Mons

The level of knowledge at French Community level where the town of Mons is located is lower than at the national level. The table below compares the average scores of knowledge between the national level and the French-speaking level.

One notes in the table below that the Proportion of the weak incomes is more important in the area of Mons compared to the Belgium. On the other hand, the number of important people having Revenu S is weaker than for the national Moyenne. That indicates that the incomes of the inhabitants of the area are lower than the national average. The maladjustment of knowledge of the applicants for work compared to the requests of the companies seems to constitute a serious problem for employment.

Teaching

The city counts also more than 50 elementary schools and/or nursery schools, 16 schools of secondary education and 14 schools of higher education.

The library of the University of Mons-Hainaut, which celebrated its bicentenary in 1997, has: 715000 works. Among those, 450 manuscripts, one of them dating from Xe century, and 140 incunables, of which a specimen of the Bible of Gutenberg.

Sports

RAEC Mons, club football of division 1 evolves/moves at the stage Charles Tondreau (: 13000 places of which: 8600 sitted) while the Dexia Mons-Hainaut, club of basketball of the first division is based in Mons Arena (: 3700 sitted places).

Criminality

Economy

The Mons economy is disaster victim since the closing of coal mining which made Mons-Coal-mining one of the most prosperous areas in the Entre-deux-guerres, although the workmen often lived under very precarious conditions. Since then, the structural unemployment increases and the Taux of employment is only artificially maintained by employment in the Public office. It is noted that since the end of the year 1990 the number of companies created does not make it possible to compensate for the number of bankruptcies. The consequences are the important rate of unemployment and the level of average revenue per capita lower by 10% compared to the Belgian average. Unemployment rate was of 28% in 2005 (12% for the Belgium).

The distribution of the Emploi by economic sectors (2002) was of 1,57% in the primary sector, 8,32% in the secondary industry and 90,1% in the tertiary sector. The public services in addition account for 19,9% in the district of Mons whereas the Belgian average is limited to 10,8%.

GDP of Hainaut is equivalent only to 68% of the European GDP average, which is worth with the province of European subsidies (Objective 1) to attenuate its economic delay. Mons in particular could profit from it to renovate its Town square in order to support the tourist development of the city.

The policy known as of the “Zoning” which consists in gathering industries on some sites goods equipped in road infrastructures and river did not make it possible to dam up unemployment. Nevertheless, the “zoning of Ghlin-Baudour” accommodates a great number of companies. Those are attracted by the means of transport local (highways, channels belonging to the connection between the seaport of Dunkirk in France and the industrial valley of the the Ruhr in Germany. The firm Google in addition decided to install in this zoning a very new center of data processing.

The share of the tertiary sector (services) reached more than 90% of the total of employment. Whereas the primary sector represents less than 2%. The share of private employment is also ensured by the marketing activities of the downtown area and the complex of the Grands Meadows. In addition to its commercial gallery, the space of the Large-Meadows comprises the cinematographic complex Imagix, a new hall of exposure of the name of Lotto Mons Expo and companies to strong added values in its scientific park Initialis. The ambitionne city to make this space an important industrial zoning and to make of it the economic center of gravity of the city, located for the moment rather in the old downtown area.

The presence of SHAPE since 1967 also stimulates the local economy, but with the detriment of the price of the rents, whereas the soldiers in station net of tax carry out many important purchases in the internal shopping mall with the SHAPE.

The current number tourists borders approximately them: 250000 people per annum and has been in constant increase for 10 years. The origin of the tourists in Mons shows that it is about tourism of proximity (29% of Dutch-speaking Belgians, 27% of French-speaking Belgians, 12% of Anglo-Saxons, French 12%, Netherlander 10%, German 5%, 5% others).

In short, the saving in Mons is centered on:

• the public sector (levels communal, provincial, regional and federal);
• of the zonings for private companies;
• the development of the Trade (tertiary sector in general);
• tourism.

Transport

The station SNCB of Mons is located at approximately 10 minutes with foot of the center. It connects Mons to the majority of the Belgian cities of which Brussels in approximately 1 hour and Blankenberge (Belgian side) in approximately 2 hours. The station accommodates also TGV Thalys and rejoins Luxembourg in approximately 3 hours, Cologne into 3 or 4 hours according to the cases, Amsterdam like London in 4 hours and Paris in 1 hours 20.

Finally, Mons is located between the international civil airports of Brussels, Lille and Charleroi.

