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63-553: It hosts 150 companies, providing around 3,600 jobs. Business and academic clusters are growing up in the following fields : aeronautics, ICT, biotechnologies, industrial engineering, training and R&D centres. The science park hosts several research institutes including the Centre of Excellence in Information Technology (CETIC), a joint a centre of expertise for the development of Walloon companies founded by

126-540: A langue d'oïl , the Sequence of Saint Eulalia , has characteristics of these three languages and was likely written in or very near to what is now Wallonia around 880 AD . From the 4th to the 7th century, the Franks established several settlements, probably mostly in the north of the province where the romanization was less advanced and some Germanic trace was still present. The language border (that now splits Belgium in

189-651: A formal split of the university in two and the creation of a brand new campus in Wallonia, a wider series of State reforms was passed in Belgium , which resulted in the federalisation of the nation and the creation of the Walloon Region and the French Community (comprising both Wallonia and Brussels), administrative entities each of which would gain various levels of considerable autonomy. Wallonia

252-814: A major philanthropist and gave its name to the Solvay Institute of Sociology , the Solvay Brussels School of Economics and Management and the International Solvay Institutes for Physics and Chemistry which are now part of the Université libre de Bruxelles . In 1911, he started a series of conferences, the Solvay Conferences on Physics and Chemistry, which have had a deep impact on the evolution of quantum physics and chemistry. Georges Lemaître of

315-554: A part of the southern coast of the late London-Brabant Massif . The valley, along with Haine and Vesdre valleys form the sillon industriel , the historical centre of the Belgian coalmining and steelmaking industry, and is also called the Walloon industrial backbone. Due to their long industrial historic record, several segments of the valley have received specific names: Borinage , around Mons , le Centre , around La Louvière ,

378-896: A technology company, and since 2011, iTeos , a pharmaceutical company founded within the de Duve Institute at UCLouvain Brussels Woluwe and which raised a capital of 75 million US dollars in 2018, and Viridaxis , since 2011. Several spin-offs of the Université libre de Bruxelles have their headquarters on the site: Henogen, DNA Vision, Bone Therapeutics, Euroscreen, Delphi Genetics, Aliwen, BV Transgenics Services, BioCygnus and ImmuneHealth. 50°28′19.42″N 4°28′17.18″E  /  50.4720611°N 4.4714389°E  / 50.4720611; 4.4714389 Wallonia Wallonia ( / w ɒ ˈ l oʊ n i ə / wol- OH -nee-ə ; French : Wallonie [walɔni] ; Walloon : Waloneye or Walonreye ), officially

441-548: Is Elio Di Rupo . Following several state reforms , especially the 1993 state reform, Belgium became a federal state made up of three communities and three regions, with Wallonia being represented by the Walloon Region and its two language communities. The directly elected Walloon Parliament was created in June 1995, replacing the Conseil régional wallon (Regional Council of Wallonia). The first Council had sat on 15 October 1980 and

504-434: Is landlocked , with an area of 16,901 km (6,526 sq mi), or 55 percent of the total area of Belgium. The Sambre and Meuse valley , from Liège (70 m (230 ft)) to Charleroi (120 m (390 ft)) is an entrenched river in a fault line which separates Middle Belgium (elevation 100–200 m (330–660 ft)) and High Belgium (200–700 m (660–2,300 ft)). This fault line corresponds to

567-528: Is a relatively flat and agriculturally fertile area. The south and southeast of Wallonia is made up of the Ardennes , an expanse of forested highland that is less densely populated. There is a German-speaking minority in eastern Wallonia, resulting from the annexation of three cantons previously part of the German Empire at the conclusion of World War I . This community represents less than 1% of

630-556: Is almost entirely composed of members of Wallonia's and Brussels' parliaments, so the bodies are governed by the same individuals. Additionally, the French Community of Belgium has controversially begun referring to itself exclusively as the 'Wallonia-Brussels Federation' to emphasize the links between the French Community, Wallonia and Brussels. The Walloon Region has a unicameral parliament with 75 members elected for five years by direct universal suffrage , and an executive,

693-596: Is also home to the small German-speaking Community of Belgium in the east, which has its own government and parliament for culture-related issues. Although in Flanders , the Flemish Region assigned all of its powers to the Flemish Community , the Walloon Region remains in principle distinct from and independent from the French Community, and vice versa. Despite this, the French Community's parliament

