Houdeng-Gœgnies

Houdeng-Gœgnies is an old commune of Belgium located in Walloon region in the Province of Hainaut.

It is, since the fusion of the communes of 1977, a section of the city of Louvière.

History

Houdeng-Gœgnies is a village whose origin goes back to the Middle Ages since one finds mention of his name in the cartulaire of Saint-Denis (1100-1119). The way of spelling its first part changed several times during the centuries, it is undoubtedly what explains why the specialists have at least two approaches different on the origin from the name Houdeng. Indeed according to certain scholars, Houdeng would originate in the Latin word Hosdinium meaning “hotel” or “house” for other it would rather act of Romance name Hos meaning Houx ; eng, ang, aing, being extensions of have, have, finale of many words indicating the gathering, the grouping (place where the houx pushed in abundance). The origin of the second part of the name seems also dubious since according to the ones, Gœgnies would have a Latin origin coming from the name of the Roman Gœius who would have been the owner of a villa while for others it would be rather the plot of land bequeathed in this place to a warrior frankly rewarded for his bravery. In any event what is proven it is that one discovered Roman vestiges on the territory of this commune which formerly was called simply Gœgnies and it is only at the 15th century that one confused his grounds with those of the territory close to the Lords of Rœulx located in the village close to Houdeng-Aimeries.

During the period which extended from the 12th century at the end of the 19th century it was a very rich territory and very coveted and passed under successive controls as well of the large Abbeys as of the big families of the Hainaut. Indeed it belonged to the land possessions of the abbeys of Saint-Feuillien of Rœulx (1138-1300), of Alder (1157-1231), Saint-Denis-in-Broqueroie (1234) and of Bonne Hope (1275). Among the families which governed her destiny one finds Rœulx-Hainaut (1337), the lords of Sart, the Power and Houdeng and finally the of Croÿ (1432-1796). This richness caused also many misfortunes because as in all the area plunderings and the massacres were legion there during and of the passage wars of religion of the French troops of Louis XIV.

Economy

Very early one extracted from the pit coal in Houdeng-Gœgnies. Indeed the exploitation of this raw material is attested by the Chronique Good-Hope of 1299 which referred there. This exploitation will continue continuously until the 12th century. It is the Coal Company of the Bar which there having obtained the concession of the site in 1735, installed there the first winding engine of the coal basin of the center. This one will continue as for it without interruption until in 1850, passing then under the bosom of the Company of Coal mining of Wood-of-Luc.

The industrial revolution was going to upset all the area because the intensive extraction of the coal was going to make hatch various industries in all the country and consequently call upon the creation and the construction of new means of communication such as the channel but more especially railroads broader and equipped with more modern works of art. Houdeng-Gœgnies is crossed by the first section of the channel of the center which is equipped to him with a revolutionary hydraulic elevator operating system for the time and nowadays, it always makes the admiration of all. It is included besides in the Liste of the world heritage of UNESCO.

External bonds

Site of the commune of Louvière
Eidenschenck Workshop. Workshop of precision mechanics present since the Thirties at Houdeng-Goegnies

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