Since the beginning of the Years 2000, the city developed with tce Hainaut (the Walloon public company of transport by bus) a system of shuttles (called Intramuros) which traverses the city according to three routes (lines has, B and C). Each bus spends several times per hour to nonfixed schedule to the stops envisaged for this purpose and distributed in all the center. This transport with the major advantage to be free, but is often not very accessible to the rush hours considering the high number of users.

Others drunk, paying, also circulate in the city; they leave all the Place Léopold (Station SNCB) and connect Mons to the whole of the area.

It is also possible to go to Mons by sea route thanks to its inner harbor of the Big wide which is with the intersection of two channels whose gauge is of: 1350 tons.

Administration and Policy

Political life

These last years, the city could benefit from the notoriety of sound burgomaster Elio Di Rupo which was also Deputy Prime Minister of Belgium and Minister-President of the Walloon Gouvernement.

The socialist party, in spite of the absolute majority of which it lays out, division capacity since the year 2000 with the reforming Mouvement, a party of right.

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List burgomasters of Mons since independence

Budget and taxation

• communal Tax for the removal of the rubbish;
• communal Tax for connection with the sewer;
• additional Fee with the tax of the natural persons (8% in 2007);
• Delivery of paying administrative documents…

Public infrastructures

The hospitals of the city are the C.H.R. Saint-Joseph and the C.H.U. Ambroise Paré. The C.H.R. Saint-Joseph has 263 beds and the C.H.U. Ambroise Paré has 336 beds.

Management of waste

The purification of water is entrusted to a Intercommunale, the IDEA, which manages the funds of the taxpayers. Its responsibilities were recently extended to the collection for the rubbish in the past ensured by the ISPH (Inter-commune of Public health of Hainaut).

In spite of the efforts authorized by the citizens in the recycling of the dustbins, the inter-commune one of management of waste authorizes the incineration by Holcim, the cement factory of Obourg. The residents are attentive with the effects on air pollution by the rejections of the activity of cement factory added with those emitted by the incineration of household waste.

Town planning and architectural heritage

The Faubourg S of the city in general also consist of houses joined out of bricks. Those lay out nevertheless moreover green big spaces in front or behind. In the areas further away from the center, one finds villa S with four frontages.

The city knew after the Second world war limited an enough policy of construction of building S. Some HLM were thus built with Ghlin, Hyon and Jemappes, in the outskirts of the city of the city. Since the end of the year 1990 and especially since the criminal Fire which took place in one of these buildings, the city follows a policy of déconstruction of HLM which is always in hand at present. A whole series of buildings in social matter are also dispersed in the downtown area and its outskirts of the city.

16,5% of the population of the city live in Appartement (17% for Belgium) and 82,7% in one-family house (82,3% in Belgium). On the 82,7% of one-family houses, only 26% (37,3% in Belgium) are separate houses whereas 55,7% (44,4 in Belgium) are coupled houses or joint. That represents rather well a medium-sized city of Belgium. The large communes have indeed of less one-family houses, but much more apartments whereas the smallest communes have few apartments and much one-family houses. It is interesting to notice that the figures very clearly indicate the strong presence of houses joined rather than of separate houses: that represents the urbanization of the downtown area well.

The Town square

The contour of the place is accessible to the cars, but it is to them interdict to station or circulate in its center.

Each year, it is the theater of the combat known as Lumeçon , combat of holy Georges against a dragon.

The Town square is also equipped with a fountain, whose inauguration dates from the March 21st 2006. In addition, it shelters a Marché of Christmas and sometimes a skating rink for the period of the festivals of end of the year.

The frontage of the building called “to Blan Levrie” is exemplative care with which the City could marry the old one and the new one. It is a stone building in accordance with the ordinances of the City wishing to avoid the fires, initially on the Town square. It was built in 1530 in Gothic style , for the rich person Malapert family. In 1975, architects A. Godart and O. Dupire were charged to arrange it for a bank. They proceeded to the complete interior stripping of volumes and the precise survey of the unit thus released, before defining the project of restoration. The frontage could be entirely restored such as it was, sometimes (as in bottom) by prolonging the drawing of the mouldings remained intact in the top of the columns. Or also for the impossible Fenestration, him, to reconstitute such as he was seen the absence of indices. Consequently, “the choice was directed towards a discrete contemporary solution, not appearing that in second analysis: it is about steel frame whose sections are thinnest. ” Impression still reinforced by the way in which the main door was treated.

The Town hall

History

At the origin of its communal organization, Mons had a Town hall called “House of Peace”. Previously, the alderman S sat at the castle of the counts de Hainaut, of which there remains currently only the caretaker's lodge, the vault Saint-Calixte and some underground rooms as well as the enclosure. This place is now the Park of the Castle, where the Beffroi is.

