Molenbeek-Saint-Jean (French, pronounced[molœnbeksɛ̃ʒɑ̃] ) or Sint-Jans-Molenbeek (Dutch, pronounced[sɪɲˈtɕɑnsˈmoːlə(m)ˌbeːk] ), often simply called Molenbeek, is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the western part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, from which it is separated by the Brussels–Charleroi Canal, as well as by the municipalities of Anderlecht, Berchem-Sainte-Agathe, Dilbeek, Jette, and Koekelberg. The Molenbeek brook, from which it takes its name, flows through the municipality. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch).
The Church of St. John the Baptist, a Catholicparish church designed in Art Deco style by the architect Joseph Diongre [fr] and built in 1931–32, which has been listed as a protected monument since 1984.
The Church of St. Remigius, located on the Boulevard du Jubilé/Jubelfeestlaan, a neo-Gothic building completed in 1907.
The Church of St. Barbara, located on the Place de la Duchesse de Brabant/Hertogin van Brabantplein, another neo-Gothic building completed in 1894 and listed since 1998.
Molenbeek Cemetery, which contains remarkable monuments, including funerary galleries and a columbarium built in 1880.
Karreveld Castle and its surrounding park, which are used for cultural events and meetings of the municipal council. At the beginning of the 20th century, it was one of the birthplaces of Belgian cinema. At the request of Charles Pathé (Pathé Cinémas), the director Alfred Machin established the country's first film studio there, consisting of glazed sheds with offices, dressing rooms, workshops for set construction, as well as a small menagerie of exotic animals, such as bears, camels and two panthers, for use as 'extras' in films. Some twenty early Belgian feature films, including Saïda a enlevé Manneken-Pis [fr; nl], La Fille de Delft [fr] and Maudite soit la guerre (in hand-painted colours), were shot and produced there. Since 1999, the castle hosts from mid-July to September the Festival Bruxellons! [fr], a theatre festival open to other performing arts (i.e. magic, music, circus, etc.).
The Municipal Museum of Molenbeek (MoMuse), housed in the prestigious building of the Academy of Drawing and Visual Arts.
The Jubilee Bridge, designed in 1904 by the engineer Frédéric Bruneel [nl], which connects the Boulevard du Jubilé to the Boulevard Émile Bockstael/Emile Bockstaellaan over Tour & Taxis Park [fr; nl].
The monument dedicated to the heroes of the First World War, designed by the sculptor Georges Vandevoorde and the architect Lucien François, and completed in 1925–26. It is located in the centre of the Square des Libérateurs/Bevrijderssquare, along the Boulevard du Jubilé.
The Vaartkapoen statue, designed by the sculptor Tom Frantzen in 1985, on the Place Sainctelette/Sainctelettesquare.
Moreover, several rundown industrial buildings have been renovated and converted into prime real estate and other community functions. Examples include:
The Fonderie, a former smelter of the Compagnie des Bronzes de Bruxelles, operational from 1854 to 1979, now home to the Brussels Museum of Industry and Labour. The museum focuses on the industry, coupled with the social history of Molenbeek, and the impact of industrialisation on the development of the municipality.
The Raffinerie, a former sugar refinery, now the site of a cultural and modern dance complex.
The Bottelarij, a bottling plant that housed the Royal Flemish Theatre during its renovation in the centre of Brussels.
The Millennium Iconoclast Museum of Art (MIMA), a museum dedicated to culture 2.0 and to urban art opened in April 2016, in the former buildings of the Belle-Vue brewery, and is the first of the kind in Europe.
The impressive buildings of the former goods station of Tour & Taxis and the surrounding area bordering the municipality, which are being turned into residences, as well as commercial enterprises.
Brussels' Circus School, installed in the buildings of Tour & Taxis.
Demographics
Historical population
Historically, the population of Molenbeek was quite low. The municipality counted 690 inhabitants in 1707 and fewer than 2,000 inhabitants at the beginning of the 19th century. However, following the Industrial Revolution, the population underwent a remarkable growth, peaking at 72,783 in 1910. From then, it began to decrease slightly during the first half of the 20th century to a low of 63,528 in 1961, before increasing again rapidly in recent years.
As of 1 January 2024[update], the population was 98,365. The area is 6.02 km2 (2.32 sq mi), making the density 16,352/km2 (42,350/sq mi). The population is relatively young—the average age is 35 years—with nearly 29% under 18 years old, and fewer than 12% over 65. This population, while already impoverished and overcrowded, further increased by 24.5% between 2005 and 2015.
