Editing Wavre

{{Short description|Capital of Walloon Brabant province, Belgium}}
{{more citations needed|date=March 2015}}
{{Infobox Belgium municipality
|name             = Wavre
|native_name      = {{native_name|wa|Åve-el-Roman-Payis}}
|namenl           = Waver
|type             = city
|picture          = Wavre - Saint-Jean-Baptiste - vue d'ensemble.JPG
|picture-legend   = The church of St John the Baptist in Wavre
|map              = Wavre Brabant-Wallon Belgium Map.svg
|map-legend       = Location of Wavre in Walloon Brabant
|arms             = CommunesBelgique-Wavre.svg
|flag             = Flag of Wavre.svg
|arrondissement   = [[Arrondissement of Nivelles|Nivelles]]
|nis              = 25112
|pyramid-date     = 01/01/2006
|0-19=24.37
|20-64=58.86
|65=16.76
|foreigners=6.65
|foreigners-date  = 01/07/2005
|mayor            = [[Anne Masson]] (''La Liste du Bourgmestre''; "Mayor's List," LB)
|majority         = [[Reformist Movement|LB]]-[[Socialist Party (Belgium)|PS]]-[[DéFI]]
|postal-codes     = 1300, 1301
|telephone-area   = 010
|web              = [http://www.wavre.be/ www.wavre.be]
|coordinates      = {{coord|50|43|N|04|36|E|region:BE|display=inline,title}}
}}

'''Wavre''' ({{IPA|fr|wavʁ|-|LL-Q150 (fra)-Madehub-Wavre.wav}}; {{langx|wa|Åve-el-Roman-Payis}}; {{langx|nl|Waver}} {{IPA|nl|ˈʋaːvər||Nl-Waver.ogg}}) is a [[City status in Belgium|city]] and [[Municipalities in Belgium|municipality]] of [[Wallonia]], and the capital of the [[Provinces of Belgium|province]] of [[Walloon Brabant]], [[Belgium]].

Wavre is in the [[Dijle|Dyle]] valley.  Most inhabitants speak French as their mother tongue and are called "Wavriens" and "Wavriennes".

The municipality consist of the following [[Deelgemeente|sub-municipalities]]: [[Bierges]], [[Limal]], and Wavre proper.

Wavre is also called "the City of the Maca", referring to the statue of the small boy trying to climb the wall of the city hall.  Tradition holds that touching the Maca's buttocks brings a year of luck.

==History==

===Antiquity and Middle Ages===
The foundations of a wealthy [[Ancient Rome|Roman]] [[villa]] were found very close to Wavre, complete with a portico and many rooms.  This part of [[Gaul]], however, was ravaged by the [[Germanic peoples|Germanic]] invasions in the 3rd and 4th century, and it is only in the year 1050 that Wavre was mentioned for the first time, as a dependency of the [[County of Leuven]], part of the [[Brabant (landgraviat)|Brabant]] [[pagus]].  The chapel built by the counts near the former [[Gallo-Roman]] villa was ceded to the [[Affligem Abbey]] a few years later.  By the 13th century a market already existed in the budding town built at the crossroads of the [[Brussels]]-[[Namur]] and [[Nivelles]]-[[Leuven]] roads.  In 1222, Duke [[Henry I, Duke of Brabant|Henry I]] of [[Duchy of Brabant|Brabant]] granted the town its city [[charter]].  At around the same time, the Affligem Abbey expanded its Wavre possessions into a [[priory]], which attracted pilgrims from a wide region around the city.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le coeur de Wavre |url=https://www.wavre.be/le-coeur-de-wavre |access-date=2023-07-09 |website=Ville de Wavre |language=fr}}</ref>

===16th- to 18th-century disasters===
The relative peace of the city came to an end on 8 March 1489, when Duke [[Albert III, Duke of Saxony|Albert]] of [[Duchy of Saxony|Saxony]] took it and pillaged it in retaliation for Wavre's sympathy with [[Duchy of Brabant|Brabant]]’s revolt against [[Austria]].  From then on until the beginning of the 18th century, the city went through one disaster after another.  Between the destruction by Duke [[Charles, Duke of Guelders|Charles]] of [[Duchy of Guelders|Guelders]] in 1504 and that brought by [[Louis XIV]]’s wars around 1700, Wavre would know several debilitating crises, either at the hand of foreign armies (e.g., the Spanish in 1604) or because of epidemics (1624–1625, 1668) or major fires (28 April 1695 and 17 July 1714).  The 18th century was relatively prosperous, but a troubled period started again around 1790, with Wavre's participation in the [[United States of Belgium|Brabant Revolution]] against [[Austria]]n interests.  After the [[Battle of Fleurus (1794)]], the city became [[France|French]].  Like many of its neighbours, the city suffered from mandatory [[conscription]], curtailment of religious freedoms, and the dissolution of the old administrative offices.