At the 13th century already, accounts mention the House of Peace, located street of Nimy. Other documents of the same time let suppose that there existed two Houses of Peace, one the street of Nimy, oldest, another on the market. It is in 1323 that the count Guillaume {{Ier}} gives the authorization to build the House of Peace on the site of the current Town hall. One speaks then about a “House of City” built out of stones and bricks at the base, the superstructure being of wood. This building undergoes various modifications during the 15th century, until in 1477, year when the store with powder which was in the close Arsenal exploded.

The current Town hall

The architect of the Town hall of Leuwen, Mathieu de Layens, was called to draw up the plans of them. It was to be a question of a blazing building in Gothic style , but it seems well that the plan (that one did not find) was not respected, in particular by the abandonment of the second stage, which was however envisaged. The Campanile of Renaissance style was added to the 18th century. It contains a bell going back to 1390, the Bancloque , and carries a clock to dial giving on the Town square as well as a luminous clock. The 19th century saw various modifications of the frontage, the removal of the Meneau X of stone on the floor and various stone ornaments.

In its actual position, the Town hall presents a remarkable whole of various buildings sheltering most of the communal services. These buildings underwent many modifications during the centuries, of the restorations and the additions of elements coming from other buildings, such as for example a Gothic chimney of the castle of Trazegnies, carved doors of the 16th century coming from demolitions, a chimney coming from the castle of Gouy-lez-Pedestrian, another chimney of 1603 coming from the Château of Harbor.

April 23rd, 2006 was inaugurated a sculptor group in bronzes Gerard Garouste, already author of a fresco for the room of the marriages. Work, evoking the combat of Georges saint and the dragon, is in frontage of the town hall, with the bottom of the slopes of the staircase giving access to the one of the entries of the Town hall.

The garden of the maior

The monkey of the grand' guard

The collegial Holyone

See also: Collegial Holy-Waudru of Mons

Although located in the middle of the old county of Hainaut, it is one of the churches most characteristic and most homogeneous of the Gothic architecture brabançonne.

The Collégiale was built at the 15th century on order of the chanoinesses. It constitutes, with the very close belfry, a major symbol of the town of Mons. It contains many works of Jacques Of Brœucq.

It is made sandstone, blue stone and local bricks, materials. Its plan, traditional, is in the shape of Latin cross. It is 115 meters long, 32 meters broad and rises with 24,5 meters with the keystone. The chorus is surrounded by a déambulatoire and 15 radiating chapels.

The Belfry

See also: Belfry of Mons

Called El catiau by the Mons, it was built at the 17th century. The 87 height m building is only the Belgian Beffroi of style baroque. A Carillon of 49 bells is placed in its top. It is classified world heritage of UNESCO since February 1st 1999.

Victor Hugo said of this belfry in a letter to his wife: Appear yourself an enormous coffee machine, flanked below the belly of four less large teapots. It would be ugly if it were not large. The size sauve.

Spanish house

The buildings were restored, in 1919 - 1920, in the fields of the communal architect E. Bertiaux and are occupied by the House of the Press.

Machine-with-water

The industrial hall currently present is the only vestige of the machine which fed drinking water Mons as of 1871, year when the Trouille was diverted. Built out of metal and glass, according to the plans of the Hubert architect and engineer Celi Moullan, it contained a made machinery of pumps, pipes and drains whose principle was to drive back the water of the level of the valley to the communal tanks arranged in the public garden of the castle (culminating point of the hill).

Machine-with-water remains the testimony of the medical and hygienic concerns born in Mons in the years 1865-1870; it marks the passage of the medieval system of water supply by the wells, fountains and hand pumps, by operation of suction and force pumps. The water which fed Mons came from the sources of Vallière and the hole-of-Mouse with Spiennes, the Jitter being used only as driving force with the hydraulic engine.

This innovation on the domestic level changes the lifestyle of Mons accustomed to quérir water with wells or fountains, sometimes located at more than one hundred of meters of the dwellings. It was carried out in the continuity of another urban project: the introduction in 1828 of the Gas for domestic use in order to light the boulevards and the new streets. These two changes are made possible thanks to the demolition of the fortifications, which releases from the grounds, and with the diversion of the Jitter whose strategic role of food of the ditches was then exceeded.

The building of machine-with-water was restored at the beginning of the Années 1990 and accommodates since various cultural activities. The machinery was dismounted.

