Maalbeek Explained

Maelbeek (French)
Maalbeek (Dutch)
Subdivision Type1:Country
Subdivision Name1:Belgium
Mouth:Senne
Mouth Coordinates:50.838°N 4.3796°W
Progression:Senne

The Maelbeek or Maalbeek (in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /ˈmaːlbeːk/) is a stream that runs through several municipalities in Brussels, Belgium, including Etterbeek, Ixelles, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode, Schaerbeek. It is a tributary of the Senne, which it joins up in Schaerbeek, from its source located to the south near La Cambre Abbey. Maelbeek/Maalbeek metro station is located in the central area of this Maalbeek valley.

The name Maalbeek, meaning "mill brook", comes from the Dutch words beek (meaning "brook") and maal (meaning "to mill"). Molenbeek has a similar derivation. The stream was vaulted in 1872, at which time there were 58 ponds along it. Nowadays, only six are left: the ponds of La Cambre Abbey; of Ixelles (two); of Leopold Park; of Marie-Louise Square; and of Josaphat Park.

There is another stream in the vicinity named Maalbeek,[1] also a tributary to the Senne, in Grimbergen, and two other streams named Molenbeek, found in Beersel and in Laeken. The Woluwe river also has a tributary named Kleine (little) Maalbeek, in Kraainem.

See also

Notes and References

  1. http://www.grimbergen.be/Maalbeekwandeling.html Maalbeekwandeling