===From Waterloo until now===
On 18 and 19 June 1815, the [[Battle of Wavre]] was fought here on the same day as the [[Battle of Waterloo]]. [[Napoleon]] had sent [[Emmanuel de Grouchy, Marquis de Grouchy|Marshal Grouchy]] to pursue part of the retreating [[Prussia]]n army under the command of General [[Johann von Thielmann]].  Despite hearing the cannon sound from nearby Waterloo, Grouchy decided to obey his orders and engage the one Prussian Corps in Wavre. By the time Grouchy's battle was over, Napoleon had already lost at Waterloo.

The century that followed saw the expansion of local industry, including foundries, a paper mill, and a sugar refinery.  Wavre was severely affected by both world wars, with heavy fighting, bombing and several houses put on fire. In the 21st century, Wavre enjoyed renewed prosperity as the capital of the Belgian province of [[Walloon Brabant]] created in 1995.

==Attractions==
[[File:Wavre rue de la Source.jpg|thumb|right|Rue de la Source in Wavre town centre]]
[[File:Ancien couvent des Carmes Chaussés de Wavre 01.JPG|thumbnail|right|Town hall of Wavre]]
[[File:Basilique Notre Dame de Basse Wavre.JPG|thumb|Basilica of Our Lady of Basse-Wavre]]
*The [[Gothic architecture|Gothic-style]] church of St John the Baptist was built in 1475.  Its main tower houses a 50-bell carillon.
*The city hall dates from the 18th century.  It is housed in the former church of the [[Carmelites]] and features a cloistered courtyard.
*In 1975, the first [[Walibi Belgium|Walibi]] amusement park, named after '''Wa'''vre, '''Li'''mal, and '''Bi'''erge, to the west of the city centre further up the Dyle.  Since then, Walibi has become the largest amusement park in Belgium and spawned similar parks in France and the Netherlands. The park was once known as the best themepark in Europe and has over 1,000,000 visitors per year.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Attractions touristiques |url=https://www.wavre.be/attractions-touristiques |access-date=2023-07-09 |website=Ville de Wavre |language=fr}}</ref>
*The Basilica of Our Lady of Basse-Wavre, ''Basilique Notre-Dame de Basse-Wavre'' is a centre of pilgrimage for Roman Catholics.

==Folklore==
*The ''Jeu de Jean et Alice'' is a remake of a medieval play, more exactly a spoken, sung, and danced dialog between Jean and Alice, Lords of Wavre, and the city's population.  The play commemorates the granting of the charter to the city in 1222; it is now an elaborate production (with more than 500 participants) that takes place every five years.
*Since about 200 years ago, the ''Grand Tour'', a religious procession takes place every year on the Sunday that follows June 24, feast of [[St John the Baptist]], patron saint of the city.
*The city's carnival includes a handful of traditional giants that take part in the festivities.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Le patrimoine immatériel & folklorique |url=https://www.wavre.be/le-patrimoine-immateriel-folklorique |access-date=2023-07-09 |website=Ville de Wavre |language=fr}}</ref>

