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Mons

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Mons
Mont (Picard)
Bergen (Dutch)
0 Mons - Panorama vu du Mont Héribus (1).JPG
Flag of Mons
Coat of arms of Mons
Location of Mons
Mons is located in Belgium
Mons
Mons
Location in Belgium
Location of Mons in Hainaut
Mons Hainaut Belgium Map.svg
Coordinates: 50°27′N 03°57′E / 50.450°N 3.950°E / 50.450; 3.950Coordinates: 50°27′N 03°57′E / 50.450°N 3.950°E / 50.450; 3.950
Country Belgium
CommunityFrench Community
RegionWallonia
ProvinceHainaut
ArrondissementMons
Government
 • MayorNicolas Martin (PS)
 • Governing party/iesPS, Ecolo
Area
 • Total147.56 km2 (56.97 sq mi)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total95,299
 • Density650/km2 (1,700/sq mi)
Postal codes
7000-7034
Area codes065
Websitewww.mons.be

Mons (French: [mɔ̃s] (listen); German and Dutch: Bergen, Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbɛrɣə(n)] (listen); Walloon and Picard: Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. The population grew quickly, trade flourished, and several commercial buildings were erected near the Grand’Place. In 1814, King William I of the Netherlands increased the fortifications, following the fall of the First French Empire. The Industrial Revolution and coal mining made Mons a centre of heavy industry. In 1830, Belgium gained its independence and the decision was made to dismantle the fortifications, allowing the creation of large boulevards and other urban projects.

On 23–24 August 1914, Mons was the location of the Battle of Mons. The British were forced to retreat by a numerically superior German force and the town remained occupied by the Germans until its liberation by the Canadian Corps during the final days of the war. There are several memorial placards related to the WW1 battles. Today, the city is an important university town and commercial centre. The main square is the centre of the old city. It is paved in the manner of old cities and is home to many cafes and restaurants, as well as the town hall and belfry. It is forbidden to park in or drive through the centre. Together with the Czech city of Plzeň, Mons was the European Capital of Culture in 2015.

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German language

German language

German, or more precisely High German, is a West Germanic language mainly spoken in Western Europe and Central Europe. It is the most widely spoken and official or co-official language in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Liechtenstein, and the Italian province of South Tyrol. It is also a co-official language of Luxembourg and Belgium, as well as a recognized national language in Namibia. Outside Germany, it is also spoken by German communities in France (Bas-Rhin), Czech Republic, Poland, Slovakia, and Hungary (Sopron).

Dutch language

Dutch language

Dutch is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language, after its close relatives German and English. Afrikaans is a separate but somewhat mutually intelligible daughter language spoken, to some degree, by at least 16 million people, mainly in South Africa and Namibia, evolving from the Cape Dutch dialects of Southern Africa. The dialects used in Belgium and in Suriname, meanwhile, are all guided by the Dutch Language Union.

City status in Belgium

City status in Belgium

City status in Belgium is granted to a select group of municipalities by a royal decree or by an act of law.

Belgium

Belgium

Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to the southwest, and the North Sea to the northwest. It covers an area of 30,528 km2 (11,787 sq mi) and has a population of more than 11.5 million, making it the 22nd most densely populated country in the world and the 6th most densely populated country in Europe, with a density of 376/km2 (970/sq mi). Belgium is part of an area known as the Low Countries, historically a somewhat larger region than the Benelux group of states, as it also included parts of northern France. The capital and largest city is Brussels; other major cities are Antwerp, Ghent, Charleroi, Liège, Bruges, Namur, and Leuven.

Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut

Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut

Baldwin IV was count of Hainaut from 1120 to his death.

County of Hainaut

County of Hainaut

The County of Hainaut, sometimes spelled Hainault, was a territorial lordship within the medieval Holy Roman Empire that straddled what is now the border of Belgium and France. Its most important towns included Mons, now in Belgium, and Valenciennes, now in France.

First French Empire

First French Empire

The First French Empire, officially the French Republic, then the French Empire after 1809, also known as Napoleonic France, was the empire ruled by Napoleon Bonaparte, who established French hegemony over much of continental Europe at the beginning of the 19th century. It lasted from 18 May 1804 to 11 April 1814 and again briefly from 20 March 1815 to 7 July 1815.

Coal mining

Coal mining

Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United Kingdom and South Africa, a coal mine and its structures are a colliery, a coal mine is called a 'pit', and the above-ground structures are a 'pit head'. In Australia, "colliery" generally refers to an underground coal mine.

Battle of Mons

Battle of Mons

The Battle of Mons was the first major action of the British Expeditionary Force (BEF) in the First World War. It was a subsidiary action of the Battle of the Frontiers, in which the Allies clashed with Germany on the French borders. At Mons, the British Army attempted to hold the line of the Mons–Condé Canal against the advancing German 1st Army. Although the British fought well and inflicted disproportionate casualties on the numerically superior Germans, they were eventually forced to retreat due both to the greater strength of the Germans and the sudden retreat of the French Fifth Army, which exposed the British right flank. Though initially planned as a simple tactical withdrawal and executed in good order, the British retreat from Mons lasted for two weeks and took the BEF to the outskirts of Paris before it counter-attacked in concert with the French, at the Battle of the Marne.

Canadian Corps

Canadian Corps

The Canadian Corps was a World War I corps formed from the Canadian Expeditionary Force in September 1915 after the arrival of the 2nd Canadian Division in France. The corps was expanded by the addition of the 3rd Canadian Division in December 1915 and the 4th Canadian Division in August 1916. The organization of a 5th Canadian Division began in February 1917 but it was still not fully formed when it was broken up in February 1918 and its men used to reinforce the other four divisions.

Belfry of Mons

Belfry of Mons

The Belfry of Mons is one of the more recent among the belfries of Belgium and France. At a height of 87 metres (285 ft), it dominates the city of Mons, Belgium, which is itself constructed on a hill. This belfry, classified in Belgium since 15 January 1936, belongs to the major cultural patrimony of Wallonia. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 1 December 1999, for its unique architecture, civic importance, and testimony to the birth of municipal influence and power in the area. It is the only one in Belgium that is constructed in Baroque style.

European Capital of Culture

European Capital of Culture

A European Capital of Culture is a city designated by the European Union (EU) for a period of one calendar year during which it organises a series of cultural events with a strong pan-European dimension. Being a European Capital of Culture can be an opportunity for a city to generate considerable cultural, social and economic benefits and it can help foster urban regeneration, change the city's image and raise its visibility and profile on an international scale. Multiple cities can be a European Capital of Culture simultaneously.

Districts

The municipality consists of the following districts: Ciply, Cuesmes, Flénu, Ghlin, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Hyon, Jemappes, Maisières, Mesvin, Nimy, Nouvelles, Obourg, Saint-Denis, Saint-Symphorien, Spiennes, and Villers-Saint-Ghislain.

