Aarschot

Aarschot
Municipality
Begijnhof and the tower of the Church of Our Lady Begijnhof and the tower of the Church of Our Lady
Flag of Aarschot Flag Coat of arms of Aarschot Coat of arms
Aarschot Location in Belgium
Location of Aarschot in Flemish Brabant 250x250px
Coordinates:
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	Flemish Brabant
Arrondissement	Leuven
Government
• Mayor	André Peeters (CD&V)
• Governing party/ies	CD&V, VLD
Area
• Total	62.52 km2 (24.14 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2013)
• Total	28,755
• Density	460/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Postal codes	3200, 3201, 3202
Area codes	013 - 016 - 014
Website	www.aarschot.be

Aarschot (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈaːrsxɔt]) is a city and municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in Flanders, Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Aarschot proper and the towns of Gelrode, Langdorp and Rillaar. On January 1, 2006, Aarschot had a total population of 27,864. The total area is 62.52 km² which gives a population density of 446 inhabitants per km².

It is located in the part of Flemish Brabant called Hageland, located to the east of Leuven. Aarschot is a very typical town with a long history, dating back to the era of the Roman emperors, according to myths. The church, which dominates the look of the city, is built with the typical brown stone quarried from the hills in the surrounding areas. These same hills were in the Middle Ages home to some of the most well-regarded vineyards of Europe. Today the chain hills, which originate in Bolderberg, Heusden-Zolder, and continue as far as Calais in France, are mainly covered with woods and fruit yards.

While the Church of Our Lady (Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk) definitely leaves its mark on the appearance of the city, nothing defines Aarschot better than the river that passes through it: the Demer. Aarschot is situated in the valley of this brown-colored river.

Aarschot was hit very hard in World War I. When German troops occupied the city on 19 August 1914, Colonel Stenger, commander of the 8th German Infantry Brigade, was shot dead on the balcony of the town hall. The German reprisal was extremely harsh. Many houses were set alight and 156 people were executed, including Mayor Tielemans and his 15-year-old son. The next day, the entire population was ordered to evacuate the city.

• Aarschot Hertogenmolens R01.jpg

  Hertogensmolens downstream side

• Aarschot OLV R01.jpg

  Tower of the Church of Our Lady (from the south)

Famous inhabitants

• Front 242, electronic music group
• Scala & Kolacny Brothers, choir
• Dany Verlinden, soccer player

External links

• Media related to at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website - Only available in Dutch
• Aarschot, martyr city