Sources: INS: 1806 to 1981 = census; 1990 and later = population on 1 January
Foreign population
Largest groups of foreign residents (2020)
Country
Population
Morocco
5,960
Romania
4,242
Spain
2,255
France
1,956
Italy
1,759
Syria
1,666
Poland
1,040
The population has been described as "mainly Muslim" in the media; however, actual figures are estimated to range between 25% and 40%, depending on the catchment area. Belgium does not collect statistics by religious beliefs, so exact figures are unknown, but the Muslim minority in the community is visibly significant.
As of 2016[update], there is one main minority group in Molenbeek, Belgian Moroccans (mainly Riffian and other Berbers). That year, Françoise Schepmans, then-mayor of Molenbeek, stated that the lack of diversity in the foreign population of Molenbeek and the fact they are all clustered in the same area is a problem. Nearly 40% of young people in Molenbeek are unemployed. The municipality lies in a semi-circle of neighbourhoods in Brussels often referred to as the "poor croissant".
As of 2023[update], taking into account the nationality of birth of the parents, 69.16% of Molenbeek's population is of non-European origin (predominantly Moroccan and Syrian), 17.49% of European origin other than Belgian (mainly Romanian, Spanish, French, Italian, and Polish), while 13.31% is solely of native Belgian ancestry. Among all major migrant groups from outside the EU, a majority of the permanent residents have acquired Belgian nationality.
Group of origin
Year
2023
Number
%
Belgians with Belgian background
13,083
13.31%
Belgians with foreign background
56,630
57.63%
Neighbouring country
1,873
1.91%
EU27 (excluding neighbouring country)
3,338
3.4%
Outside EU 27
51,419
52.32%
Non-Belgians
28,557
29.06%
Neighbouring country
2,301
2.34%
EU27 (excluding neighbouring country)
9,709
9.88%
Outside EU 27
16,547
16.84%
Total
98,270
100%
Politics
Molenbeek is governed by an elected municipal council and an executive college of the mayor and aldermen. The longtime mayor from 1992 to 2012 was Philippe Moureaux (PS). Following the Belgian local elections, 2012, an alternative majority was formed headed by then-mayor Françoise Schepmans (MR) and consisting of MR (15 seats), CDH-CD&V (6 seats) and Ecolo-Groen (4 seats). The Socialist Party (16 seats) became the opposition next to the Workers' Party of Belgium (PTB), Democratic Federalist Independent (DéFI), the ISLAM party and the New Flemish Alliance (N-VA), each having one seat.
The 2018 local elections saw PS return to the majority, with a coalition between the aforementioned and MR being agreed upon. The current mayor is Catherine Moureaux [fr].
Molenbeek-Saint-Jean local election – 14 October 2018
As in the rest of Brussels, sport in Molenbeek is under the responsibility of the Communities. The Administration de l'Éducation Physique et du Sport (ADEPS) is responsible for recognising the various French-speaking sports federations. Its Dutch-speaking counterpart is Sport Vlaanderen (formerly called BLOSO).
Football
Molenbeek's historical football club, Racing White Daring Molenbeek, often referred to as RWDM, was very popular until its dissolution in 2002. Its successor, R.W.D.M. Brussels F.C., used to play in the Belgian first division. It folded at the end of 2012–13 as a member of the Belgian Second Division. Since 2023, its reincarnation, RWDM47, is back playing in the first division. The club's home stadium is the Edmond Machtens Stadium.
Other sports
The municipality is home to the Royal Daring Hockey Club Molenbeek, a field hockey club.
Education
Most of Molenbeek pupils between the ages of 3 and 18 go to schools organised by the French-speaking Community or the Flemish Community.
Primary education
There are 17 French-language and six Dutch-language primary schools in Molenbeek.
Secondary education
Athénée royal Serge Creuz (French-speaking)
Athaneum Toverfluit (Dutch-speaking)
Transportation
Road network
The Boulevard Léopold II/Leopold II-laan in the north of Molenbeek is part of a monumental east–west axis, at the end of which is the National Basilica of the Sacred Heart in Koekelberg. Some other main roads that cross the municipality are the Chaussée de Gand/Gentsesteenweg, the Boulevard Edmond Machtens/Edmond Machtenslaan and the Chaussée de Ninove/Ninoofsesteenweg running east–west, as well as the Boulevard Louis Mettewie/Louis Mettewielaan running north–south.
