Hoegaarden
Encyclopedia
Hoegaarden (ˈɦuɣaːrdə) is a municipality
in the province of Flemish Brabant
, in Flanders
, one of the three regions of Belgium
. The municipality comprises the villages of Hoegaarden proper, Meldert and Outgaarden. On January 1, 2006 Hoegaarden had a total population of 6,225. The total area is 33.93 km² which gives a population density
of 183 inhabitants per km².
later relaunched the town's now iconic white beer which has since gone on to become a global brand. In December 2005 it was decided to close the Hoegaarden Brewery and move the production of the beers to the Jupille brewery in southern Belgium. However the beer could not be brewed there with the right characteristics and so the plan was cancelled.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
in the province of Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also completely surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region. Its capital is Leuven...
, in Flanders
Flanders
Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...
, one of the three regions of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. The municipality comprises the villages of Hoegaarden proper, Meldert and Outgaarden. On January 1, 2006 Hoegaarden had a total population of 6,225. The total area is 33.93 km² which gives a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 183 inhabitants per km².
History
The current village was founded in 981 by the last ruler of the county of Brunengeruz. Countess Alpaïdis (Alpeide) later gave her county and castle (today the site of St-Gorgoniuskerk) to the Prince-Bishop of Liège. As an enclave of the Liège prince bishopric the village had tax advantages over the villages in the surrounding Duchy of Brabant leading to the growth of the brewing industry. This tax advantage was lost after the French Revolution once the Prince-Bishopric of Liège was abolished. The industry had withered to nothing by 1955 but Pierre CelisPierre Celis
Pierre Celis was a Belgian brewer who opened his first brewery in 1966 to revive the wit beer style in his hometown of Hoegaarden.-Early life:...
later relaunched the town's now iconic white beer which has since gone on to become a global brand. In December 2005 it was decided to close the Hoegaarden Brewery and move the production of the beers to the Jupille brewery in southern Belgium. However the beer could not be brewed there with the right characteristics and so the plan was cancelled.
Famous inhabitants
- Pierre CelisPierre CelisPierre Celis was a Belgian brewer who opened his first brewery in 1966 to revive the wit beer style in his hometown of Hoegaarden.-Early life:...
, founder of the breweries Hoegaarden and CelisCelisCelis is a beer brand. Originally an independent based in Austin, Texas, it is now owned by Michigan Brewing Company.HistoryIn 1966, a milkman named Pierre Celis in the town of Hoegaarden decided to revive witbier, a regional beer style that had become extinct almost a decade earlier when the...