Walloon is a Belgian version of an oldWest Germanic word reconstructed as *walh (“foreigner, stranger, speaker of Celtic or Latin”). Brabant is from Old Dutch *brākbant (attested in Medieval Latin as pāgus brācbatensis, Bracbantum, Bracbantia), from Frankish, a compound of Proto-Germanic *brēk-, *brekaną (“fallow, originally 'to break'”) + *bant-, *bantō, *banti (“district, region”)
Like the terms "Belgium" and "Flanders", the terms "Walloon" and "Brabant" are much older than the modern political entities which they represent today, but were already being used in the region when political boundaries were different. For example, Louis de Haynin wrote as follows in 1628:[5]
The Belgian [region (contrée orprovince)] is a large country (pays) betweenFrance,Germany and theNorth Sea. This country is typically divided into two regions [régions] which are about equal, which is to say, Belgian Wallonia and Belgian, or according to some, Flemish Germany [belge wallonne et belge allemagne ou flamande, selons aucun]."
De Haynin noted that the distinction people made in his time between Walloon and German or Flemish Belgium was apparently based upon language, with the Walloons speaking French, and the others speaking what he described as a type ofLow German (un bas alleman) which people, especially foreigners, referred to as Flemish. Among the provinces within these two large Belgian regions he contrasted "French or Walloon Flanders", now largely within France, with the rest of "Flanders", and "Lothier or Walloon Brabant (brabant wallon)" with the larger "German or Flemish" part of Brabant, which at that time stretched into what is now theNetherlands.[citation needed] Note that for de Haynin and his contemporaries "Belgium" was much larger than modern Belgium, corresponding to the oldBurgundian Netherlands and its associated church-ruled principalities. "Belgium" therefore included all of the Netherlands and Luxembourg, and a part of France. In contrast, the term "Flanders" could be used for a smaller region than today, equivalent to the region once dominated by theCounty of Flanders, near theNorth Sea.[citation needed] As already noted, de Haynin himself used the adjective "Flemish" to refer to theDutch language, including dialects outside the old Flemish region, but he noted that the term "Flemish" was now being used to cover a bigger area than it originally applied to, because of the prestige of the old medieval county, which was also well-known to foreigners.[citation needed]
Walloon Brabant was created in 1995 when the formerProvince of Brabant was split into three parts: two new provinces, Walloon Brabant and Flemish Brabant; and theBrussels Capital Region, which no longer belongs to any province. The split was made to accommodate the federalisation of Belgium in three regions (Flanders,Wallonia and Brussels).
The regionalGross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 19.3 billion € in 2018, accounting for only 4.2% of Belgium's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €42,300 in the same year, equivalent to 140% of the EU27 average. GDP per person employed was still higher, at 157% of the EU27 average. Compared to other Belgian provinces, Walloon Brabant is thus relatively small, but it is the wealthiest. The other four Walloon provinces to Brabant's south all have a significantly lower GDP per capita, none being above €30,000 in 2018. This wealth is at least partly due to the economy of the neighbouring capital city region of Brussels, which is not a province, because many residents of Walloon Brabant are employed there. For comparison, Brussels had a GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power of €61,300, equivalent to 203% of the EU average, but unlike Walloon Brabant it is significantly lower, at 161%, when calculated per person employed.[6]
Historically the greater Walloon region was one of the earliest regions of industrialization, mainly concentrated in the so-calledSillon industriel, which is to the south of Walloon Brabant. There was also steel production inClabecq in Walloon Brabant, which is still operating. TheRonquières inclined plane on theBrussels-Charleroi Canal which passes through the province, connects canal traffic betweenCharleroi, one of the main cities of theSillon industriel, with Brussels and thePort of Antwerp, to the north of Walloon Brabant.
Today, theUniversity of Louvain (UCLouvain) is located in Walloon Brabant. TheLouvain-la-Neuve Science Park is developing cooperation between industry and UCLouvain and is contributing to regional economic development. It covers 231 hectares spread over the area of the town ofOttignies-Louvain-la-Neuve and the municipality ofMont-Saint-Guibert (30 km away fromBrussels). The main areas of activity are life sciences, fine chemistry, information technologies and engineering. The park is made up of 135 innovative companies, 4,500 employees, and the university'sbusiness incubator.
Piétrain is a breed ofdomestic pig taking its name fromPiétrain, a little village ofJodoigne in Walloon Brabant.
InRixensart, the companyRecherche et Industrie Thérapeutiques (changed toGlaxoSmithKline Biologicals in 2000) is one of the world's leading vaccine manufacturers, supplying around 25% of the world's vaccines: GSK Biologicals employs a little over 5,300 persons on the Walloon sites ofRixensart,Wavre andGembloux. The company distributes 36 doses of vaccines every second.[7]
The castle ofCorroy-le-Château, one of the best conserved castles of this period in Northern Europe was bought by 21st-century Flemish artistWim Delvoye for EUR 3.3 million. He is planning to convert the Corroy-le-Château into a museum of modern art.[8]
^Louis de Haynin,Histoire générale des guerres deSavoie, deBohême, duPalatinat et des Pays-Bas 1616-1627 par le seigneur Du Cornet, Gentilhomme belgeois, avec une introduction et des notes par A.L.P. de Robaulx de Soumoy, Bruxelles, 1868, First published in 1628, pp. 6-7. French:La Belge selon qu'elle est, pour le présent, est un grand pays entre laFrance, l'Allemagne, et la mer Océane […] Elle se my-partit ordinairement en deux régions presque esgalles, c'est à scavoir en belge wallonne et belgeallemande ouflamande, selon aucuns. La Wallonne a pour provinces l'Artois,Lille,Douay etOrchies autrement dite Flandre gauloise ou walonne:Cambresis,Tournesis,Haynaut et l'Estat deVallencennes,Namur, Lothier ou Brabant wallon,Luxembourgues etLiège. [...] La Wallonne, suyvant la plus commune opinion, auroit esté ainsi nommée à raison de son langage françois...