==Climate==
{{Weather box |width=auto |metric first=yes |single line=yes
|location =Wavre(1991-2020)
| Jan high C  =6.3
| Feb high C  =7.4
| Mar high C  =11.3
| Apr high C  =15.6
| May high C  =19.1
| Jun high C  =22.0
| Jul high C  =24.1
| Aug high C  =23.8
| Sep high C  =20.2
| Oct high C  =15.4
| Nov high C  =10.2
| Dec high C  =6.7
| year high C =
| Jan mean C  =3.5
| Feb mean C  =3.9
| Mar mean C  =6.7
| Apr mean C  =9.9
| May mean C  =13.6
| Jun mean C  =16.6
| Jul mean C  =18.7
| Aug mean C  =18.2
| Sep mean C  =14.9
| Oct mean C  =11.1
| Nov mean C  =6.9
| Dec mean C  =4.1
| year mean C =
| Jan low C  =0.6
| Feb low C  =0.5
| Mar low C  =2.2
| Apr low C  =4.2
| May low C  =8.1
| Jun low C  =11.2
| Jul low C  =13.2
| Aug low C  =12.7
| Sep low C  =9.6
| Oct low C  =6.9
| Nov low C  =3.7
| Dec low C  =1.4
| year low C =
| precipitation colour  =  green
| Jan precipitation mm  =75.1
| Feb precipitation mm  =65.6
| Mar precipitation mm  =57.3
| Apr precipitation mm  =46.4
| May precipitation mm  =61.7
| Jun precipitation mm  =67.2
| Jul precipitation mm  =71.8
| Aug precipitation mm  =86.0
| Sep precipitation mm  =61.2
| Oct precipitation mm  =65.9
| Nov precipitation mm  =71.8
| Dec precipitation mm  =89.7
| year precipitation mm =
| unit precipitation days =  1.0 mm
| Jan precipitation days  =12.9
| Feb precipitation days  =12.0
| Mar precipitation days  =11.1
| Apr precipitation days  =8.9
| May precipitation days  =10.0
| Jun precipitation days  =10.2
| Jul precipitation days  =10.0
| Aug precipitation days  =10.7
| Sep precipitation days  =9.8
| Oct precipitation days  =10.5
| Nov precipitation days  =12.3
| Dec precipitation days  =14.6
| year precipitation days =
| Jan sun  =57
| Feb sun  =72
| Mar sun  =127
| Apr sun  =178
| May sun  =205
| Jun sun  =208
| Jul sun  =213
| Aug sun  =201
| Sep sun  =158
| Oct sun  =116
| Nov sun  =66
| Dec sun  =48
| year sun =
| Jand sun  =1.8
| Febd sun  =2.6
| Mard sun  =4.1
| Aprd sun  =5.9
| Mayd sun  =6.6
| Jund sun  =6.9
| Juld sun  =6.9
| Augd sun  =6.5
| Sepd sun  =5.3
| Octd sun  =3.7
| Novd sun  =2.2
| Decd sun  =1.6
| yeard sun =
|source = Royal Meteorological Institute<ref>{{Cite web |url= https://www.meteo.be/resources/climatology/climateCity/pdf/climate_INS25112_9120_fr.pdf |title=Statistiques climatiques des communes belges:Wavre(ins 25112)|language=French |access-date=6 January 2024 |pages =2, 5 |format=PDF |publisher=KMI   }}</ref>
}}
==Infrastructure==
Wavre is the location of the [[Wavre Transmitter]], a broadcasting facility for shortwave, medium wave, FM and TV of the Belgian broadcasting society. As aerial for medium wave a guyed steel framework mast is used. It is the third [[tallest buildings and structures in Belgium|tallest structure in Belgium]]. The aerials for FM and TV are on a free standing lattice tower. On 13 October 1983 a storm destroyed the main transmission mast for TV transmission.

[[Basse-Wavre railway station]] (''Gare de Basse-Wavre'') is located in Basse-Wavre ("lower Wavre") a suburb to the east of the city centre and lower down the Dyle.{{efn|{{Interlanguage link multi|Basse-Wavre railway station|fr|3=Gare de Basse-Wavre}} is located at {{coord|50.72450|N|4.62212|E}} }}

==Sports==
Wavre is the home of [[Racing Jet Wavre|RJ Wavre]] football club, a team with quite a prestigious past but which has struggled in recent times. The city is elected to host [[2026 Men's FIH Hockey World Cup|2026 Hockey World Cup]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://rjwavre.be/|title=rjwavre.be|website=rjwavre.be}}</ref>

==Notable people==
* [[Maurice Carême]] (1899–1978), poet was born in Wavre.
* Jeanne Deckers (1933–1985), better known as [[The Singing Nun]], lived for nearly 20 years in Wavre, with her partner Annie Pécher; the pair died together after taking overdoses of barbiturates and alcohol and were buried in the city. 
* [[Charles Michel]] (1975–), [[President of the European Council]] and former [[Prime Minister of Belgium]]; served as an [[alderman]] from 2000 to 2006 and later mayor of Wavre from 2006 to 2018.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.rtbf.be/info/regions/detail_elections-wavre-charles-michel-absent-francoise-pigeolet-croise-les-doigts-pour-le-14-octobre?id=9952985 |title=Elections Wavre: Charles Michel absent, Françoise Pigeolet croise les doigts pour le 14 octobre |last=Hennuy |first=Jean-Claude |date=2018-06-22 |publisher=[[RTBF]] |access-date=2020-10-28}}</ref>

== See also ==
* [[K-W Line]], a [[defense line]] between [[Koningshooikt]] and Wavre during World War II

==References==
{{notelist}}
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.wavrecapital.be Information and leisure web site] (in [[French language|French]])
*[http://www.wavre.be Official city web site] (in [[French language|French]])
*[http://www.wavre.com Alternative site] (in [[French language|French]])

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Wavre
|N  = [[Huldenberg]] ([[Flemish Brabant|VBR]])
|NE = [[Grez-Doiceau]]
|SE = [[Chaumont-Gistoux]]
|S  = [[Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve]]
|W  = [[Rixensart]]
|NW = [[Overijse]] ([[Flemish Brabant|VBR]])
}}
{{Populated places of Wavre}}
{{Walloon Brabant}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Wavre| ]]
[[Category:Cities in Wallonia]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Walloon Brabant]]
[[Category:Provincial capitals of Wallonia]]