Belgian Tervuren

Tervuren
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Tervuren in Flemish Brabant
Sovereign state	Belgium
Region	Flemish Region
Community	Flemish Community
Province	Flemish Brabant
Arrondissement	Leuven
Coordinates	50°49′0″N 04°30′0″E / 50.81667°N 4.5°E / 50.81667; 4.5Coordinates: 50°49′0″N 04°30′0″E / 50.81667°N 4.5°E / 50.81667; 4.5
Area	32.92 km²
Population – Males – Females - Density	20,636 (1 January 2006) 48.45% 51.55% 627 inhab./km²
Age distribution 0–19 years 20–64 years 65+ years	(01/01/2006) 26.10% 57.00% 16.90%
Foreigners	23.60% (01/07/2005)
Unemployment rate	5.47% (1 January 2006)
Mean annual income	€14,504/pers. (2003)
Mayor	Bruno Eulaerts (GT-VLD)
Governing parties	GT-VLD, CD&V-N-VA
Postal codes	3080
Area codes	02
Website	www.tervuren.be

Tervuren is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Duisburg, Tervuren, Vossem and Moorsel. On January 1, 2006, Tervuren had a total population of 20,636. The total area is 32.92 km², which gives it a population density of 627 inhabitants per km².

The official language of Tervuren is Dutch. Local minorities consist primarily of French speakers and nationals of many countries of the European Union, the USA, and Canada. The reason for this diverse mix of nationalities is the presence of expatriate workers and their families working in and around Brussels, usually either for the European Union, the NATO or for multinational corporations. The British School of Brussels has been located in Tervuren since 1970.

Tervuren is one of the richest municipalities in Belgium. It is linked to Brussels by a large processional avenue (Tervurenlaan/Avenue de Tervueren) built by king Leopold II for the Universal Exhibition of 1897. This interweaves with a combined heritage and commuter tramline. Until 1959 Tervuren was also served by an electric railway, whose disused terminus opposite the Royal Museum for Central Africa is now a pub named the Spoorloos Station (Trackless Station).

History

For centuries people thought that Tervuren was the same place as "Fura", where Saint Hubert (Hubertus) died in 727 AD. There is, however, no historical proof of this.

A document dating from 1213 AD proves the presence of Henry I, Duke of Brabant, possibly in a wooden fortification. This evolved in the castle of Tervuren, the residence of the dukes of Brabant in the 14th and 15th centuries. The castle was demolished in 1782 under Joseph II.

Tram 44, which travels between Brussels and Tervuren (and the Royal Museum for Central Africa) exists because of Leopold II's desire to bring visitors from around the world to his 1897 exhibition of the Congo.

Culture

The Royal Museum for Central Africa (RMCA) is an ethnographical and natural history museum. It focuses mainly on the Congo, Belgium's former colony. However, some aspects (especially regarding to biological research) extend to the whole of the Congo River basin, Middle Africa, East Africa and West Africa. It was at first intended purely as a colonial museum, but after 1960 it became more focused on ethnography and anthropology. Like in most museums, there is both a research department and a public exhibit department. Despite its name, not all research pertains to Africa. For example, there is research going on into the archaeozoology of Sagalassos. Some researchers have strong ties with the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences. In the gardens next to the museum there is the biggest giant redwood in Flanders.

Tervuren Library (Gemeentelijke Openbare Bibliotheek Tervuren - GOBT) is situated at Vandersandestraat 15. It contains around 43,300 printed documents, and 886 DVDs.

Education

The Gemeentelijke Basisschool Tervuren has a kindergarten and a primary school. The Heilig Hartcollege (HHC) Tervuren has a primary school as well. It also has a grammar school. The Koninklijke Ateneum Tervuren (KAT) is a primary and grammar school. There is also the GITO, a secondary technical school. The British School of Brussels has been located in Tervuren since 1970.

Twin towns

Tervuren is twinned with Dachau, Oosterbeek (in Renkum)^[1] and Kloster Lehnin^[2].

References

1. ^ "Tervuren - Kloster Lehnin" (in Dutch). http://www.tervuren.be/print/page.aspx?PageID=708. Retrieved on 2008-07-29. 
2. ^ "Tervuren - Kloster Lehnin" (in Dutch). http://www.tervuren.be/page.aspx?PageID=733. Retrieved on 2008-07-29. 

External links

• Arboretum of Tervuren - This web site lets you discover one of the jewels of the green crown of Brussels: The Geographic Arboretum of Tervuren.
• Tervuren wiki - A wiki covering Tervuren.
• Official Tervuren official website - Only available in Dutch