Editing Braine-l'Alleud

{{Infobox Belgium municipality
|name             = Braine-l'Alleud
|native_name      = {{native_name|wa|Brinne-l'-Alou}}
|namenl           = Eigenbrakel
|picture          = Eigenbrakel Blick zur Stephanskirche.jpg
|picture-legend   = 
|map              = Braine-l'Alleud Brabant-Wallon Belgium Map.svg
|map-legend       = The municipality of Braine-l'Alleud in Walloon Brabant
|arms             = Blason ville BE Braine l'Alleud.svg
|flag             = Flag of Braine-l'Alleud.svg
|arrondissement   = [[Arrondissement of Nivelles|Nivelles]]
|nis              = 25014
|pyramid-date=
|0-19=
|20-64=
|65=
|foreigners=
|foreigners-date=
|mayor            = [[Vincent Scourneau]] (MR)
|majority         = [[Reformist Movement|MR]]
|postal-codes     = 1420, 1421, 1428
|telephone-area   = 02
|web              = [http://www.braine-lalleud.be/ www.braine-lalleud.be]
|coordinates      = {{coord|50|41|N|04|22|E|region:BE|display=inline,title}}
}}
'''Braine-l'Alleud''' ({{IPA|fr|bʁɛn lalø|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-Madehub-Braine-l'Alleud.wav}}; {{langx|wa|Brinne-l'-Alou}}; {{langx|nl|Eigenbrakel}} {{IPA|nl|ˈɛiɣə(m)ˌbraːkəl||Nl-Eigenbrakel.ogg}}) is a [[Municipalities in Belgium|municipality]] of [[Wallonia]], in the [[Provinces of Belgium|province]] of [[Walloon Brabant]], [[Belgium]], about {{convert|20|km|mi|abbr=off}} south of [[Brussels]].  

The municipality consists of the following districts: Braine-l'Alleud (including the hamlet of Sart-Moulin), [[Lillois-Witterzée]], and [[Ophain-Bois-Seigneur-Isaac]]. Bordering Flanders, the town is home to a minority of Dutch speakers.

The famous Lion of [[Waterloo, Belgium|Waterloo]], where the eponymous [[Battle of Waterloo|battle]] took place, is in the territory of Braine-l'Alleud.

==History==

===Middle Ages===
Several archaeological finds point to [[prehistoric]] settlements in this area.  The first historical mention of a parish on Braine-l'Alleud's current territory, then called ''Dudinsart'', dates from 1131, date at which [[Godfrey I, Duke of Brabant]] ceded it to the [[Abbey of Gembloux]].  The Duke, however, still owned exempt land (or [[wiktionary:franchise|franchise]]) on this territory, as specified in a legal document by [[Henry I, Duke of Brabant|Henry I]] dated 1197.  The name of the municipality changed to the current one, derived from "Braine", former name of the stream that crosses its territory (now called the "Hain"), and "alleu(d)", a [[medieval]] French word designating exempt land (English ''[[allod]]'').  The latter name was added to the former to distinguish this community from two neighbouring ones also called Braine.

At the beginning, the franchise might not have been much more than a right to local administration.  By 1489, however, the local lord enjoyed complete juridical power on its territory, which was still formally part of the [[fiefdom]] obtained from the [[Duke of Brabant]].

===Battle of Waterloo===
In 1815, part of the fighting that took place at the [[Battle of Waterloo]] actually occurred on the territory of Braine-l'Alleud.  The town's church of Saint-Étienne became a [[field hospital]].

==Sights==
* The [[Lion's Mound]], erected on the site of the [[Battle of Waterloo]], attracts thousands of visitors every year. A nearby visitor centre, a wax museum and a painted [[Waterloo Panorama]] also help retrace the events that led to [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]]'s defeat in 1815.
* Converted into a tourist information centre, the former house of [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|Cardinal]] [[Désiré-Joseph Mercier|Mercier]] is a good starting point to explore the town.
* Braine-l'Alleud is also home to a (slightly) smaller version of the well-known ''[[Manneken Pis]]'', named ''El Gamin qui piche'' ("The Peeing Kid" in [[Walloon (language)|Walloon]]).
* The hamlet of Sart-Moulin is the inverted name of which inspired [[Hergé]]'s [[Marlinspike Hall|Moulinsart castle]]. 

<gallery>
File:Braine-l'Alleud JPG00a.jpg|Church of St. Étienne
File:Belgium-Waterloo-Butte-du-Lion-statue.jpg|The ''{{lang|fr|Butte du Lion}}'' ("[[Lion's Mound]]") on the [[Battle of Waterloo|battlefield of Waterloo]]
File:BrainelalleudFromWest.jpg|View of the town from the west
</gallery>

==Sport==
Braine l'Alleud is home to [[RCS Braine]] football club, founded in 1913 and one of the oldest continuously existing clubs in the country.

The city also has a successful women's basketball club, [[BC Castors Braine]].