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Ciply

Ciply

Ciply is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Cuesmes

Cuesmes

Cuesmes is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Flénu

Flénu

Flénu is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Ghlin

Ghlin

Ghlin is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Harmignies

Harmignies

Harmignies is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Harveng

Harveng

Harveng is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Havré

Havré

Havré is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Hyon

Hyon

Hyon is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Jemappes

Jemappes

Jemappes is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Maisières

Maisières

Maisières is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Mesvin

Mesvin

Mesvin is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Nimy

Nimy

Nimy is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

History

Early settlements in the Middle Ages

The first signs of activity in the region of Mons are found at Spiennes, where some of the best flint tools in Europe were found dating from the Neolithic period. When Julius Caesar arrived in the region in the 1st century BC, the region was settled by the Nervii, a Belgian tribe. A castrum was built in Roman (Belgica) times, giving the settlement its Latin name Castrilocus; the name was later changed into Montes for the mountain on which the castrum was built. In the 7th century, Saint Ghislain and two of his disciples built an oratory or chapel dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul near the Mons hill, at a place called Ursidongus, now known as Saint-Ghislain. Soon after, Saint Waltrude (in French Sainte Waudru), daughter of one of Clotaire II’s intendants, came to the oratory and was proclaimed a saint upon her death in 688. She was canonized in 1039.

Like Ath, its neighbour to the north-west, Mons was made a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. The population grew quickly, trade flourished, and several commercial buildings were erected near the Grand’Place. The 12th century also saw the appearance of the first town halls. The city had 4,700 inhabitants by the end of the 13th century. Mons succeeded Valenciennes as the capital of the county of Hainaut in 1295 and grew to 8,900 inhabitants by the end of the 15th century. In the 1450s, Matheus de Layens took over the construction of the Saint Waltrude church from Jan Spijkens and restored the town hall.

From 1500 to 1800

The central square and town hall of Mons with the belfry in the background
The central square and town hall of Mons with the belfry in the background
Map of Mons in the sixteenth century. Made by Lodovico Guicciardini.[2]
Map of Mons in the sixteenth century. Made by Lodovico Guicciardini.[2]
Map of Mons at the siege, 1691
Map of Mons at the siege, 1691

In 1515, Charles V took an oath in Mons as Count of Hainaut. In this period of its history, the city became the target of various occupations, starting in May 1572 with the Protestant takeover by Louis of Nassau, who had hoped to clear the way for the French Protestant leader Gaspard de Coligny to oppose Spanish rule. After the murder of de Coligny during the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, the Duke of Alba took control of Mons in September 1572 in the name of the Catholic King of Spain. This spelled the ruin of the city and the arrest of many of its inhabitants; from 1580 to 1584, Mons became the capital of the Southern Netherlands.

On 8 April 1691, after a nine-month siege, Louis XIV’s army stormed the city, which again suffered heavy casualties. From 1697 to 1701, Mons was alternately French or Austrian. After being under French control from 1701 to 1709, the Dutch army gained the upper hand in the Battle of Malplaquet. In 1715, Mons returned to Austria under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht (1713). But the French did not give up easily; Louis XV besieged the city again in 1746. After the Battle of Jemappes (1792), the Hainaut area was annexed to France and Mons became the capital of the Jemappes district.

From 1800 to the present

Mons fusillade on 17 April 1893
Mons fusillade on 17 April 1893

Following the fall of the First French Empire in 1814, King William I of the Netherlands fortified the city heavily. In 1830, however, Belgium gained its independence and the decision was made to dismantle fortified cities such as Mons, Charleroi, and Namur. The actual removal of fortifications only happened in the 1860s, allowing the creation of large boulevards and other urban projects. The Industrial Revolution and coal mining made Mons a center of heavy industry, which strongly influenced the culture and image of the Borinage region as a whole. It was to become an integral part of the sillon industriel, the industrial backbone of Wallonia.

Riots of Mons

On 17 April 1893, between Mons and Jemappes, seven strikers were killed by the civic guard at the end of the Belgian general strike of 1893.

The proposed law on universal suffrage was approved the day after by the Belgian Parliament.

This general strike was one of the first general strikes in an industrial country.

Battle of Mons

Canadians entering Mons in 1918 (source: Archives of Ontario)
Canadians entering Mons in 1918 (source: Archives of Ontario)
42nd Battalion marching through the Grand Place, Mons, on the morning of November 11, 1918
42nd Battalion marching through the Grand Place, Mons, on the morning of November 11, 1918

On 23–24 August 1914, Mons was the location of the Battle of Mons—the first battle fought by the British Army in World War I. The British were forced to retreat with just over 1,600 casualties, and the town remained occupied by the Germans until its liberation by the Canadian Corps during the final days of the war.

Within the front entrance to the City hall, there are several memorial placards related to the WW1 battles and in particular, one has the inscription:

MONS WAS RECAPTURED BY THE CANADIAN CORPS ON THE 11th NOVEMBER 1918: AFTER FIFTY MONTHS OF GERMAN OCCUPATION, FREEDOM WAS RESTORED TO THE CITY: HERE WAS FIRED THE LAST SHOT OF THE GREAT WAR.

Second World War

During the Second World War, as an important industrial centre, the city was heavily bombed. During the Battle of the Mons Pocket US Army forces encircled and took 25,000 Germans prisoner in early September 1944.[3]

After 1945

After the war, most industries went into decline.

NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) was relocated in Casteau, a village near Mons, from Rocquencourt on the outskirts of Paris after France's withdrawal from the military structure of the alliance in 1967. The relocation of SHAPE to this particular region of Belgium was largely a political decision, based in large part on the depressed economic conditions of the area at the time with the view to bolstering the economy of the region. A riot in the prison of Mons took place in April 2006 after prisoner complaints concerning living conditions and treatment; no deaths were reported as a result of the riot, but the event focused attention on prisons throughout Belgium. Today, the city is an important university town and commercial centre.

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Belfry of Mons

Belfry of Mons

The Belfry of Mons is one of the more recent among the belfries of Belgium and France. At a height of 87 metres (285 ft), it dominates the city of Mons, Belgium, which is itself constructed on a hill. This belfry, classified in Belgium since 15 January 1936, belongs to the major cultural patrimony of Wallonia. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 1 December 1999, for its unique architecture, civic importance, and testimony to the birth of municipal influence and power in the area. It is the only one in Belgium that is constructed in Baroque style.

Flint

Flint

Flint, occasionally flintstone, is a sedimentary cryptocrystalline form of the mineral quartz, categorized as the variety of chert that occurs in chalk or marly limestone. Flint was widely used historically to make stone tools and start fires.

Europe

Europe

Europe is a continent comprising the westernmost peninsulas of Eurasia, located entirely in the Northern Hemisphere and mostly in the Eastern Hemisphere. It shares the continental landmass of Afro-Eurasia with both Africa and Asia. It is bordered by the Arctic Ocean to the north, the Atlantic Ocean to the west, the Mediterranean Sea to the south, and Asia to the east. Europe is commonly considered to be separated from Asia by the watershed of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Greater Caucasus, the Black Sea and the waterways of the Turkish Straits.

Neolithic

Neolithic

The Neolithic period, or New Stone Age, is an Old World archaeological period and the final division of the Stone Age. It saw the Neolithic Revolution, a wide-ranging set of developments that appear to have arisen independently in several parts of the world. This "Neolithic package" included the introduction of farming, domestication of animals, and change from a hunter-gatherer lifestyle to one of settlement.