Waux-hall

This vast park of 5 ha constitutes one of the lungs of the city and was used as of the XIXe century of space as relaxation, decorated picturesque ponds, alleys and large lawns. Various memorials and sculptures in the open air, whose works of the sculptors Grard, Devillez, Hupet, Guilmot and Harvent, are placed there. The park contains also various often old gasolines of trees.

The Technical training school and professional of horticulture, created in 1863, settled there under the authority of the Company of the Waux-Hall. It became communal in 1892 at the time of the acquisition of the Waux-Hall by the town of Mons.

It is with the foot of the central house that is held each year, Wednesday afternoon of the ducasse, the combat of small Lumeçon whose actors are children.

Perfect Union

After the French revolution, the meetings took place in various places, then a contest was organized by the Perfect Union for the construction of a final building. The plans of the architect Hector Puchot were retained in 1890. At that time, the style néo-Egyptian became a reference for maconnic architecture, and one can regard the cabin of Mons as a model of the genre with his many “Egyptian” reasons, capitals papyriformes, plank in button of lotus, etc

Square of Arts

Preserving its military destination until the end of the years 1940, the building was then used by the royal athenaeum Jean d' Avesnes of the years 1960 until the beginning of the year 1990. Since the end of the work of reconversion undertaken between 1993 and 1995, the Square of Arts accommodates the University of the Visual arts and visual (E.S.A.P.V.) and regional television Télé Mons Borinage (Tele MB).

Fountain-pilori

Casemates

The Valenciennes-native Tower

Culture

Performing arts

The Mons musical culture remains thanks to the existence of the royal Orchestre of room of Wallonia which for example occurred with Beijing and the royal Conservatoire of Mons. Also let us note the facility of accessibility in the musical world thanks to the Médiathèque of Mons.

The cinema is emphasized by the presence of a cinema of district of the network Europa Cinemas named Plaza Art and by the great cinematographic complex of the name of Imagix . Each year at the time of the St. Valentine's day takes place in Mons the International festival of film of love. This festival whose fame progresses year by year since 1984 accommodated some celebrities of which Philippe Noiret.

Mons, high-place of the theater to the late Middle Ages

The chanoinesses play the Life and Ystoire of Holy-Waudru Mrs (1433); in July 1455, one represents a Mystère of Passion on the town square, taken again in 1457. the Revenge on Jhesucrist occupies four days in 1458. September 2nd, 1459, again on the town square, the Jeu of holy Madam Beard . One still announces a contest of rhetoricians in 1469, the Mystère of the Passion of Our-Lord in 1484, the Vye Sainte Catherine in 1487, the Jeu and example of Godefroy de Bouillon and the Jeu and example of the knight Yde in 1489, Life of saint Georges and the Vie of holy lady Barbe in 1491. During first half of the next century, the activity does not slow down with the various representations into 1502,1506,1510,1520-21, 1534, etc

Gustave Cohen, professor with the Sorbonne, published the book of the Conduits of the manager and the Account of the expenditure for the Mystère of Passion played Mons in 1501. It is the only text which one preserved of this intense life theatrical and it is even only the didascalie that we had, according to Cohen, of the mysteries of the Middle Ages.

This theater required an extraordinary mobilization of the population since this mystery required the service of not less than 460 actors. At the time of the representation of this Passion , the historiographer of Burgundy, the chronicler Jean Molinet, had been invited with, as to accustomed, the cities of Hainaut and the North of France.

Craft industry

Anne Charlotte of Lorraine, abbess secular of the chapter of Holy-Waudru starting from 1754, supported the development of local lace. In 1773, one found more: 1000 lacemakers in the city. Although this industry now completely disappeared, it is possible to discover some old achievements in the collegial Holyone.

Museums

The Musée of decorative Arts François Duesberg has several prestigious collections of which a collection of clocks of the period 1795-1815 and a whole panel of decorative objects of quality (goldsmithery, faience manufacture, porcelain…). Other museums present rather of the objects in connection with the city such as for example the Museum of the Folklore and the Mons Life - House Jean Lescarts which presents objects relating to the Mons daily life and in particular of the objects concerning the Ducasse of Mons and the Musée Powerful Canon which exposes as for him objects of the collections offered to the city by the canon Edmond Puissant.

The military history is development in the military Musée of History of Mons which presents three collections covering the period 1830 to 1945, while the Musée of the Road of Mons presents a a whole series of machines used in the construction and the maintenance of the roads. L

The Musée of Natural history of Mons proposes collections relating to the flora and the fauna of the whole world. The Musée Spaces Ground and Materials, just like the geological Jardin of Obourg, present collections of fossils and minerals while also explaining their influences in the local economy.