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756-596: Is also official. The German-speaking Community of Belgium accounts for about 2% of the region's population. Belgian French , which is also spoken in the Brussels-Capital Region , is similar to that spoken in France, with slight differences in pronunciation and some vocabulary differences, notably the use of the words septante (70) and nonante (90), as opposed to soixante-dix and quatre-vingt-dix in France. There are noticeable Walloon accents, with

819-453: Is currently an effort to revive Walloon dialects; some schools offer language courses in Walloon, and Walloon is also spoken in some radio programmes, but this effort remains very limited. Literature is written principally in French but also in Walloon and other regional languages, colloquially called Walloon literature. Walloon literature (regional language not French) has been printed since

882-415: Is divided into five provinces , 20 arrondissements and 262 cities or municipalities . The province of Walloon Brabant is the most recent one, being formed in 1995 after the splitting of the province of Brabant . The largest cities in Wallonia are: The 10 largest groups of foreign residents in 2018 are: Contributions to the development of science and technology have appeared since the beginning of

945-417: Is high on the political agenda, and the government is encouraging development of industries, notably in cutting-edge technology and in business parks. The economy is improving, but Wallonia is not yet at the level of Flanders and is still suffering from difficulties. The current Walloon economy is relatively diversified, although certain areas (especially around Charleroi and Liège) are still suffering from

1008-483: Is predominantly of Christian heritage. In 2016, 68% of residents of Wallonia declared themselves to be Roman Catholic (21% were practising Catholics and 47% were non-practising), 3% were Muslim , 3% were Protestant Christian, 1% were of other religions and 25% were non-religious. Religion in Wallonia (2016) French is the official language of Wallonia and by far the most used; in the East Cantons , German

1071-825: The Gaume ) is more reflective of the physical geography. The larger region, the Ardennes, is a thickly forested plateau with caves and small gorges. It is host to much of Belgium's wildlife but little agricultural capacity. This area extends westward into France and eastward to the Eifel in Germany via the High Fens plateau, on which the Signal de Botrange forms the highest point in Belgium at 694 metres (2,277 ft). The Walloon region covers 16,901 km (6,526 sq mi) and

1134-686: The Government of Wallonia , elected by a political majority in Parliament. The Government has nine members with the president. Each member is called a Walloon minister . The head of the Government is called the Minister-President of Wallonia . The coalition government for the 2014–2019 legislature was a centre-left coalition PS - cdH until July 28 when it was replaced by a centre-left coalition MR-cdH. The current Minister-President

1197-704: The Hainaut Province , the Gaume (district of Virton ) with the Lorrain language and a Champenois zone. There are also regional Germanic languages, such as the Luxembourgish language in Arelerland (Land of Arlon ). The regional languages of Wallonia are more important than in France, and they have been officially recognized by the government. With the development of education in French, however, these dialects have been in continual decline. There

1260-657: The Kingdom of the Netherlands under King William of Orange . The Walloons played an active part in the Belgian Revolution in 1830. The Provisional Government of Belgium proclaimed Belgium's independence and held elections for the National Congress . In the 19th century, the area began to industrialize, and Wallonia was the first fully industrialized area in continental Europe . This brought

1323-515: The N-VA . The first appearance of the French word Wallonie as a reference to the romance world as opposed to Germany is said to date from 1842. Two years later, it was first used to refer to the Romance part of the young country of Belgium. In 1886, the writer and Walloon militant Albert Mockel , first used the word with a political meaning of cultural and regional affirmation, in opposition with

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1386-657: The Pays noir , around Charleroi and the Basse-Sambre, near Namur . To the north of the Sambre and Meuse valley lies the Central Belgian plateau, which is characterized by intensive agriculture . The Walloon part of this plateau is traditionally divided into several regions: Walloon Brabant around Nivelles , Western Hainaut (French: Wallonie picarde , around Tournai ), and Hesbaye around Waremme . South of

1449-457: The Treaty of Verdun gave the territory of present-day Wallonia to Middle Francia , which would shortly fragment, with the region passing to Lotharingia . On Lotharingia's breakup in 959, the present-day territory of Belgium became part of Lower Lotharingia , which then fragmented into rival principalities and duchies by 1190. Literary Latin , which was taught in schools, lost its hegemony during

