Tervuren

For the dog breed, seeTervuren dog.

Tervuren(Flemish:[tɛrˈvyːrə(n)];French:Tervueren[tɛʁvyʁœn]) is amunicipalityin theprovinceofFlemish Brabant,in theFlemish regionofBelgium.The municipality comprises the villages ofDuisburg,Tervuren proper,VossemandMoorsel.On 1 January 2006, Tervuren had a total population of 20,636. The total area is 32.92 km²(12.71 sq mi), which gives apopulation densityof 627/km²(1,620/sq mi).

Tervuren Tervueren(French)
Municipality
TheRoyal Museum for Central Africa(RMCA), seen from the park behind the museum
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Tervuren
Tervuren Location in Belgium Location of Tervuren in Flemish Brabant
Coordinates:50°49′N04°30′E
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	Flemish Brabant
Arrondissement	Leuven
Government
• Mayor	Marc Charlier (N-VA)
• Governing party/ies	N-VA,CD&V,Groen+
Area
• Total	33.62 km2(12.98 sq mi)
Population (2018-01-01)
• Total	22,248
• Density	660/km2(1,700/sq mi)
Postal codes	3080
NIS code	24104
Area codes	02
Website	tervuren.be

The official language of Tervuren isDutch,as in the rest ofFlanders.Local minorities consist primarily ofFrench-speakers and nationals of many countries of theEuropean Union,theUK,theUSA,andCanada.The reason for this diverse mix of nationalities is the presence ofexpatriateworkers and their families working in and aroundBrussels,usually either for the EU,NATOor formultinational corporations.TheBritish School of Brusselshas been located in Tervuren since 1970. Tervuren is also home of the English speaking St. Paul's Church, part of theAnglican Church

Tervuren is one of the richest municipalities in Belgium. Directly adjoining theBrussels-Capital Regionbut only at the unpopulatedSonian Forest,it is linked to Brussels by a large processional avenue,Tervurenlaan,built by KingLeopold IIfor theUniversal Exhibition of 1897,which runs through the town, the forest, neighbourhoods ofWoluwe-Saint-Pierreand all the way toCinquantenairePark atEtterbeek,and is now part of the N3 road. This interweaves with acombined heritage and commuter tramline.Until 1959, Tervuren was also served by an electric railway, whose disused terminus opposite theRoyal Museum for Central Africabecame a pub named theSpoorloos Station( "Trackless Station" ), currently namedBar des Amis.

History

For centuries people thought that Tervuren was the same place as "Fura", whereSaint Hubert (Hubertus)died in 727 AD. There is, however, no historical proof of this, and recent scholarship locates "Fura" inVoeren/Fourons, betweenMaastrichtandLiège.

A document dating from 1213 AD proves the presence ofHenry I, Duke of Brabant,possibly in a wooden fortification. This evolved intoTervuren castle,the residence of thedukes of Brabantin the 14th and 15th centuries. The castle was demolished in 1782 underJoseph II,who also demolished theChâteau Charles,the short-lived summer retreat ofCharles of Lorraine.After 1815, the park of Tervuren was granted toWilliam,the prince of Orange and son of the King of the United Netherlands, who constructed thePavilion of Tervuren,which burned down in 1879.

Tram 44,which travels between Brussels (Montgomery) 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 theCongo Free State.

Culture

• TheRoyal Museum for Central Africa(RMCA), communicating under the name AfricaMuseum since 2018, is anethnographicalandnatural historymuseum.It focuses on theCongo,a formerBelgian colony.The sphere of interest, however, especially in biological research, extends to the wholeCongo Basin,Central Africa,East Africa,andWest Africa.Intended originally as a colonial museum, from 1960 onwards it has focused more on ethnography andanthropology.Some researchers have strong ties with theRoyal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences.The museum is surrounded by gardens, with the biggestgiant redwoodin Flanders, and a large park with lakes. St Hubert Chapel is located at the west end of the park.
• Tervuren Library (Gemeentelijke Openbare Bibliotheek Tervuren - GOBT) is situated atMarkt 7.It contains around 43,300 printed documents, and 886 DVDs.

Education

A (mirrorerd) view onTervuren Castleby Sanderus from 1659

Tervuren Castle near Brussels,byAnthonie Crussens,c. 1655

View of theChâteau Charles

The Gemeentelijke Basisschool Tervuren has akindergartenand aprimary school.The Heilig Hartcollege (HHC) Tervuren has a primary school as well. It also has agrammar school.The Koninklijke Atheneum Tervuren (KAT) is a primary and grammar school. There is also the GITO, a secondary technical school. TheBritish School of Brusselshas been located in Tervuren since 1970. There are also several alternative schools including theKristoffel Steiner School(originally for children 2.5 to 6 years and now introducing primary school education). The Steiner method of teaching is subsidised by the Government and follows the curriculum from the Federation of Steiner Schools in Flanders; Dutch speaking but encompasses and accommodates children from different nationalities.

Twin towns

Tervuren istwinnedwithDachau,Oosterbeek(inRenkum)andKloster Lehnin.

Notable people

• Luc Coene,governor of theNational Bank of Belgium
• Ward Lernout,painter
• Miel Puttemans,athlete
• Prince Laurent of Belgium
• Henry Van de Velde,painter, architect, and interior designer
• Christian Dotremont,painter and co-founder of theCOBRA movement
• Frank Vandenbroucke,politician

External links

• Official Tervuren official website(in Dutch)
• arboretum-tervuren.be,Arboretum of Tervuren - This web site lets you discover one of the jewels of the green crown of Brussels: The Geographic Arboretum of Tervuren.
• Some pictures of The Tervuren park