Editing Woluwe-Saint-Pierre (section)

==History==

===Middle Ages to 17th century===
The first appearance of the name ''Wolewe'' dates from 1117 and can be found in a charter from [[Forest, Belgium|Forest]]. At that time, the original hamlet and its farms were dependencies of the [[Park Abbey]] near [[Leuven]]. The onset of difficulties can be traced to the middle of the 16th century, with the hostilities waged by King [[Philip II of Spain]] against the heretical [[Protestants]] and the ensuing poverty and famine took their toll on the entire population. Safety and prosperity returned under the reigns of Archdukes [[Albert VII, Archduke of Austria|Albert VII]] and [[Isabella Clara Eugenia|Isabella]] at the beginning of the 17th century. The first grand alley linking [[Tervuren]] to [[Brussels]], then known as the "Street of the Duke", dates from that period.

===18th century until today===
The [[French Revolution]] was also a troubled period for Woluwe-Saint-Pierre. The roads became insecure, the religious freedoms were drastically curtailed, much of the local wild life was exterminated for food, and the lack of coal and wood forced people to use [[peat]] for heating. The local administration gained its independence from Brussels, obtained its first mayor on 26 May and its first municipal council in 1819. The commercial opportunities that opened up to the new municipality marked the start of a new era of wealth. The municipality did not expand very quickly, however, until the last two decades of the 19th century. New roads, such as the [[Avenue de Tervueren|Avenue de Tervueren/Tervurenlaan]], a new train track, imposing mansions, such as the [[Stoclet Palace]], and [[Woluwe Park]], were all built or designed between 1880 and 1910. An important race track, now demolished, was built in 1906. The residential areas came into being right after the [[First World War]] and further urbanisation took place after the [[Second World War]]. Nowadays, agriculture and fisheries, common before 1918, have completely disappeared. The area now depends nearly exclusively on the service sector of the economy.