1512-570: The Université catholique de Louvain is credited with proposing the Big Bang theory of the origin of the universe in 1927. Three Nobel Prizes in Physiology or Medicine were awarded to Walloons: Jules Bordet ( Université libre de Bruxelles ) in 1919, Albert Claude (ULB) together with Christian De Duve (UCLouvain) in 1974. In the present day, Bureau Greisch has acquired an international reputation as consulting engineer and architect in

1575-579: The Walloon Region (French: Région wallonne ; Walloon: Redjon walone ), is one of the three regions of Belgium —along with Flanders and Brussels . Covering the southern portion of the country, Wallonia is primarily French-speaking . It accounts for 55% of Belgium's territory, but only a third of its population. The Walloon Region and the French Community of Belgium , which is the political entity responsible for matters related mainly to culture and education, are independent concepts, because

1638-601: The Walloon jacquerie of 1886 , the Belgian general strikes of 1893 , 1902, 1913 (for universal suffrage ), 1932 (depicted in Misère au Borinage ), and 1936. After World War II , major strikes included the general strike against Leopold III of Belgium (1950), and the 1960-1961 Winter General Strike for autonomy for Wallonia. The profitability of the heavy industries to which Wallonia owed its prosperity started declining in

1701-496: The " Walha " by their Germanic neighbours. The "Walha" abandoned their Celtic dialects and started to speak Vulgar Latin . The Merovingian Franks gradually gained control of the region during the 5th century, under Clovis . Due to the fragmentation of the former Roman Empire , Vulgar Latin regionally developed along different lines and evolved into several langue d'oïl dialects, which in Wallonia became Picard , Walloon and Lorrain . The oldest surviving text written in

1764-598: The 12th and 13th centuries, the iron masters of Liège developed a method of refining iron ore by the use of a blast furnace, called the Walloon Method . There were also a few coal mines around Charleroi and the Borinage during this period, but their output was small, and was principally consumed as fuel by various industries such as the important glassmaking industry that sprang up in the Charleroi basin during

1827-736: The 13th century and was replaced by Old French . In the 15th century, the Dukes of Burgundy took over the Low Countries . The death of Charles the Bold in 1477 raised the issue of succession, and the Liégeois took advantage of this to regain some of their autonomy. From the 16th to the 18th century, the Low Countries were governed successively by the Habsburg dynasty of Spain (from

1890-485: The 14th century. In the 19th century, the area began to industrialize, mainly along the so-called sillon industriel . It was the first fully industrialized area in continental Europe , and Wallonia was the second industrial power in the world, in proportion to its population and its territory, after the United Kingdom. The sole industrial centre in Belgium outside the collieries and blast furnaces of Wallonia

1953-453: The 16th century. But it did have its golden age, paradoxically, during the peak of the Flemish immigration to Wallonia in the 19th century: "That period saw an efflorescence of Walloon literature, plays and poems primarily, and the founding of many theaters and periodicals." The New York Public Library possesses a surprisingly large collection of literary works in Walloon, quite possibly

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2016-568: The 19th century, he included the Walloon play Tati l'Pèriquî by E.Remouchamps and the avant-garde Ubu roi by A.Jarry . For Jean-Marie Klinkenberg, "the dialectal culture is no more a sign of attachment to the past but a way to participate to a new synthesis". Jean-Marie Klinkenberg (member of the Groupe μ ) wrote that Wallonia, and literature in Wallonia, has been present in French language since its formation. Sambre and Meuse valley Too Many Requests If you report this error to

2079-466: The 20th century, Wallonia was the more prosperous half of Belgium. Since World War II , the importance of heavy industry has greatly diminished, and the Flemish Region has exceeded Wallonia in wealth as Wallonia has declined economically. Wallonia now suffers from high unemployment and has a significantly lower GDP per capita than Flanders. The economic inequalities and linguistic divide between

2142-536: The Belgian population. It forms the German-speaking Community of Belgium , which has its own government and parliament for culture-related issues. Wallonia borders Flanders and the Netherlands (the province of Limburg ) in the north, France ( Grand Est and Hauts-de-France ) to the south and west, and Germany ( North Rhine-Westphalia and Rhineland-Palatinate ) and Luxembourg ( Capellen , Clervaux , Esch-sur-Alzette , Redange and Wiltz ) to