Julius Caesar

Julius Caesar

Gaius Julius Caesar, was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war, and subsequently became dictator from 49 BC until his assassination in 44 BC. He played a critical role in the events that led to the demise of the Roman Republic and the rise of the Roman Empire.

Nervii

Nervii

The Nervii were one of the most powerful Belgic tribes of northern Gaul at the time of its conquest by Rome. Their territory corresponds to the central part of modern Belgium, including Brussels, and stretched southwards into French Hainault. During their first century BC Roman military campaign, Julius Caesar's contacts among the Remi stated that the Nervii were the most warlike of the Belgae. In times of war, they were known to trek long distances to take part in battles. Being one of the distant northern Belgic tribes, with the Menapii to the west, and the Eburones to their east, they were considered by Caesar to be relatively uncorrupted by civilization.

Ancient Rome

Ancient Rome

In modern historiography, Ancient Rome refers to Roman civilisation from the founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the collapse of the Western Roman Empire in the 5th century AD. It encompasses the Roman Kingdom, Roman Republic and Roman Empire until the fall of the western empire.

Latin

Latin

Latin is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area around present-day Rome, but through the power of the Roman Republic it became the dominant language in the Italian region and subsequently throughout the Roman Empire. Even after the fall of Western Rome, Latin remained the common language of international communication, science, scholarship and academia in Europe until well into the 18th century, when other regional vernaculars supplanted it in common academic and political usage, and it eventually became a dead language in the modern linguistic definition.

Oratory (worship)

Oratory (worship)

In the canon law of the Catholic Church, an oratory is a place which is set aside by permission of an ordinary for divine worship, for the convenience of some community or group of the faithful who assemble there, but to which other members of the faithful may have access with the consent of the competent superior. The word oratory comes from the Latin verb orare, to pray.

Chapel

Chapel

A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. First, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common type of these. Second, a chapel is a place of worship, sometimes non-denominational, that is part of a building, complex, or vessel with some other main purpose, such as a school, college, hospital, palace or large aristocratic house, castle, barracks, prison, funeral home, cemetery, airport, or a military or commercial ship. Third, chapels are small places of worship, built as satellite sites by a church or monastery, for example in remote areas; these are often called a chapel of ease. A feature of all these types is that often no clergy were permanently resident or specifically attached to the chapel.

Saint-Ghislain

Saint-Ghislain

Saint-Ghislain is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

French language

French language

French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French (Francien) largely supplanted. French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to France's past overseas expansion, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French.

Festivities

  • The Ducasse de Mons or Doudou is the name of a week-long series of festivities, which originates from the 14th century and takes place every year on Trinity Sunday. Highlights include:
    • The entrusting of the reliquary of Saint Waltrude to the mayor of the city on the eve of the procession.
    • The placement of the reliquary on the Car d'Or ("Golden Chariot"), before it is carried in the city streets in a colourful procession that counts more than a thousand costumed participants.
    • The lifting of the Car d'Or on a paved area near the Collegiate Church of St. Waudru; tradition holds that this operation must be successful for the city to prosper.
    • The Lumeçon fight, where Saint George confronts the dragon. The fight lasts for about half an hour, accompanied by the rhythmic Doudou music. The tradition of the processional dragon is listed among the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity.

Tanks in town commemorates the liberation of Belgium during World War II by the American 3rd Armored Division, and is one of the world's largest gatherings of WWII tanks.

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Ducasse de Mons

Ducasse de Mons

The Ducasse de Mons, also commonly known as Doudou, is a popular festival that happens every year on Trinity Sunday in the town of Mons in Belgium.

Trinity Sunday

Trinity Sunday

Trinity Sunday is the first Sunday after Pentecost in the Western Christian liturgical calendar, and the Sunday of Pentecost in Eastern Christianity. Trinity Sunday celebrates the Christian doctrine of the Trinity, the three Persons of God: the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

Reliquary

Reliquary

A reliquary is a container for relics. A portable reliquary may be called a fereter, and a chapel in which it is housed a feretory.

Waltrude

Waltrude

Saint Waltrude is the patron saint of Mons, Belgium, where she is known in French as Sainte Waudru, and of Herentals, Belgium, where she is known in Dutch as Sint-Waldetrudis or -Waltrudis. Both cities boast a large medieval church that bears her name.

Chariot (carriage)

Chariot (carriage)

The chariot that evolved from the ancient vehicle of this name took on two main forms:A light, four-wheeled, horse-drawn carriage having a coach box and back seats only, popular in the early 19th century. A vehicle for conveying persons especially in state, such as a triumphal car or a coach of state. This stately but manoeuvrable horse carriage was used for ceremonial occasions or for pleasure.

Procession

Procession

A procession is an organized body of people walking in a formal or ceremonial manner.

Saint George

Saint George

Saint George, also George of Lydda, was a Christian who is venerated as a saint in Christianity. According to tradition he was a soldier in the Roman army. Saint George was a soldier of Cappadocian Greek origin and member of the Praetorian Guard for Roman emperor Diocletian, who was sentenced to death for refusing to recant his Christian faith. He became one of the most venerated saints and megalomartyrs in Christianity, and he has been especially venerated as a military saint since the Crusades. He is respected by Christians, Druze, as well as some Muslims as a martyr of monotheistic faith.

Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity

Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity

The Proclamation of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity was made by the Director-General of UNESCO starting in 2001 to raise awareness of intangible cultural heritage and encourage local communities to protect them and the local people who sustain these forms of cultural expressions. Several manifestations of intangible heritage around the world were awarded the title of Masterpieces to recognize the value of the non-material component of culture, as well as entail the commitment of states to promote and safeguard the Masterpieces. Further proclamations occurred biennially. In 2008, the 90 previously proclaimed Masterpieces were incorporated into the new Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity as its first entries.

World War II

World War II

World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a global conflict that lasted from 1939 to 1945. The vast majority of the world's countries, including all of the great powers, fought as part of two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis. Many participants threw their economic, industrial, and scientific capabilities behind this total war, blurring the distinction between civilian and military resources. Aircraft played a major role, enabling the strategic bombing of population centres and the delivery of the only two nuclear weapons ever used in war.

3rd Armored Division (United States)

3rd Armored Division (United States)

The 3rd Armored Division was an armored division of the United States Army. Unofficially nicknamed the "Third Herd," the division was first activated in 1941 and was active in the European Theater of World War II. The division was stationed in West Germany for much of the Cold War and also participated in the Persian Gulf War. On 17 January 1992, still in Germany, the division ceased operations. In October 1992, it was formally inactivated as part of a general drawing down of U.S. military forces at the end of the Cold War.

Education

There are several public educational facilities in Mons:

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UCLouvain FUCaM Mons

UCLouvain FUCaM Mons

UCLouvain FUCaM Mons is a satellite campus of the University of Louvain (UCLouvain) in Mons, Wallonia, Belgium founded in 1896. Until 2011, it was an independent institution known as the Catholic university of Mons. Its official language is French.