Public transport
Molenbeek is served by Brussels' metro lines 1, 2, 5 and 6, with Comte de Flandre/Graaf van Vlaanderen, Étangs Noirs/Zwarte Vijvers, Osseghem/Ossegem, Belgica, Beekkant, Gare de l'Ouest/Weststation (Brussels-West Station), and Ribaucourt stations. Brussels-West and Beekkant are connected to all the metro lines and are multimodal transport hubs in western Brussels. The former will also gain importance in the framework of the Brussels Regional Express Network (RER/GEN)'s development, which will connect the capital and surrounding towns. Additionally, a comprehensive bus and tram service links Molenbeek to other parts of the region. The municipality also has a number Villo! public bicycle stations on its territory.
Waterways
Molenbeek is on the route of the second largest axis of the Belgian network of inland waterways, that is the Antwerp–Brussels–Charleroi axis via the maritime Scheldt, the Maritime Canal and the Brussels–Charleroi Canal.
Parks and green spaces
Green spaces in the municipality include:
Scheutbos Park [fr; nl], a regional nature park of 6 ha (15 acres)
Semi-natural site of the Scheutbos, a protected area of 44 ha (110 acres)
Karreveld Park 3 ha (7.4 acres)
Marie-José Park 6 ha (15 acres)
Albert Park
Muses' Park
Hauwaert Park
Bonnevie Park
Fonderie Park
Notable inhabitants
Salah Abdeslam (born 1989), French jihadist terrorist involved in the November 2015 Paris attacks
Montasser AlDe'emeh (born 1989), Belgian-Palestinian researcher
Richard Beauthier [fr] (1913–1999), politician, senator, and mayor of Jette, was born there.
Norbert Benoit [fr] (Norbert Benoit Van Peperstaete) (1910–1993), filmmaker
Louis Bertrand [fr] (1856–1943), politician, author, and Minister of State
Ado Chale [fr] (born 1928), artist
Serge Creuz [fr] (1924–1996), painter
Jean de la Hoese (1846–1917), painter
Jean De Middeleer [nl] (1908–1986), musician
Eugène Demolder (1862–1919), writer
Joseph Diongre [fr] (1878–1963), modernist architect
Alfred Dubois [fr] (1898–1949), professor at the Brussels Conservatory, violinist, and teacher of the violinist Arthur Grumiaux
Alexis Dumont [fr] (1877–1962), architect of the Citroën building (now part of KANAL – Centre Pompidou)
Ferdinand Elbers (1862–1943), mechanic, trade unionist, politician, and senator
Hendrik Fayat [fr] (1906–1997), politician, Minister of European Affairs, and Minister of Foreign Affairs
Henri Hollevoet [nl] (1833–1911), politician and mayor of Molenbeek
Eugene Hins [fr] (1839–1923), founder of the newspaper La Pensée, leader of the Belgian freethinking movement, and co-founder of the Socialist International
Daniel Leyniers [fr], Esq. (1881–1957), politician, senator, and mayor of Itterbeek, was born there.
Edmond Machtens [fr] (1902–1978), politician and mayor of Molenbeek
Marka, Serge Van Laeken (born 1961), singer, songwriter, composer, and filmmaker
Pierre-Joseph Meeûs [fr] (1793–1873), industrialist, politician, mayor of Neder-over-Heembeek and Molenbeek, and registrar of the Court of Audit. He lived at 7, faubourg de Flandre.
Louis Mettewie [fr] (1855–1942), politician and mayor of Molenbeek
Henry Meuwis [fr] (1870–1935), painter
Georges Mogin [fr], also known as Norge (1898–1990), poet
Philippe Moureaux (1939–2018), politician, senator, mayor of Molenbeek, and Professor of Economic History at the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)
Michel Mourlon [fr] (1845–1915), geologist, palaeontologist, and curator of the Museum of Natural Sciences of Belgium
Jean Muno [fr] (1924–1988), writer
Gabrielle Petit (1893–1916), spy and World War I martyr
Zeynep Sever (born 1989), Miss Belgium 2008
Robert Schuiten [fr] (1912–1997), architect and painter
Shay (born 1992), rapper
Jean Stampe [fr] (1889–1978), war pilot and aircraft manufacturer including of the famous Stampe SV-4
Reimond Stijns (1850–1905), writer
Eric Struelens (born 1969), professional basketball player
Lamfalussy, Christophe; Martin, Jean-Pierre (2017). Molenbeek-sur-djihad. Paris: Grasset. ISBN 9782246862765.
Chalmers, Robert (April 2017). "Is Molenbeek really a no-go zone?". British GQ.
"Molenbeek: Life Inside the So-Called 'Jihadi Capital of Europe". ABC News. 3 April 2016. Archived from the original on 11 December 2021.
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