The free-to-play, 18-hole Parc du Bourdon [[disc golf]] course is situated 1 kilometer from Braine L'Alleud train station.<ref>[https://www.dgcoursereview.com/course.php?id=2134 Parc du Bourdon in Braine L'Alleud], DGCourse Review.</ref>

== Folklore ==
*Both Ophain and Braine-l'Alleud host yearly [[carnival]]s featuring giant puppets like in most other [[Belgium|Belgian]] towns.

==Famous inhabitants==
*[[Johannes Tinctoris]], [[Franco-Flemish School|Franco-Flemish musicologist and composer]] (c. 1435–1511), was born in the municipality.
*[[Désiré-Joseph Mercier]], [[Cardinal (Catholicism)|cardinal]] of the [[Roman Catholic Church]] and national hero (1851–1926)
*[[Paul-Henri Spaak]], [[politician]] and [[wikt:statesman|statesman]] (1899–1972)
*[[Gaston Reiff]], [[Track and field|track-and-field athlete]] (1921–1992)
*[[Edward Still]], football manager born to English parents (born 1990)
*[[Will Still]], football manager born to English parents (born 1992)
*[[Amaury Bonduel]], racing driver (born 1999)

== Transportation ==
* Rail: Braine l'Alleud has its own [[Train station|railway station]] part of the [[National Railway Company of Belgium|SNCB]]/[[National Railway Company of Belgium|NMBS]] network, served by the line number 124. See [[Braine-l'Alleud railway station]].
* Bus: [[Société Régionale Wallonne du Transport|Société Régionale Wallonne du Transport (SRWT) (Walloon Regional Transport Company)]] operates under the name of "TEC Brabant Wallon".
It is served by the following 10 bus lines:<ref>{{Cite web|url = http://www.braine-lalleud.be/fr/visiter-et-decouvrir/se-rendre-a-bla.html|title = Office website including details in French about how to get to Braine-l'Alleud|access-date = 19 December 2015}}</ref> 
{| class="wikitable"
!Line
!From
!Via
!Via
!To
|-
|Line 36
|Braine-l'Alleud
|
|
|Wavre
|-
|Line 40
|Uccle
|Alsemberg
|
|Braine-l'Alleud
|-
|Line 65
|Braine-le-Comte
|Virginal
|B.S.I
|Braine-l'Alleud/Nivelles
|-
|Line 66
|Braine-l'Alleud
|
|
|Nivelles
|-
|Line 67
|Braine-l'Alleud Barrière
|
|
|Braine-l'Alleud Railway Station
|-
|Line 75
|Braine-l'Alleud
|
|
|Waterloo
|-
|Line 114
|Braine-l'Alleud
|
|
|Halle
|-
|Line 115
|Braine-l'Alleud
|
|
|Tubize
|-
|Line 3 Rapido Bus
|Waterloo
|Braine-l'Alleud
|Ottignies
|Louvain-de-Neuve (LLN)
|-
|Line W
|Brussels
|Waterloo
|
|Braine-l'Alleud
|}
* Taxi: Multiple taxi services exist and pick up and drop off around the town.
* Bicycle: Dedicated bicycle paths exist in the surroundings.

== International relations ==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Belgium}}

===Twin towns – Sister cities===
Braine-l'Alleud is [[Twin towns and sister cities|twinned]] with:
{|class="wikitable"
|- valign="top"
|
*{{flagicon|UK}} [[Basingstoke]], [[Hampshire]], England, [[United Kingdom]]
*{{flagicon|CAN}} [[Drummondville]], [[Québec]], Canada
||

*{{flagicon|GER}} [[Menden]], [[North Rhine-Westphalia]], Germany
*{{flagicon|FRA}} [[Ouistreham]], [[Calvados (department)|Calvados]], [[Normandy]], France<ref name="Ouistreham twinnings">{{cite web|url=http://www.cncd.fr/frontoffice/bdd-region.asp?action=getRegion&id=4#tabs3 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20131127063207/http://www.cncd.fr/frontoffice/bdd-region.asp?action=getRegion&id=4 |url-status=dead |archive-date=2013-11-27 |title=National Commission for Decentralised cooperation |access-date=2013-12-26 |work=Délégation pour l’Action Extérieure des Collectivités Territoriales (Ministère des Affaires étrangères) |language=fr }}</ref>
*{{flagicon|CZE}} [[Šlapanice]], Czech Republic
|}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.braine-lalleud.be Official web site] (in [[French language|French]])
*[http://www.braine-lalleud.be/fr/visiter-et-decouvrir/braine-lalleud/identity-card.html Official web page] (in [[English language|English]])

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Braine-l'Alleud
|N  = [[Beersel]] ([[Flemish Brabant|VBR]])
|NE = [[Sint-Genesius-Rode]] ([[Flemish Brabant|VBR]])
|E  = [[Waterloo, Belgium|Waterloo]]<br/>[[Lasne]]
|SE = [[Genappe]]
|S  = [[Nivelles]]
|W  = [[Braine-le-Château]]<br/>[[Ittre]]
|NW = [[Halle, Belgium|Halle]] ([[Flemish Brabant|VBR]])
}}
{{Walloon Brabant}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Braine-l'Alleud| ]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Walloon Brabant]]