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| Schaerbeek |
Population : (1 January 2013) 127,747.
Location: Schaerbeek, Brussels, Belgium.
Area: 8.14
km2 (3.14 sq mi).
Schaerbeek is one of the nineteen municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital
Region of Belgium. The first mention of the name was Scarenbecca, recorded in a document from the
Bishop of Cambrai in 1120. The origin of the name may come from the Franconian
(Old Dutch) words schaer (notch, score) and beek (creek). Schaerbeek is nicknamed "the city of
donkeys" (la cité des ânes or de ezelsgemeente). This name is reminiscent
of times when people of Schaerbeek, who were cultivators of sour cherries
primarily for Kriek production, would arrive at the Brussels marketplace with
donkeys laden with sour cherries. Donkeys are still kept in Josaphat Park and
sour cherry trees line the streets of the Diamant Quarter of Schaerbeek (Avenue
Milcampslaan, Avenue Emile Maxlaan and Avenue Opale/Opaallaan). The Square des
Griottiers/Morelleboomsquare is named after these trees.
The eastern part of Schaerbeek (the area near
Vergote Square, Diamant quarter, and Josaphat Park) is nowadays a location
selected by affluent people for its architecture and its convenient location
(close to the EU institutions and the financial heart of the city, the airport
and highways). Young couples are also favouring this suburb for its
"Notting Hill" atmosphere and the still reasonable pricing of real
estate, while prices are on the surge everywhere else in Brussels.
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| Schaerbeek |
The western part of Schaerbeek (the area near
the Brussels-North railway station, the Chaussée de Haecht/Haachtsesteenweg and
the Van Praet bridge) is home to a large Turkish immigrant community, a
significant part of which originates from Afyon or Emirdağ, Turkey. It is also
home to a large Moroccan population and other immigrant communities such as
Spanish, Congolese, and Asian immigrants. The area around St. Mary's Royal
Church is the part where the Turkish community gathers in Brussels, which has
led the area to be dubbed "Petite Anatolie" because of all the
Turkish restaurants and shops at the Chaussée de Haecht/Haachtsesteenweg.
However because of the numerous schools like the Hogeschool Sint-Lukas Brussel,
the administrations and the proximity of the Rue Royale there is a social mix.
There are also several affluent streets and neighbourhoods in this area
including the Quartier des Fleurs/Bloemenwijk, Boulevard Lambermontlaan, Place
Meiserplein, Squares Huart-Hamoir and Francois Riga and Avenue Eugene
Demolderlaan).
Street
View of Schaerbeek
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