Université catholique de Louvain

Université catholique de Louvain

The Université catholique de Louvain is Belgium's largest French-speaking university. It is located in Louvain-la-Neuve, which was expressly built to house the university, and Brussels, Charleroi, Mons, Tournai and Namur. Since September 2018, the university has used the branding UCLouvain, replacing the acronym UCL, following a merger with Saint-Louis University, Brussels.

University of Mons

University of Mons

The University of Mons is a Belgian university located in the city of Mons, founded in 2009 by merging the Engineering Faculty of Mons (FPMs) and the University of Mons-Hainaut. The merging of the institutions was achieved following a geographical logic because of the high complementarity between them and their location in the same city.

Faculté polytechnique de Mons

Faculté polytechnique de Mons

The Faculty of Engineering of UMons is a faculty of engineering at the University of Mons in the Wallonia region in Belgium.

University of Mons-Hainaut

University of Mons-Hainaut

The University of Mons-Hainaut (UMH), in Mons, Wallonia, Belgium, was a university in the French Community of Belgium. Its official language was French.

Institut Reine Astrid Mons

Institut Reine Astrid Mons

The Institut Reine Astrid Mons is a higher school located in Mons, Belgium. The school is part of the Haute Ecole Roi Baudouin.

Collège Saint-Stanislas

Collège Saint-Stanislas

Collège Saint-Stanislas is a mixed Catholic secondary school in Mons, Belgium. It was founded in 1851 by the Jesuits. It is located on Rue des Dominicains in the centre of Mons. Despite some disruption during the two world wars, the college has continued to have classes over the entire course of its history.

Climate

Mons has a typical Belgian oceanic climate with relatively narrow temperature differences between seasons for its inland 50° latitude, as a result of Gulf Stream influence.

Climate data for Mons (1981–2010 normals, sunshine 1984–2013)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 5.8
(42.4)
6.7
(44.1)
10.5
(50.9)
14.2
(57.6)
18.3
(64.9)
21.0
(69.8)
23.5
(74.3)
23.2
(73.8)
19.4
(66.9)
15.0
(59.0)
9.7
(49.5)
6.2
(43.2)
14.4
(57.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 3.2
(37.8)
3.5
(38.3)
6.5
(43.7)
9.2
(48.6)
13.2
(55.8)
16.0
(60.8)
18.2
(64.8)
17.8
(64.0)
14.7
(58.5)
11.0
(51.8)
6.7
(44.1)
3.8
(38.8)
10.3
(50.5)
Average low °C (°F) 0.5
(32.9)
0.3
(32.5)
2.5
(36.5)
4.2
(39.6)
8.2
(46.8)
11.0
(51.8)
13.0
(55.4)
12.6
(54.7)
9.9
(49.8)
7.0
(44.6)
3.7
(38.7)
1.4
(34.5)
6.2
(43.2)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 71.2
(2.80)
58.6
(2.31)
69.0
(2.72)
49.2
(1.94)
67.2
(2.65)
74.9
(2.95)
70.1
(2.76)
73.7
(2.90)
61.0
(2.40)
73.2
(2.88)
72.9
(2.87)
76.5
(3.01)
817.6
(32.19)
Average precipitation days 12.8 10.8 12.6 10.1 11.5 10.9 10.5 10.3 10.5 11.2 12.9 12.8 137.0
Mean monthly sunshine hours 55 75 121 173 203 197 216 205 148 118 65 46 1,621
Source: Royal Meteorological Institute[5]

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Oceanic climate

Oceanic climate

An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification represented as Cfb, typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters, with a relatively narrow annual temperature range and few extremes of temperature. Oceanic climates can be found in both hemispheres generally between 45 and 63 latitude, most notably in northwestern Europe, northwestern America, as well as New Zealand.

Gulf Stream

Gulf Stream

The Gulf Stream, together with its northern extension the North Atlantic Drift, is a warm and swift Atlantic ocean current that originates in the Gulf of Mexico and flows through the Straits of Florida and up the eastern coastline of the United States then veers east near 36 latitude and moves toward Northwest Europe as the North Atlantic Current. The process of western intensification causes the Gulf Stream to be a northwards accelerating current off the east coast of North America. At about 40°0′N 30°0′W, it splits in two, with the northern stream, the North Atlantic Drift, crossing to Northern Europe and the southern stream, the Canary Current, recirculating off West Africa.

Precipitation

Precipitation

In meteorology, precipitation is any product of the condensation of atmospheric water vapor that falls from clouds due to gravitational pull. The main forms of precipitation include drizzle, rain, sleet, snow, ice pellets, graupel and hail. Precipitation occurs when a portion of the atmosphere becomes saturated with water vapor, so that the water condenses and "precipitates" or falls. Thus, fog and mist are not precipitation but colloids, because the water vapor does not condense sufficiently to precipitate. Two processes, possibly acting together, can lead to air becoming saturated: cooling the air or adding water vapor to the air. Precipitation forms as smaller droplets coalesce via collision with other rain drops or ice crystals within a cloud. Short, intense periods of rain in scattered locations are called showers.

Sunshine duration

Sunshine duration

Sunshine duration or sunshine hours is a climatological indicator, measuring duration of sunshine in given period for a given location on Earth, typically expressed as an averaged value over several years. It is a general indicator of cloudiness of a location, and thus differs from insolation, which measures the total energy delivered by sunlight over a given period.

Royal Meteorological Institute

Royal Meteorological Institute

The Royal Meteorological Institute of Belgium is a Belgian federal institute engaged in scientific research in the field of meteorology. The RMI depends on the Belgian Federal Science Policy Office (BELSPO). The institute is a member of the World Meteorological Organization, of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, of EUMETSAT, and of the EIG Eumetnet.

Sports

The town hosts a professional basketball team called Belfius Mons-Hainaut and a tennis tournament called the Ethias Trophy. It previously hosted the football club R.A.E.C. Mons, though the team has since disbanded. There is also a horse racing venue at Hippodrome de Wallonie in Mons.

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Belfius Mons-Hainaut

Belfius Mons-Hainaut

Belfius Mons-Hainaut is a Belgian professional basketball club that is based in Mons, Wallonia. The club competes in the highest division of the country, the BNXT League. The club's home arena is the Mons Arena. Founded as Quaregnon in 1959, the club has been a regular in the Belgian first division as the club plays in the highest tier for 33 years, since the 1990–91 season. Mons-Hainaut also participated in European competitions annually, mostly in the FIBA Europe Cup.

Ethias Trophy

Ethias Trophy

The Ethias Trophy is a professional tennis tournament played on indoor hard courts. It is currently part of the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) Challenger Tour. It has been held annually in Mons, Belgium, since 2005.

R.A.E.C. Mons (1910)

R.A.E.C. Mons (1910)

Renaissance Albert Elisabeth Club de Mons, simply known as R.A.E.C. Mons or Mons, was a Belgian football club formed in Mons, Hainaut Province, in 1910 and based at Stade Charles Tondreau from 1910 to 2015.

