Cureghem Explained

Cureghem
Settlement Type:Neighbourhood
Pushpin Map:Belgium Brussels#Belgium
Pushpin Map Caption:Location within Brussels
Coordinates:50.8367°N 4.3289°W
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Belgium
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Name1:Brussels-Capital Region
Subdivision Type2:Municipality
Timezone1:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:1060, 1070, 1080
Area Code:02
Area Code Type:Area codes

French: Cureghem|italic=no (French, pronounced as /fr/) or Dutch; Flemish: Kuregem|italic=no (Dutch, pronounced as /nl/) is a district of Brussels, Belgium, located just south-west of the Pentagon (Brussels' city centre). Covering 2km2 and with a population of 22,741 inhabitants on 1 January 2009, it is one of the region's largest and most populated districts.[1]

Cureghem roughly covers the area between the French: Quai de l'Industrie|italic=no/Dutch; Flemish: Nijverheidskaai|italic=no, railways along Brussels-South railway station and the south-western side of the Small Ring (Brussels' inner ring road).[2] The territory is thus split between the municipalities of Anderlecht, Molenbeek-Saint-Jean and Saint-Gilles.[3]

The area developed during the Industrial Revolution along the Brussels–Charleroi Canal and is currently in a fragile social and economic situation due to the decline of its economy and the poor quality of some of its housing.

History

Rural beginnings

Cureghem was originally a hamlet dependent on Anderlecht on the banks of the river Senne, with a few mills, cottages, inns and a chapel called Dutch; Flemish: den Noodt-Godts. The name Cureghem dates from the beginning of the 12th century (1130); it is of Germanic (Frankish) origin and is composed of Curo + -inga + heim, meaning "residence/domain of the family of Curo".

On 9 August 1793, an explosion of gunpowder-laden carts caused widespread destruction in the area.[4] The School of Veterinary Medicine and Rural Economics (fr|École vétérinaire et d'économie rurale|link=no) moved there in 1836 and changed its name to the Royal Veterinary School of Cureghem (fr|École Royale de Médecine vétérinaire de Cureghem|link=no). It would remain the only veterinary school in the country for over a century.[5]

Industrialisation

Partly due to its favourable location on the Brussels–Charleroi Canal, opened in 1832, the textile industry flourished in the hamlet and many commercial activities were established along the Senne, many of which were linked to brewing and the slaughter of animals. Originally, the main slaughterhouse was that of the City of Brussels, built in 1842 on the site of the current Institute of Arts and Crafts. After various political discussions, it was moved along the French: Rue Ropsy Chaudron|italic=no/Dutch; Flemish: Ropsy Chaudronstraat|italic=no. The were inaugurated in 1890.[6] The tranquil image of large flooded meadows along the Senne that had prevailed until then disappeared forever.

From then on, the district became increasingly prosperous and vibrant. The municipal authorities of Anderlecht decided to develop a dynamic urban planning policy by laying out wide streets lined with bourgeois houses to the west of the French: Chaussée de Mons|italic=no/Dutch; Flemish: Bergensesteenweg|italic=no, which had long been the backbone of Cureghem. This was also when the main municipal buildings were constructed, including the most emblematic of all: the current Municipal Hall, completed in 1879. Its location in an expanding district, close to Brussels-South railway station and the Royal Veterinary School, motivated the local councillors.

20th century and later

Until the early 20th century, Cureghem was a booming suburb which attracted a large working-class population. The industrial decline, however, which had already started before World War I, accelerated after the Great Depression and World War II. Following the industrial decline after the war, the old districts bordering the City of Brussels began to decrease in population. Much of the original Belgian working-class population, when its financial means allowed it, left Cureghem for Brussels' newly developing suburbs. In this lower part of the town, new immigrant populations moved in, leading to the present-day urban fabric.

Where Cureghem was once a centre of intense industrial activity, concentrated around the canal and the railway, most of those industries have disappeared. In some areas, the ensuing poverty left its mark on the urban landscape and scarred the social life of the community, leading to rising crime rates and pervading cultural intolerance. Various local revitalisation programmes are currently under way, aiming at relieving the neighbourhood's most impoverished districts.[7] [8] Attempts at revitalising the neighbourhood have, however, not always been successful (see below).

