Sint-Joost-ten-Node

Geschiedenis

Saint-Josse-ten-Noode or Sint-Joost-ten-Node is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It is bordered by the City of Brussels and Schaerbeek.On 1 January 2007 the municipality had a total population of 23,785. The total area is 1.14 km² which gives a population density of 20,664 inhabitants per km². From a total of 589 municipalities in Belgium, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode is both the smallest in area size and the highest in population density.HistoryNamed after Judoc, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode was originally a farming village on the outskirts of Brussels. In the centuries before the dismantling of the ramparts encircling Brussels, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode was also the place where noblemen built country estates, the most notable amongst them the Castle of the Dukes of Brabant built by Philip the Good in 1456. The area surrounding that castle was planted with wine groves which explains the presence of the bushel of grapes in the coat of arms of the commune.After the demolition of the ramparts, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode was one of the first areas outside Brussels to urbanise. The rich built houses around the new boulevards and higher parts of the commune, while industries and workman's cottages were built in the lower lying part close to the River Zenne. In 1855, 58% of the land area of Saint-Joose-Ten-Noode was annexed by the municipality of the City of Brussels to make way for the Squares Ambiorix, Palmerston, Marie-Louise and Marguerite of the newly created Leopold Quarter (now the European Quarter).