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Tubize (Municipality, Province of Walloon Brabant, Belgium)

Tubeke

Municipal flag of Tubize - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 13 May 2007

Presentation of Tubize and its villages
Municipal flag of Tubize

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Presentation of Tubize and its villages

The municipality of Tubize (in Dutch, Tubeke; 22,713 inhabitants on 1 January 2007; 3,266 ha) is located 25 km south-west of Brussels, on the linguistic border between French and Dutch. The municipality of Tubize is made since 1976 of the former municipalities of Tubize, Clabecq (Klabbeek), Oisquercq (Oostkerk) and Saintes (Sint-Renelde).

The name of Tubize comes from the Dutch twee beken, two rivers, Tubize being located on the confluency of the Senne and the Sennette. Tubize is known for the decentered clock of its church, the ponds of Cœurcq, and their natural cascade.

Clabecq is mostly known for the steelworks Forges de Clabecq. In 1841, Goffin purchased a water-mill and a small iron-making factory and transformed them into modern steelworks. In the late XIXth century, the Forges purchased the castle of Clabecq, built in the XVIIth century, and transformed it in flats for the immigrant workers, therefore its nickname of Château des Italiens (Italians' Castle). In 1975, the Forges de Clabecq employed 6,000 workers, operating a series of smelting furnaces, rolling mills, a continuous casting chain, smelting and steelworks. In December 1996, the Forges de Clabecq were declared bankrupted, so that 1,803 workers became unemployed. On 2 February 1997, the trade unions organized a national Marche pour l'emploi (March for Employment) in Clabecq, that grouped 70,000 demonstrators led by Robert d'Orazio, nicknamed "the Red Pope", and ended with some violent acts. In 1998, the Swiss-Italian Duferco group reopened the site.
In the park of Clabecq, a stele is engraved with a horse's head and the writing "La Moskowa"; it recalls the horse Bayard on which Marquis de Sayve, Lord of Clabecq, managed to cross the river Moskowa during the retreat of Napoléon's army from Russia in 1812.

Oisquercq has a Breton calvary, brought back from Plourin, near Morlaix, by Mr and Mrs des Grées du Loë, once owners of the castle of Oisquercq. The castle was demolished during the building of the Brussels-Charleroi canal.

Saintes is dedicated to St. Renelde, St. Gudule's sister, who was beheaded by barbarians. Her relics were already venerated in a shrine in the XIth century, whereas the today's shrine dates back to the XIVth century. The St. Renelde procession, during which the shrine is transported in the village streets on a historical cart drawn by four horses and escorted by riders, takes place on the first Sunday following Whit. The miraculous St. Renelde fountain, located in the pastures near the village, recalls that the saint once planted her staff here to get water. The fountain topped by the saint's statue was built in 1861.

Source: Régionale Brabant Wallon - FUNDP website

Ivan Sache, 13 May 2007

Municipal flag of Tubize

The municipal flag of Tubize is vertically divided yellow-red with a countercoloured eagle in the middle.
According to Armoiries communales en Belgique. Communes wallonnes, bruxelloises et germanophones, the flag is a a banner of the municipal arms, with a smaller eagle, described as Deux laizes transversales, jaune et rouge, avec au centre une aigle aux couleurs inversées, le vol abaissé, occupant la moitié du guindant.
The flag and arms are not official; they are based on a XIVth century seal granted in 1889 and on colours adopted in 1962.

Arnaud Leroy, Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 13 May 2007