Horse racing

Horse racing

Horse racing is an equestrian performance sport, typically involving two or more horses ridden by jockeys over a set distance for competition. It is one of the most ancient of all sports, as its basic premise – to identify which of two or more horses is the fastest over a set course or distance – has been mostly unchanged since at least classical antiquity.

Hippodrome de Wallonie

Hippodrome de Wallonie

Hippodrome de Wallonie is a horse racing venue located in Mons, Wallonia, Belgium.

Planning and architectural heritage

The centre consists largely of red brick houses. Although there are few old buildings and rarely new blue stone buildings, its use is generally limited to parts of the decorative walls. Much of the centre is made up of houses which are two or three storeys high. In commercial areas, the ground floor is used as commercial space, while other floors are used for housing. Generally behind the houses there is a small garden.

The outskirts of the city are also generally made of brick terraced houses. They nevertheless have the largest green spaces in the front or rear. In more remote areas of the centre, there are four façades of the villas.

After the Second World War the city experienced rather limited construction of buildings. Some public housing have been built in Ghlin, Hyon Jemappes and in the suburbs of the city. Since the late 1990s and especially since the arson[6] which took place in one of these buildings, the city undertook a policy of deconstruction[7] of these houses which is still in progress at the moment. A whole series of social buildings are evenly dispersed in the downtown and surrounding suburbs.

16,5%[8] of the city's population lives in apartments (17% in Belgium) and 82.7% in single-family homes (82.3% in Belgium). Of the 82.7% who live in single family homes, only 26% (37.3% in Belgium) are separate houses, while 55.7% (44.4 in Belgium) are detached or terraced houses. That's pretty much a small town in Belgium. Large municipalities have in fact fewer single family homes, but many more apartments whereas the smallest towns have few apartments and a lot of single family homes. The figures show very clearly the strong presence of terraced houses rather than separate houses: it exemplifies the urbanization of downtown, but also urban cores such as Jemappes et Cuesmes.

Main square

The main square is the centre of the old city. It is situated near the shopping street (pedestrian) and the belfry. It is paved in the manner of old cities and is home to many cafes and restaurants, as well as the town hall.

The outskirts of the place is accessible by car, but it is forbidden to park or drive through the centre.

Each year it is used as an action theatre called Lumeçon to stage a battle between Saint George and Dragon.

The main square is also equipped with a fountain, which opened on 21 March 2006. It also hosts a Christmas market and sometimes an ice rink during the holiday period.

The façade of the building called "au Blan Levrie" shows the care with which the city attempted to unite the old and the modern. It is the first authorised building in the main square which was made of stone to avoid fire incidents. It was originally built in 1530 in the Gothic style, for the Malaperts, a wealthy local family. In 1975, the architects A. Godart and O. Dupire were assigned to design a bank. They proceeded to gut the interior and conduct a precise survey of the whole before beginning the restoration project. The façade was completely restored, sometimes (as below) by extending the design of mouldings, but the fenestration proved impossible to restore as there were not enough clues from the remains of the original to do so. Therefore, "The choice was directed towards a contemporary discrete [style], appearing in second test [?]: they are steel frame whose profiles are thinner. » Impression yet reinforced by the way of which was treated at the entrance gate.[?]"[9]

City Hall

The town hall
The town hall

History

Originally its communal organization, Mons was a City Hall called "House of Peace." Earlier the deputy mayors were on the castle of the Counts of Hainaut, and now it is only the conciergerier, Saint-Calixte chapel and some underground rooms and the chamber. This place is now Castle Park, where we can also see the belfry. Already in the 13th century, the counts mentioned the House of Peace, located in Nimy Street. Other documents of the same time let one suppose that there existed two Houses of Peace, the one in Nimy Street and the other in the market area.

It was in 1323 that Count William I gave permission to build the House of Peace on the location of the current City Hall. This is called a "Town House" built of stones and bricks at the base, while the superstructure is of wood. This building underwent various changes during the 15th century until 1477, when the nearby shop in the arsenal exploded.

Current City Hall

The destroyed buildings were rebuilt and benefitted from new changes and additions over the centuries.

The architect of the City Hall, Matthew Layens of Leuven, was called to draw up plans. It was to be a building in Gothic style, but it seems that the plan (which was not found) was not completed, including the abandonment of the second floor, which was still intended for construction. The Renaissance campanile was added in the 18th century. It contains a bell dating from 1390, the Bancloque, and carries a clock dial overlooking the Grand Place and a light clock. The 19th century saw various modifications of the façade, the removal of stone mullions to the floor and various stone ornaments.

In its current state, the Town Hall consists of a remarkable collection of various buildings housing a large proportion of municipal services. These buildings have undergone many changes over the centuries, restorations and additions of elements from other buildings, such as a Gothic style fireplace from castle Trazegnies, carved doors of the 16th century saved from demolition, a fireplace from the castle of Gouy-lez-Pedestrian, and another fireplace in 1603 from the Château d'Havré.

On 23 April 2006 was inaugurated a bronze statuary group by Garouste Gerard, creator of a fresco for the wedding hall. The work, evoking the combat of St. George and the dragon, is in front of City Hall at the bottom of the stair-ramps providing access to one of the entrances to City Hall.

Mayor's Garden

Le jardin du maïeur.
Le jardin du maïeur.

These buildings surround a small, irregularly shaped square, the Mayor's Garden, from which the rue d'Enghien descends. The Ropieur Fountain, by sculptor Léon Gobert (1869–1935), can be found in the middle of the square. The ropieur symbolizes a young insolent resident of Mons, drenching passersby with water from the fountain.

Saint Waltrude Collegiate Church

Although located in the heart of the old County of Hainaut, the Saint Waltrude Collegiate Church is one of the most characteristic churches and most homogeneous of Brabantine Gothic architecture.[10]

The collegiate was built in the 15th century on the orders of canons. Along with the nearby belfry it is considered as a major symbol of the city of Mons. It contains many works of Jacques du Broeucq.

It is made of local materials like sandstone, blue stone and brick. It is designed in a classic form, which is expressed by a Latin cross sign. It measures 115 metres long, 32 metres wide and rises to 24.5 metres at the keystone. The chancel is surrounded by an ambulatory and 15 chapels.

Belfry

The belfry
The belfry

Also called El Catiau by Montois, it was built in the 17th century. The belfry is the only baroque style building in Belgium that reaches a height of 87 meters. In its top section it contains a 49 bell carillon. It was classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site on 1 December 1999, as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site.[11]

Victor Hugo described the belfry in a letter to his wife as "a coffeepot flanked by four smaller teapots."[12]

Press house (Spanish house)

The Press House dates back to the 16th century and is a rare example of a house in traditional Spanish style in Mons. It is made in a simple architectural way using brick. This material was economical and used after the fire in 1548, because when it was rebuilt, the cost of stone had increased. In 1548 the deputy mayor had prohibited the use of flammable materials.

The buildings were restored in 1919–1920, on the plans of the communal architect E. Bertiaux and are occupied by the Maison de la Presse.

Water machine

The site of the former water machine.
The site of the former water machine.