Social unrest

On 27 March 1992, on and around the French: Place Alphonse Lemmens|italic=no/Dutch; Flemish: Alfons Lemmensplein|italic=no in Cureghem. In the hours that followed, the violence spread to Saint-Gilles and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. Until May, there was regular unrest in Forest, Schaerbeek and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode.[9] On 7 November 1997, more in Cureghem after an alleged drug dealer was shot dead by the Gendarmerie.[10] These riots brought the neighbourhood infamy at the time. After that, there were several more clashes between young people and the police. New riots broke out on the weekend of 11–12 April 2020.[11] After a fleeing young man was killed in a collision with a police vehicle, young rioters went on a rampage, ransacking another police vehicle and making off with a service weapon.[12] Shortly afterwards, the municipal council decided to accelerate plans to expand car-free streets.[13]

Sights

See also

References

Bibliography

Notes and References

  1. Web site: De Caluwé . Dirk . CUREGHEM PARTIE 1 CONTEXTE HISTORIQUE . 29 October 2024 . abattoir.be.
  2. Web site: Quartier de Cureghem Anderlecht . 2023-08-25 . www.anderlecht.be.
  3. Web site: Zoom sur Saint-Gilles IBSA . 11 October 2024 . ibsa.brussels.
  4. Web site: Levarlet . Henri . 1941 . Accidents survenus en Belgique dans la fabrication, l'emmagasinage et le transport des explosifs . 28 October 2024 . biblio.naturalsciences.be . 467–468 . fr.
  5. Web site: Nationaal Instituut voor Diergeneeskundig Onderzoek. 30 April 2019. Belgian Science and Technology Online Resources. nl.
  6. Web site: Abattoirs et marchés d'Anderlecht-Cureghem – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural . 2024-10-29 . monument.heritage.brussels . fr.
  7. Web site: Zoom sur Anderlecht IBSA . 11 October 2024 . ibsa.brussels.
  8. Web site: Plan canal: des ambitions, une méthode, une équipe Canal.brussels. canal.brussels. en. 2017-04-28.
  9. Web site: 2009-09-12 . Enkele dieptepunten uit de recente geschiedenis . 2024-10-28 . www.standaard.be . nl.
  10. Web site: Tiende verjaardag van rellen in Kuregem . 2024-10-28 . www.bruzz.be . nl.
  11. Web site: 2020-04-12 . Rellen in Anderlecht na dood 19-jarige: beelden tonen hoe relschopper politiewapen steelt en schoten lost, 43 mensen opgepakt . 2024-10-28 . www.demorgen.be . nl.
  12. Web site: Herpol . Joris . De Becker . Robin . 2020-04-12 . Rellen Anderlecht: dienstwapen gestolen, 57 arrestaties . 2024-10-28 . www.standaard.be . nl.
  13. Web site: NWS . VRT . 2020-04-20 . Anderlecht krijgt versneld verkeersvrije straten na rellen . 2024-10-28 . www.vrtnws.be . nl.
  14. Web site: Hôtel communal d'Anderlecht – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural . 2023-08-25 . monument.heritage.brussels . fr.
  15. Web site: Slaughterhouse . 2024-10-28 . Abattoir . en.
  16. Web site: Kelders van Cureghem/Les Caves de Cureghem/The Cureghem Cellars. 2019-12-14. 14 December 2019. https://web.archive.org/web/20191214155206/https://www.abattoir.be/en/file/296. dead.
  17. Web site: Synagogue de la Communauté israélite orthodoxe de Bruxelles (CIOB) – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural . 2024-01-04 . monument.heritage.brussels . fr.
  18. Web site: Mémorial National aux Martyrs Juifs de Belgique – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural . 2024-10-29 . monument.heritage.brussels . fr.
  19. Web site: 23 September 1993. L'incroyable déménagement de l'école vétérinaire de Cureghem à Liège - Comment effacer 150 ans d'histoire.... The incredible move of the veterinary school from Cureghem to Liège - How to erase 150 years of history?. 25 August 2023. Le Soir. fr.
  20. Web site: Ecole vétérinaire de Cureghem – Inventaire du Patrimoine Naturel . 2023-08-25 . sites.heritage.brussels . fr.
  21. Web site: Square de l'Aviation – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural . 2023-08-25 . monument.heritage.brussels . fr.
  22. Web site: Parc de la Rosée . 2023-08-25 . Brussels Gardens . fr.
  23. Web site: Ancienne brasserie ATLAS – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural . 2023-08-25 . monument.heritage.brussels . fr.
  24. Web site: Ancienne Meunerie Moulart, aujourd’hui centre d’entreprises COOP – Inventaire du patrimoine architectural . 2023-08-25 . monument.heritage.brussels . fr.

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