The religious history is exposed in various places of worships such as for example in the collegial co.-Waudru, the Chapelle of Bélian, the vault Saint-Calixte and the Musée Saint-Remy cheese.

Finally, there exist various places planned for the organization of temporary events such as for example the Abbatoirs of Mons, the Maison Madness or even the Mundaneum.

Folklore

See also: Ducasse of Mons

The Mons folk year begins in spring with the ducasse Metz-native which takes place every year Sunday nearest of March 25th. This festive event proposes a large flower market to celebrate the return of spring.

The folk apogee Mons names Ducasse of Mons (popularly called the Doudou ). The festivities take place Sunday of the Trinité and already are preceded by activities Friday and Saturday evening with in particular a free concert on the Town square and is prolonged until next Wednesday, with the fireworks Tuesday evening and Wednesday; day when again the combat but this time they are held are the children who are actors and who constitute the public.

At the end of June and to celebrate the beginning of the summer, the city blazes up with the Fête of the Saint Jean. Mons also sees in August a gathering ( Tanks in town ) of military machines of the second world war.

During the autumn, Mons accommodates large a Fun fair ( fair of Mons ). It is held November at December.

The festive year finishes in December by illuminations and especially by its Marché of Christmas on the Town square which accommodates Patinoire, Chalet S out of wood and giant Christmas tree.

Assets and prospects

To reach its ambitions in the fields of the culture and tourism, the city emphasizes its cultural heritage. Independently of his clean, the city, one of four the most important of the industrial Furrow, is in the center of a space marked by exceptional sites like the Minières Neolithic eras of flint of Spiennes (on the territory of Mons). Dependant on this industrial activity, one will note the Ship lifts of the Channel of the Center recognized like world heritage by UNESCO, the NOT (park of scientific discovery) with Frameries, the old industrial complex of the Large-Hornu , transformed into museum of contemporary art, of which there exists one equivalent abroad (in France).

As a city of the Great Area, Mons takes part in the program of the European Year of the Capitale of the Culture 2007. It ambitionne also to become Capital European of the culture in 2015 after being indicated capital cultural Walloon in 2002.

It is necessary to also say a word of the international Museum of the Carnival and Mask to Binche, whose carnival is recognized like Chef-d'oeuvre of the oral and immaterial Inheritance of Humanity. Mons is located also near the animalist park Paradisio, of the remarkable castles of Hainaut like those of Belœil, Seneffe and of Attre, of the Abbaye of Good-Hope, itself considered as exceptional inheritance by the Walloon region.

Mons is the birthplace of Fernand Dumont: it devoted several exposures to the surrealist Belgian and Walloon, in particular of Hainaut, groups to which can join certain regards people like Borain Constant Malva and the writer Achille Chavée, originating in the Louvière, city par excellence of surrealism hennuyer, where will be founded with the Mons writers or borains quoted the group Rupture.

Mons is one of the rare cities of the country to have its own satirical newspaper with El Batia moûrt penny (translation/Walloon and Picardy adaptation of the drunk Bateau of Rimbaud), which in particular the painter Serge Poliart animates.

Famous Mons

Appendices

Twinnings

• .
• . Twinning associates at the Briare origin with Jemappes: it makes following the creation of the EEC.
• . Twinning between Thoissey and Obourg was born from the friendship between an assistant with the mayor of Thoissey, Mr. Berlioz, and circle the “Troubadours” of Obourg chair it, Mr. Lusuky.
• . Twinning associated at the Bootle origin, become Sefton following a regrouping of counties and urban districts in 1974, with Mons.
• . Wesley Clark, commander-in-chief of the SHAPE between 1997 and 2001 and citizen of Little Rock, is at the origin of this association: it thus wished to thank Mons for the reception for its compatriots.

Sources

• François Colette, They built Mons , IP Editions, Jumet, 2005
• Melanie De Clerfayt, the Castle of the counts de Hainaut in Mons , Hainaut, culture and democracy edition, Mons, 2002
• Karl Petit & Gerard Mathieu, Cités of Belgium: Mons , Artis-Historia Editions, 1989 (D1989/0832/03)
• Léopold Genicot, Roots of hope , Didier Hatier, Brussels, 1986
• Gustave Charlier & Joseph Hanse, illustrated History of the French letters of Belgium , Rebirth of the Book, Brussels, 1958
• Henri Hennebert, the Town hall of Mons , Saint-Georges Editions, Mons, 1949
• Eugene de Seyn, historical and geographical Dictionary of the communes of Belgium , Bieleveld Editions, 1938