This industrial hall is all that remains of the "machine" that supplied Mons with drinkable water from 1871, the year when the river Trouille was diverted. Designed by the architect Hubert and the engineer Celi Moullan, this impressive machinery of pipes and mains was built in metal and glass and forced the water from the valley level up to the town water tanks in the castle place yard. To source the water, Mons purchased two springs known as the "Mouse Hole" and "La Vallière," and the water was transported via hydraulic motor.

The "water machine" still bears witness to the sanitary and hygiene concerns which arose in Mons in 1865-1870 and marks the transition from medieval water supply wells, springs and hand pumps, to operation of pumps suction and force.

This progress at domestic level transformed the townspeople's way of life and changed the boundaries of Mons and Spiennes. They used to get water from wells or fountains, sometimes over a hundred yards from their homes. Soon followed another urban project: the introduction in 1828 of city gas to illuminate new avenues and streets. These two changes are made possible by the demolition of the fortifications, which releases the land, and the diversion of Trouille including the strategic role of supply ditches was then passed.

The "water machine" was restored in the early 1990s, and the building now hosts various cultural events. The machinery was dismantled.

Waux Hall

The main pavillon of the Waux-Hall.
The main pavillon of the Waux-Hall.

Waux Hall park was built in the 19th century (1862–1864) at the initiative of the Society of Waux Hall created for this purpose by members of the bourgeoisie. It is therefore the source of a private park. It is located at the site of Fort said that the Dutch formed an outwork the last fortification (1815–1864). Remnants of the fort still exist under the current pavillon. The gardens were designed by Louis Fuchs and the central pavilion was built by architect Joseph Hubert in tavern style.

Le noisetier de Byzance remarquable du parc.
Le noisetier de Byzance remarquable du parc.

The Turkish hazel is one of the remarkable trees in the park. A 5 hectare landscaped park was built in the mid 19th century and consists of age-old trees, water features, lakes and lawns. Various memorials and outdoor sculptures, including works of sculptors Grard, Deville, Hupet, and Guilmot Harvent, are placed. The park also contains various species of age-old trees.

The Technical and Vocational School of Horticulture was established in 1863, it was installed under the authority of the corporation of Waux Hall. It became communal in 1892 at the time of acquisition of Waux Hall by the city of Mons, and then came under the authority of the province of Hainaut in 2006. In 2009 this event was moved to the Grand Place.

Perfect Union

La Parfaite Union
La Parfaite Union

The masonic Lodge "The Perfect Union" is the oldest in Belgium[13] and perhaps even on the continent. It was founded in 1721. At that time, Mons became a masonic centre followed by the creation of several new lodges (Vraie et parfaite harmonie (1767), À l'Orient de Mons (1783) et la Ligue équitable (1786)).

After the French Revolution, the meetings were held in different locations, and an event was organised by the Perfect Union for the construction of a permanent building. The plans of the architect Hector Puchot were retained in 1890. The Neo-Egyptian style then became a reference for Masonic architecture, and we can consider the lodge of Mons as a model of its kind with its numerous motifs—"Egyptian" papyrus capitals, frieze lotus bud, etc..

Art Square

Le Carré des Arts
Le Carré des Arts

William Barracks, renamed barracks Major Sabbe after the First World War and named for the 1990 Arts Square, dates from 1824 to 1827, at the time of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. It is the work of the architect Rémi de Puydt (1789–1844). The façade and roof of the building were listed in 1983 on the advice of the Royal Commission of Monuments, Sites and Excavations.

Maintaining its military purpose until the late 1940s, the building was then used by the Royal Grammar School John Avesnes from the 1960s to the early 1990s. Since the completion of the conversion carried out between 1993 and 1995, Carré des Arts hosts the Graduate School of Arts and visual (ESAPV) and regional television TV Borinage Mons (Tele MB).[14]

Red Well

Le Rouge-Puits, at the corner of the rue de la Coupe and the rue de la Chaussée.
Le Rouge-Puits, at the corner of the rue de la Coupe and the rue de la Chaussée.

Three wells, fountains that decorated the streets of Mons have survived until today. This is the case of the fountain-pillory, Louis XVI style, built in 1779 by the blue stone Ouvertus architect.

Built in 1831 by Albert Jamot, this well was transferred to the central Marché-aux-Herbes in 1877 and has served as a fountain after the development of the water supply in the city during the years 1869–1870. It has regained its original location at the corner of the Coupe and the Chaussée in 1981.[15] After the Marché aux Herbes, the fountain (not connected to the water) was placed for a few years in the park at the far end of rue des 4 Fils Aymond.

Casemates

Les Casemates, place Nervienne.
Les Casemates, place Nervienne.

The casemates and the bakery are the remains of military fortifications dating from the kingdom of the Netherlands (1814–1830). The law dividing the disassembly of the fortifications dates back to 1861.[16] They are located near the Nervienne site. The roof of the old bakery has been transformed into a public park and playground for children, while the casemates accommodate the musée de la Route.

Valenciennois tower

Valenciennois tower
Valenciennois tower

This is the last existing trace of the medieval walls surrounding the city. This defensive structure built of sandstone from Bray was built around 1358. Its walls equipped with loopholes have a thickness of up to 4 meters. The tower has lost about a third of its original size. A project to install a terrace on its top open to the public had just been completed in 2009. The tower has housed a sound installation in the festival of contemporary art audio-visual CitySonics when it reopened.[17]

Concourse of the Courts

In 1966, the Council of Ministers decided to build new buildings to house the Courts of Justice:[18] Assize Court, Labour Court, Court of Appeal, Court of Commerce, ... The choice is the site of the former "Hall of exposure." The Building Authority designated as architects for the project the Office Aura (John Bartholomew). The triangular shape of the land has created interior spaces, decreasing in height and width, forming a sort of "cathedral space" underlined by a continuous central luminous line. On this major axis, the "backbone" of the project, has created spaces for encounter and relaxation. The latest techniques have been implemented for the economic management of energy, giving maximum comfort to staff and the public while ensuring the development of architectural building.

Opened in May 2007, by January 2011 all buildings already had developed many problems of water seepage and stability. Thus one of the gateways weighing a hundred kilos came off its hinges and nearly fell on a lawyer who entered, cracks opened between concrete blocks, the joints of windows let in wind and water when it rains in the concourse, etc. The lack of any maintenance contracts might be a significant cause of these problems, since minor problems might otherwise have been prevented from getting worse.[19]

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Cuesmes

Cuesmes

Cuesmes is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Mons, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Ducasse de Mons

Ducasse de Mons

The Ducasse de Mons, also commonly known as Doudou, is a popular festival that happens every year on Trinity Sunday in the town of Mons in Belgium.

Dragon

Dragon

A dragon is a reptilian legendary creature that appears in the folklore of many cultures worldwide. Beliefs about dragons vary considerably through regions, but dragons in western cultures since the High Middle Ages have often been depicted as winged, horned, and capable of breathing fire. Dragons in eastern cultures are usually depicted as wingless, four-legged, serpentine creatures with above-average intelligence. Commonalities between dragons' traits are often a hybridization of feline, reptilian, and avian features. Scholars believe vast extinct or migrating crocodiles bear the closest resemblance, especially when encountered in forested or swampy areas, and are most likely the template of modern Oriental dragon imagery.

