Wezembeek-Oppem
Encyclopedia
Wezembeek-Oppem ˈweːzəmbeːkɔpəm is a municipality
in the Belgian
province of Flemish Brabant
, ten kilometres east of the centre of Brussels
. The municipality only comprises the town of Wezembeek-Oppem proper. On January 1, 2006 Wezembeek-Oppem had a total population of 13,504. The total area is 6.82 km² which gives a population density
of 1,980 inhabitants per km².
Wezembeek-Oppem is home to a large community of international expatriate
s, in part because of the presence of the Internationale Deutsche Schule Brüssel (iDSB) in Wezembeek-Oppem itself, and the British School in nearby Tervuren
.
surrounding the Brussels-Capital Region. Wezembeek-Oppem is the only one of these that does not border Brussels directly since a narrow landstrip belonging to the municipality of Kraainem
lies in between.
When the last official language census was taken in 1947, just under 30% of the population in Wezembeek-Oppem had French as their mother tongue. In 1963, when the official language border
was finalised in Belgium, the municipality was designed as officially Dutch-speaking, however with facilities for French-speakers. In 1993, when Belgium was turned into a federation, the municipality was included in the newly-established Flemish Region
.
The official language is Dutch
(as everywhere in Flanders
), but the facility status means citizens have the right to request official documents from the local administration in French, may get primary school education in French as well as certain other public services.
occupation in the Second World War, Wezembeek was the home of an orphanage set up by the Association of Belgian Jews (AJB), a Judenrat
-like authority forcibly organised by the German occupational force
and collaboratiing with the Nazis. The orphanage was for Jewish children who had been orphaned because their parents were sent to death camps. From August 1944, the AJB decided to revolt and hid the children until the end of the occupation. When the school was again taken over by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge
, the children hid in the basement until the US Army liberated them.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
province of Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also completely surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region. Its capital is Leuven...
, ten kilometres east of the centre of Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
. The municipality only comprises the town of Wezembeek-Oppem proper. On January 1, 2006 Wezembeek-Oppem had a total population of 13,504. The total area is 6.82 km² which gives a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 1,980 inhabitants per km².
Wezembeek-Oppem is home to a large community of international expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
s, in part because of the presence of the Internationale Deutsche Schule Brüssel (iDSB) in Wezembeek-Oppem itself, and the British School in nearby Tervuren
Tervuren
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...
.
Language controversies
Wezembeek-Oppem is one of the six municipalities with language facilities in the Flemish RegionFlemish Region
The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system...
surrounding the Brussels-Capital Region. Wezembeek-Oppem is the only one of these that does not border Brussels directly since a narrow landstrip belonging to the municipality of Kraainem
Kraainem
Kraainem is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. The municipality only comprises the town of Kraainem proper. On January 1, 2006 Kraainem had a total population of 13,150...
lies in between.
When the last official language census was taken in 1947, just under 30% of the population in Wezembeek-Oppem had French as their mother tongue. In 1963, when the official language border
Language border
A language border or language boundary is the line separating two language areas. The term is generally meant to imply a lack of mutual intelligibility between the two languages...
was finalised in Belgium, the municipality was designed as officially Dutch-speaking, however with facilities for French-speakers. In 1993, when Belgium was turned into a federation, the municipality was included in the newly-established Flemish Region
Flemish Region
The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system...
.
The official language is Dutch
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
(as everywhere in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
), but the facility status means citizens have the right to request official documents from the local administration in French, may get primary school education in French as well as certain other public services.
Orphanage in WWII
During the Nazi GermanNazi Germany
Nazi Germany , also known as the Third Reich , but officially called German Reich from 1933 to 1943 and Greater German Reich from 26 June 1943 onward, is the name commonly used to refer to the state of Germany from 1933 to 1945, when it was a totalitarian dictatorship ruled by...
occupation in the Second World War, Wezembeek was the home of an orphanage set up by the Association of Belgian Jews (AJB), a Judenrat
Judenrat
Judenräte were administrative bodies during the Second World War that the Germans required Jews to form in the German occupied territory of Poland, and later in the occupied territories of the Soviet Union It is the overall term for the enforcement bodies established by the Nazi occupiers to...
-like authority forcibly organised by the German occupational force
Wehrmacht
The Wehrmacht – from , to defend and , the might/power) were the unified armed forces of Nazi Germany from 1935 to 1945. It consisted of the Heer , the Kriegsmarine and the Luftwaffe .-Origin and use of the term:...
and collaboratiing with the Nazis. The orphanage was for Jewish children who had been orphaned because their parents were sent to death camps. From August 1944, the AJB decided to revolt and hid the children until the end of the occupation. When the school was again taken over by the Germans during the Battle of the Bulge
Battle of the Bulge
The Battle of the Bulge was a major German offensive , launched toward the end of World War II through the densely forested Ardennes mountain region of Wallonia in Belgium, hence its French name , and France and...
, the children hid in the basement until the US Army liberated them.