|
 Uccle's Municipal Hall | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Uccle municipality in the Brussels-Capital Region | |
 Interactive map of Uccle | |
  Uccle Location in Belgium | |
| Coordinates:50°48′N04°20′E / 50.800°N 4.333°E /50.800; 4.333 | |
| Country | Belgium |
| Community | Flemish Community French Community |
| Region | Brussels-Capital |
| Arrondissement | Brussels-Capital |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Boris Dilliès [fr] (MR) |
| • Governing parties | MR,Ecolo,Les Engagés |
| Area | |
• Total | 22.87 km2 (8.83 sq mi) |
| Population (2020-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 83,980 |
| • Density | 3,672/km2 (9,511/sq mi) |
| Postal codes | 1180 |
| NIS code | 21016 |
| Area codes | 02 |
| Website | www.uccle.be/fr(in French) www.uccle.be/nl(in Dutch) |
Uccle (French,pronounced[ykl(ə)]ⓘ) orUkkel (Dutch,pronounced[ˈʏkəl]ⓘ) is one of the19 municipalities of theBrussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the southern part of the region, it is bordered by theCity of Brussels,Forest,Ixelles, andWatermael-Boitsfort, as well as theFlemish municipalities ofDrogenbos,Linkebeek andSint-Genesius-Rode. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legallybilingual (French–Dutch).
As of 1 January 2022[update], the municipality had a population of 85,099 inhabitants. The total area is 22.87 km2 (8.83 sq mi), which gives apopulation density of 3,720/km2 (9,600/sq mi), half the average of Brussels. It is generally considered an affluent area of the region, and is particularly noted for its community of French immigrants.
According to legend, Uccle's Church ofSt. Peter was dedicated byPope Leo III in the year 803, withCharlemagne and Gerbald,Bishop of Liège, attending the ceremony. During the following centuries, several noble families built their manors and took residency there. The first mention of the nameWoluesdal, now evolved intoWolvendael, dates from 1209. In 1467,Isabella of Portugal, wife ofPhilip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, founded aFranciscan convent on Uccle's territory. Later, Uccle became thejudiciary capital of the area includingBrussels. Throughout the early stages of its history, however, the village of Uccle always had a predominantly rural character and lived mostly from the products offorestry andagriculture.
A large part of the territory of modern-day Uccle used to be part of theLordship (seigneurie) of Stalle, in addition to the old village of Uccle and thebarony of Carloo.
The first Lords of Stalle (High Justiciaries) were:[2] Henri de Stalle, knight (died before 1357); Florent de Stalle, his son,alderman of Brussels in 1319 and knight. He married Lady Aleyde; and Florent de Stalle, knight and alderman of Brussels in 1357, member of theSeven Noble Houses of Brussels. It was he who, with his brother Daniel, founded the Stalle chapel and gave it lands.
Dependentfiefs of the Lordship of Stalle included the Fief of Overhem and the Fief of the Roetaert. The Fief of Overhem was located between the Dieweg and Stalle, it had a manor, a mill calledClipmolen, woods, and pasture. However, in 1465, Marguerite Hinckaert wife of Louis de Mailly, obtained from the sovereign the annexation of this fief to the Lordship of Stalle. The Fief of the Roetaert was located in Neerstalle, between the Kersbeek woods and the Ukkelbeek. Its surface amounted to 39.78 acres of land and meadows and it included the manor of Roetaert.[3][a]
At the end of the 18th century, a few years after theFrench Revolution, Uccle merged with neighbouring territories to become amunicipality, with its ownburgomaster (mayor) and municipal assembly. It had to wait until 1828, however, for the Dutch authorities to allow the construction of the first Municipal Hall. This was a time of economic prosperity and growth, stimulated by the proximity to the two main roads linking Brussels to the industrial south. A newer and larger Municipal Hall was built between 1872 and 1882. Banker and philanthropistGeorges Brugmann was instrumental in the urbanisation of the municipality just before the turn of the 20th century. In the early 20th century, Michel van Gelder introduced a new breed of chicken, thed'Uccle, named after the town. Despite the accelerated rate of construction that took place in the early 20th century, Uccle succeeded in keeping several of its green areas intact, which now attract many of the Brussels area's wealthier inhabitants.
Lying beyondForest andIxelles and skirting theSonian Forest, Uccle is Brussel's largest and southernmost municipality. Large 19th- and 20th-centuryvillas with generous gardens make this green and calm suburb a favourite with well-off expatriates, with theArt Deco area around theRoyal Observatory of Belgium and the fringes of the Sonian Forest the two most desirable addresses.
Uccle is mainly a residential area but has a lot of parks and forested areas, such as the Wolvendael Park and the Verrewinkel Woods. Wolvendael is the site of a 1763 castle, owned by a number of notable aristocrats from the 18th and 19th centuries. The municipality is also situated to the immediate west of theBois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos. ThePlace de Saint-Job/Sint-Jobsplein and the area near St. Peter's Church and the Municipal Hall are two older parts of town, now filled with a happy mix of stores and pubs.
Uccle is the site of the Belgium nationalweather station, theRoyal Meteorological Institute (IRM/KMI). Any information on Belgian weather, unless region-specific, is described by the statistics recorded there. Right next door is theRoyal Observatory of Belgium.[4]
Other points of interest include:
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Most Uccle pupils between the ages of 3 and 18 go to schools organised by theFrench-speaking Community or theFlemish Community. Other schools include:
Uccle istwinned with:
Neuilly-sur-Seine, France
Ráckeve, Hungary
Carthage, Tunisia
Media related toUccle at Wikimedia CommonsPlaces adjacent to Uccle | |
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