2205-473: The French Community of Belgium encompasses both Wallonia and the bilingual Brussels -Capital Region but not the German-speaking Community of Belgium . During the Industrial Revolution , Wallonia was second only to the United Kingdom in industrialization, capitalizing on its extensive deposits of coal and iron. This brought the region wealth, and from the beginning of the 19th to the middle of

2268-452: The accent from Liège and its surroundings being perhaps the most striking. Other regions of Wallonia also have characteristic accents, often linked to the regional language. Walloons traditionally also speak regional Romance languages, all from the Langues d'oïl group. Wallonia includes almost all of the area where Walloon is spoken, a Picard zone corresponding to the major part of

2331-520: The country's history. The baptismal font of Renier de Huy is not the only example of medieval Walloon technical expertise: the words "houille" (coal) or "houilleur" (coal miner) or "grisou" (damp) were coined in Wallonia and are Walloon in origin. The economically important very deep coal mining in the course of the First Industrial Revolution has required highly reputed specialized studies for mining engineers . But that

2394-804: The early 16th century until 1713–14) and later by Austria (until 1794). This territory was enlarged in 1521–22 when Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor gained the Tournai region from France. Present-day Belgium was conquered in 1795 by the French Republic during the French Revolutionary Wars . It was annexed to the Republic, which later became the Napoleonic Empire . After the Battle of Waterloo , Wallonia became part of

2457-499: The east. Wallonia has been a member of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie since 1980. The term "Wallonia" can mean slightly different things in different contexts. One of the three federal regions of Belgium is still constitutionally defined as the "Walloon Region" as opposed to "Wallonia", but the latter has been adopted by the regional government and is in common use. Prior to 2010, when

2520-724: The fields of structures, civil engineering and buildings, including the Millau Viaduct in France. Wallonia is rich in iron and coal, and these resources and related industries have played an important role in its history. In ancient times, the Sambre and Meuse valley was an important industrial area in the Roman Empire . In the Middle Ages , Wallonia became a center for brass working and bronze working, with Huy , Dinant and Chimay being important regional centers. In

2583-414: The first half of the 20th century, and the centre of industrial activity shifted north to Flanders. The loss of prosperity caused social unrest, and Wallonia sought greater autonomy in order to address its economic problems. In the wake of the 1960-1961 Winter General Strike , the process of state reform in Belgium got underway. This reform started partly with the linguistic laws of 1962–63 , which defined

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2646-555: The first time in Verviers , commemorating the participation of Walloons during the Belgian Revolution of 1830. It is held annually on the third Sunday of September. The Assembly also chose a motto for Wallonia, "Walloon Forever" ( Walloon : Walon todi ), and a cry, "Liberty" (French: Liberté ). In 1998, the Walloon Parliament made all these symbols official except the motto and the cry. The population of Wallonia

2709-740: The four language areas within the constitution . But the strikes of 1960 which took place in Wallonia more than in Flanders are not principally linked with the four language areas nor with the Communities but with the Regions. In 1968, the conflict between the communities burst out. French speakers in Flanders (who were not necessarily Walloons) were driven out of, most notably the Leuven-based Catholic University amid shouts of " Walen buiten !" ("Walloons out!"). After

2772-461: The larger Gallia Belgica province which originally stretched from southwestern Germany to Normandy and the southern part of the Netherlands. The population of this territory was Celtic with a Germanic influence which was stronger in the north than in the south of the province. Gallia Belgica became progressively romanized . The ancestors of the Walloons became Gallo-Romans and were called

2835-424: The largest outside Belgium, and its holding are representative of the output. Out of nearly a thousand, twenty-six were published before 1880. Thereafter the numbers rise gradually year by year, reaching a peak of sixty-nine in 1903, and then they fall again, down to eleven in 1913. See 'Switching Languages', p. 153. Yves Quairiaux counted 4800 plays for 1860–1914, published or not. In this period plays were almost