Faience

Faience

Faience or faïence is the general English language term for fine tin-glazed pottery. The invention of a white pottery glaze suitable for painted decoration, by the addition of an oxide of tin to the slip of a lead glaze, was a major advance in the history of pottery. The invention seems to have been made in Iran or the Middle East before the ninth century. A kiln capable of producing temperatures exceeding 1,000 °C (1,830 °F) was required to achieve this result, the result of millennia of refined pottery-making traditions. The term is now used for a wide variety of pottery from several parts of the world, including many types of European painted wares, often produced as cheaper versions of porcelain styles.

Havré Castle

Havré Castle

Havré Castle is a ruined castle in the village of Havré in the town of Mons, province of Hainaut, Wallonia, Belgium.

Jacques du Broeucq

Jacques du Broeucq

Jacques du Broeucq was a sculptor and architect from Southern Netherlands.

Chancel

Chancel

In church architecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary, at the liturgical east end of a traditional Christian church building. It may terminate in an apse.

Ambulatory

Ambulatory

The ambulatory is the covered passage around a cloister or the processional way around the east end of a cathedral or large church and behind the high altar. The first ambulatory was in France in the 11th century but by the 13th century ambulatories had been introduced in England and many English cathedrals were extended to provide an ambulatory.

Choir

Choir

A choir is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform. Choirs may perform music from the classical music repertoire, which spans from the medieval era to the present, or popular music repertoire. Most choirs are led by a conductor, who leads the performances with arm, hand, and facial gestures.

Belfry of Mons

Belfry of Mons

The Belfry of Mons is one of the more recent among the belfries of Belgium and France. At a height of 87 metres (285 ft), it dominates the city of Mons, Belgium, which is itself constructed on a hill. This belfry, classified in Belgium since 15 January 1936, belongs to the major cultural patrimony of Wallonia. It was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List on 1 December 1999, for its unique architecture, civic importance, and testimony to the birth of municipal influence and power in the area. It is the only one in Belgium that is constructed in Baroque style.

Belfries of Belgium and France

Belfries of Belgium and France

The Belfries of Belgium and France are a group of 56 historical buildings designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, in recognition of the civic belfries serving as an architectural manifestation of emerging civic independence from feudal and religious influences in the former County of Flanders and neighbouring areas which once were possessions of the House of Burgundy.

French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considered fundamental principles of liberal democracy, while the values and institutions it created remain central to French political discourse.

Patron saint

The patron saint of Mons is Waltrude.[20]

People born in Mons

Francois-Joseph Fetis
Francois-Joseph Fetis

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Gilles Binchois

Gilles Binchois

Gilles de Bins dit Binchois was a Franco-Flemish composer of early Renaissance music. A central figure of the Burgundian School, Binchois and his colleague Guillaume Du Fay were deeply influenced by the contenance angloise style of John Dunstaple. His efforts in consolidating a 'Burgundian tradition' would be important for the formation of the Franco-Flemish School. One of the three most famous composers of the early 15th century, Binchois is often ranked behind Du Fay and Dunstable by contemporary scholars, but his works were still widely cited, emulated and used as source material after his death.

Guido de Bres

Guido de Bres

Guido de Bres was a Walloon pastor, Protestant reformer and theologian, a student of John Calvin and Theodore Beza in Geneva. He was born in Mons, County of Hainaut, Southern Netherlands, and was executed at Valenciennes. De Bres compiled and published the Walloon Confession of Faith known as the Belgic Confession (1561) still in use today in Belgium and the Netherlands. It is also used by many Reformed Churches all over the world.

Jacques du Broeucq

Jacques du Broeucq

Jacques du Broeucq was a sculptor and architect from Southern Netherlands.

François-Joseph Fétis

François-Joseph Fétis

François-Joseph Fétis was a Belgian musicologist, composer, teacher, and one of the most influential music critics of the 19th century. His enormous compilation of biographical data in the Biographie universelle des musiciens remains an important source of information today.

Giuseppe Grisoni

Giuseppe Grisoni

Giuseppe Pierre Joseph Grisoni, also known as Grifoni or Grison, was an Italian painter and sculptor, noted for his landscapes and historical tableaux.

François-Philippe de Haussy

François-Philippe de Haussy

François Philippe Louis Hyacinthe Joseph de Haussy was a Belgian businessman, liberal politician and civil servant. He was Belgian minister of justice from 1847 until 1850.

National Bank of Belgium

National Bank of Belgium

The National Bank of Belgium has been the central bank of Belgium since 1850. The National Bank of Belgium was established with 100% private capital by a law of 5 May 1850 as a naamloze vennootschap (NV). It is a member of the European System of Central Banks and the Eurosystem. Until January 1999 when Belgium adopted the euro, the bank was responsible for the former national currency, the Belgian franc.

Eugène Lafont

Eugène Lafont

Eugène Lafont, S.J., was a Belgian Jesuit priest, who became a missionary in India, where he became a noted scientist and the founder of the first Scientific Society in India.

Davide Moscardelli

Davide Moscardelli

Davide Moscardelli is an Italian former professional footballer who played as a striker. A dynamic forward, Moscardelli possesses good technical ability and strength. He is famous for his acrobatic goals, as well as his iconic beard.

Nicolas Neufchatel

Nicolas Neufchatel

Nicolas Neufchatel or Neufchâtel, known as Lucidel, was a Flemish painter and draughtsman. He worked in Germany and was noted as one of the leading portrait painters of the 1560s.

Charles Plisnier

Charles Plisnier

Charles Plisnier was a Belgian writer from Wallonia.

Jan Provoost

Jan Provoost

Jan Provoost, or Jean Provost, or Jan Provost was a Belgian painter born in Mons.

Twin cities

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China

China

China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and borders fourteen countries by land, the most of any country in the world, tied with Russia. With an area of approximately 9.6 million square kilometres (3,700,000 sq mi), it is the world's third largest country by total land area. The country consists of 22 provinces, five autonomous regions, four municipalities, and two special administrative regions. The national capital is Beijing, and the most populous city and largest financial center is Shanghai.

Changsha

Changsha

Changsha is the capital and the largest city of Hunan Province of China. Changsha is the 17th most populous city in China with a population of over 10 million, and the third-most populous city in Central China, located in the lower reaches of Xiang River in northeastern Hunan. Changsha is also called Xingcheng and was once named Linxiang (临湘), Tanzhou (潭州), Qingyang (青阳) in ancient times. It is also known as Shanshuizhoucheng (山水洲城), with the Xiang River flowing through it, containing Mount Yuelu and Orange Isle. The city forms a part of the Greater Changsha Metropolitan Region along with Zhuzhou and Xiangtan, also known as Changzhutan City Cluster. Greater Changsha was named as one of the 13 emerging mega-cities in China in 2012 by the Economist Intelligence Unit. It is also a National Comprehensive Transportation Hub, and one of the first National Famous Historical and Cultural Cities in China. Changshanese, a kind of Xiang Chinese, is spoken in the downtown, while Ningxiangnese and Liuyangnese are also spoken in the counties and cities under its jurisdiction. As of the 2020 Chinese census, the prefecture-level city of Changsha had a population of 10,047,914 inhabitants.

