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15-543: The municipality consists of the following districts: Biercée , Biesme-sous-Thuin , Donstiennes , Gozée , Leers-et-Fosteau , Ragnies , Thuillies , and Thuin (including the hamlets of Hourpes and Maladrie . Thuin is the headquarters of the Fédération Cynologique Internationale (International Canine Association). This area was already being used as a burial place in Gallo-Roman times, around

30-463: A total of 69 municipalities. It has an area of 3,831 square kilometres (1,479 sq mi). The gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was €34.2 billion in 2018, accounting for 7.4% of Belgium's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €22,500 or 75% of the EU27 average in the same year. Hainaut is the province with the second lowest GDP per capita. The patron saint of

45-408: Is Charleroi , the province's urban, economic and cultural hub, the financial capital of Hainaut and the fifth largest city in the country by population . Hainaut is the only Belgian province whose capital is not its largest city. Hainaut has an area of 3,831 km (1,479 sq mi) and as of January 2024 a population of over 1.36 million. Another notable city is Tournai (Dutch Doornik ) on

60-494: Is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . Hainaut Province Hainaut ( / eɪ ˈ n oʊ / ay- NOH , also US : / h eɪ ˈ -, ɛ ˈ -/ hay-, eh- , UK : / ˈ ( h ) eɪ n oʊ / (H)AY -noh ; French: [ɛno] ; Dutch : Henegouwen [ˈɦeːnəɣʌu.ə(n)] ; Walloon : Hinnot ; Picard : Hénau ), historically also known as Heynault in English,

75-622: Is the highest point of the province. In the Boot of Hainaut on the border of Namur province the artificial five Eau d'Heure lakes are situated, the largest lake area of Belgium. A well-known region is the Borinage , the old coal mining region around the city of Mons. Also well-known is the Pays des Collines (English: "Hill Country"), a low hilly area forming one natural region with the Flemish Ardennes in

90-665: Is the westernmost province of Wallonia , the French-speaking region of Belgium . To its south lies the French department of Nord , while within Belgium it borders (clockwise from the north) on the Flemish provinces of West Flanders , East Flanders , Flemish Brabant and the Walloon provinces of Walloon Brabant and Namur . Its capital is Mons (Dutch: Bergen ) and the most populous city

105-614: The Scheldt river, one of the oldest cities in Belgium and the first capital of the Frankish Empire . Hainaut province has a rolling landscape, except for the very southern part, the so-called Boot of Hainaut , which is quite hilly and belongs to the Ardennes and its foothills Fagne and the Condroz . The village of L'Escaillère in the utmost southeastern corner, at an altitude of 365 metres,

120-533: The 2nd and 3rd century. The earliest name of the settlement, Thudinium Castellum , referring to a Roman fortification, is found on a 9th-century offering in Lobbes Abbey , which lists various neighbouring towns and related tithe duties. The village was a possession of the abbey of Lobbes and, together with the abbey, became part of the Bishopric of Liège in 888. The neighbouring Aulne Abbey , reputedly founded in

135-512: The 7th century by Landelin , a repentant robber, was also made part of the Bishopric of Liège. A century later, Prince-Bishop Notger had a defensive wall built in Thuin, which then became the westernmost of the 23 bonnes villes (or principal cities) of the bishopric. In the following centuries, several battles took place in this frontier area. In 1048, Adalbert, Duke of Lorraine was killed at

150-505: The Battle of Thuin by Godfrey III, Duke of Lower Lorraine . Many more battles followed between the County of Hainaut and the Bishopric of Liège, with Thuin caught in between. Despite the stronger defensive walls that were built in the 12th century and in the 15th century, Thuin was besieged several times. The Aulne Abbey, which had been given to Saint Bernard of Clairvaux in 1147 fared better and

165-615: The East Flanders province. In addition to the main language French, Picard is spoken in the western and central parts of the province, while in the eastern part a mixture of Walloon and Picard is spoken (Wallo-Picard). Some Flemish and Brabantic dialects of Dutch are spoken in the municipalities bordering the Flemish region. The province derives from the French Revolutionary Jemmape department , formed in 1795 from part of

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180-665: The Netherlands was welcomed in Thuin, to no avail. The last major heavy fighting around Thuin occurred on August 23, 1914, at the onset of World War I , when the French army found itself nearly surrounded by the German army. Bierc%C3%A9e Biercée ( Walloon : Biercêye ) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Thuin , located in the province of Hainaut , Belgium . 50°19′N 4°15′E  /  50.317°N 4.250°E  / 50.317; 4.250 This Hainaut Province location article

195-581: The medieval County of Hainaut , the small territory of Tournai and the Tournaisis , a part of the county of Namur ( Charleroi ), and also a small part of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège ( Thuin ). (A large part of the historical county of Hainaut is now within France and sometimes referred to as French Hainaut .) Hainaut province is divided into 7 administrative districts ( arrondissements ) , subdivided into

210-636: The troops of Louis XIV took and occupied Thuin until the Treaty of Nijmegen in 1678. Like its neighbour Charleroi , Thuin went in turn to Spain and Austria . On May 10, 1794, during the French Revolutionary Wars , General Marceau expelled the Austrians and Thuin became part of France . The Aulne Abbey was burned to the ground. In 1829, on the eve of the Belgian Revolution , William II of

225-498: Was even expanded several times in the 16th and 18th century. In 1654, the Spanish army under the Prince of Condé tried in vain to take Thuin. The good fortunes of the city were attributed to the intercession of Saint Roch , who is still commemorated in the annual St-Roch procession. Several 17th-century buildings, including the belfry , can still be seen today in the upper city. In 1675,

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