France

France

France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. It also includes overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans, giving it one of the largest discontiguous exclusive economic zones in the world. Its metropolitan area extends from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean and from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea; overseas territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the North Atlantic, the French West Indies, and many islands in Oceania and the Indian Ocean. Its eighteen integral regions span a combined area of 643,801 km2 (248,573 sq mi) and had a total population of over 68 million as of January 2023. France is a unitary semi-presidential republic with its capital in Paris, the country's largest city and main cultural and commercial centre; other major urban areas include Marseille, Lyon, Toulouse, Lille, Bordeaux, and Nice.

Briare

Briare

Briare is a commune in the Loiret department in north-central France, in the historical region of Puisaye. The composer and organist Henri Nibelle (1883–1967) was born in Briare.

Thoissey

Thoissey

Thoissey is a commune in the Ain department in eastern France.

Vannes

Vannes

Vannes is a commune in the Morbihan department in Brittany in north-western France. It was founded over 2,000 years ago.

United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the north-western coast of the continental mainland. It comprises England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. The United Kingdom includes the island of Great Britain, the north-eastern part of the island of Ireland, and many smaller islands within the British Isles. Northern Ireland shares a land border with the Republic of Ireland; otherwise, the United Kingdom is surrounded by the Atlantic Ocean, the North Sea, the English Channel, the Celtic Sea and the Irish Sea. The total area of the United Kingdom is 242,495 square kilometres (93,628 sq mi), with an estimated 2023 population of over 68 million people.

Metropolitan Borough of Sefton

Metropolitan Borough of Sefton

The Metropolitan Borough of Sefton is a metropolitan borough of Merseyside, England. It was formed on 1 April 1974, by the amalgamation of the county boroughs of Bootle and Southport, the municipal borough of Crosby, the urban districts of Formby and Litherland, and part of West Lancashire Rural District. It consists of a coastal strip of land on the Irish Sea which extends from Southport in the north to Bootle in the south, and an inland part to Maghull in the south-east, bounded by the city of Liverpool to the south, the Metropolitan Borough of Knowsley to the south-east, and West Lancashire to the east.

United States

United States

The United States of America, commonly known as the United States or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territories, nine Minor Outlying Islands, and 326 Indian reservations. The United States is also in free association with three Pacific Island sovereign states: the Federated States of Micronesia, the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Palau. It is the world's third-largest country by both land and total area. It shares land borders with Canada to its north and with Mexico to its south and has maritime borders with the Bahamas, Cuba, Russia, and other nations. With a population of over 333 million, it is the most populous country in the Americas and the third most populous in the world. The national capital of the United States is Washington, D.C. and its most populous city and principal financial center is New York City.

Arkansas

Arkansas

Arkansas is a landlocked state in the South Central United States. It is bordered by Missouri to the north, Tennessee and Mississippi to the east, Louisiana to the south, and Texas and Oklahoma to the west. Its name is from the Osage language, a Dhegiha Siouan language, and referred to their relatives, the Quapaw people. The state's diverse geography ranges from the mountainous regions of the Ozark and Ouachita Mountains, which make up the U.S. Interior Highlands, to the densely forested land in the south known as the Arkansas Timberlands, to the eastern lowlands along the Mississippi River and the Arkansas Delta.

Source: "Mons", Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, (2023, February 24th), https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mons.

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See also
References
  1. ^ "Wettelijke Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2018". Statbel. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Stadsplan Mons". lib.ugent.be. Retrieved 5 October 2020.
  3. ^ Martin Blumenson: Breakout and Pursuit. United States Army in World War II, European Theater of Operations. Center of Military History, United States Army, Washington D.C. 1961. (Online: archive.org, ibiblio). Chapter 32: The Mons pocket
  4. ^ "Google Maps". Google Maps. Retrieved 20 March 2018.
  5. ^ "Klimaatstatistieken van de Belgische gemeenten" (PDF) (in Dutch). Royal Meteorological Institute. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 May 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2018.
  6. ^ "Incendie dans un HLM à Mons – p. 4" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 21 July 2011. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  7. ^ (PDF). 29 September 2007 https://web.archive.org/web/20070929231648/http://www.bergen.be/images/lib/pvjuillet04-brohee.pdf. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 20 March 2018. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  8. ^ Enquête 2001 de l'INS – Population par type de logements. Archived 24 April 2009 at the Wayback Machine
  9. ^ Christiane Piérard et André Godart « L'immeuble dit au Blan Levrie, Grand-Place n° 35 » dans Le patrimoine majeur de Wallonie, Éditions de la Région wallonne et diffusion Éditions du Perron, Namur et Liège, 1993, pp. 142-144.
  10. ^ "Historique de la collégiale". La collégiale Sainte-Waudru (in French). ASBL Sainte Waudru, Mons, Belgium. Archived from the original on 27 March 2012. Retrieved 15 July 2011. With sub links: the church: édifices antérieurs Archived 27 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine , projet Archived 27 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine , chantier Archived 27 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine , réparations et restauration Archived 27 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine ; the tower: projet Archived 27 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine , chantier Archived 27 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved 15 July 2011
    "Sainte-Waudru et le gothique brabançon - introduction". La collégiale Sainte-Waudru (in French). ASBL Sainte Waudru, Mons, Belgium. Retrieved 15 July 2011. Continued with: pourquoi brabançonne ? Archived 27 March 2012 at the Wayback Machine
  11. ^ "Belfries of Belgium and France". UNESCO World Heritage Centre. United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization. Retrieved 5 November 2021.
  12. ^ "Lettre du 18 août 1837, consultable sur le site de Mons". Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 24 August 2019.
  13. ^ Karl Petit & Gérard Mathieu, op. cit., p. 44 ou Léopold Genicot, Racines d'espérance, Didier Hatier, Bruxelles, 1986, p. 134.
  14. ^ "Le " Carré des Arts " (Ancienne Caserne Major Sabbe ou Caserne Guillaume), document de la ville de Mons" (PDF). www.mons.be. Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2012. Retrieved 20 January 2022.
  15. ^ Renseignements figurant sur le panneau explicatif apposé par la Ville.
  16. ^ Ministère de la région wallonne, Brochure Patrimoine Militaire: 19e Journées du Patrimoine en Wallonie des 8 et 9 septembre 2007, Éd. Institut du Patrimoine Wallon, 2007, p. 35.
  17. ^ "Citysonics". Citysonics.be. Archived from the original on 10 March 2012. Retrieved 6 March 2013.
  18. ^ Mons – Les Cours de Justice, Régie des Bâtiments, Service de presse, Bruxelles, juin 2007.
  19. ^ "Les cours de justice prennent l'EAU - lesoir.be". Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2011.
  20. ^ Waltrude at saints.sqpn.com. Retrieved 26.March 2013.
Further reading
External links

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