2898-653: The middle) began to crystallize between 700 under the reign of the Merovingians and Carolingians and around 1000 after the Ottonian Renaissance . French-speaking cities, with Liège as the largest one, appeared along the Meuse , while Gallo-Roman cities such as Tongeren , Maastricht and Aachen became Germanized. The Carolingian dynasty dethroned the Merovingians in the 8th century. In 843,

2961-399: The only popular show in Wallonia. But this theater remains popular in the present-day Wallonia: Theater is still flourishing, with over 200 non-professional companies playing in the cities and villages of Wallonia for an audience of over 200,000 each year. There are links between French literature and (the very small) Walloon literature. For instance Raymond Queneau set Editions Gallimard

3024-474: The other side of the border; they are often called frontaliers . The Ardennes area south of the Meuse is a popular tourist destination for its nature and outdoor sports, in addition to its cultural heritage, with places such as Bastogne , Dinant , Durbuy , and the famous hot springs of Spa . The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 105.7 billion € in 2018, accounting for 23% of Belgian economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power

3087-464: The publication of a Walloon Poets' anthology. Ubu roi was translated in Walloon by André Blavier , a Verviers pataphysician , for the new and important Puppets theater of Liège of Jacques Ancion, the Al Botroûle theater "at the umbilical cord" in Walloon indicating a desire to return to the source (according to Joan Cross). But Jacques Ancion wanted to develop a regular adult audience. From

3150-550: The region great economic prosperity, which was not mirrored in poorer Flanders and the result was a large amount of Flemish immigration to Wallonia . Belgium was divided into two divergent communities. On the one hand, the very Catholic Flemish society was characterized by an economy centred on agriculture; on the other hand, Wallonia was the centre of the continental European Industrial Revolution , where classical liberal and socialist movements were rapidly emerging. Major strikes and general strikes took place in Wallonia, including

3213-409: The renaming came into effect, Wallonia could sometimes refer to the territory governed by the Walloon Region, whereas Walloon Region referred specifically to the government. In practice, the difference between the two terms is small and what is meant is usually clear, based on context. Wallonia is a cognate of terms such as Wales , Cornwall and Wallachia . The Germanic word Walha , meaning

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3276-412: The signing of treaties, and in many domains, even the Belgian federal government is not able to sign an international treaty without the agreement of the Parliament of Wallonia. Wallonia is also home to about 80 per cent of the population of the French Community of Belgium , a political level responsible for matters related mainly to culture and education, with the remainder living in Brussels . Wallonia

3339-423: The sillon industriel, the land is more rugged and is characterized by more extensive farming . It is traditionally divided into the regions of Entre-Sambre-et-Meuse, Condroz , Fagne - Famenne , the Ardennes and Land of Herve , as well as the Belgian Lorraine around Arlon and Virton . Dividing it into Condroz , Famenne , Calestienne , Ardennes (including Thiérache ), and Belgian Lorraine (which includes

3402-408: The steel industry crisis, with an unemployment rate of up to 30 percent. Nonetheless, Wallonia has some companies which are world leaders in their specialized fields, including armaments , glass production, lime and limestone production, cyclotrons and aviation parts. The south of Wallonia, bordering Luxembourg , benefits from its neighbour's economic prosperity, with many Belgians working on

3465-510: The strangers , referred to Gallic or Celtic people. Wallonia is named after the Walloons , a group of locals who natively speak Romance languages . In Middle Dutch (and French), the term Walloons included both historical secular Walloon principalities, as well as the French-speaking population of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège or the whole population of the Romanic sprachraum within the medieval Low Countries . Julius Caesar conquered Gaul in 57 BC. The Low Countries became part of

3528-448: The two are major sources of political conflicts in Belgium and a major factor in Flemish separatism . The capital of Wallonia is Namur , and the most populous city is Charleroi . Most of Wallonia's major cities and two-thirds of its population lie along the east–west aligned Sambre and Meuse valley , the former industrial backbone of Belgium. To the north of this valley, Wallonia lies on the Central Belgian Plateau, which, like Flanders,

3591-490: The universities of Louvain-la-Neuve ( UCLouvain ), Namur and Mons ; the Cenaero (Research Centre in Aeronautics), an institute for the development of aeronautics and space industry of UCLouvain, the University of Liège and the Université libre de Bruxelles , and the ULB Institute for Molecular Biology & Medicine and the Institute for Medical Immunology, in collaboration with GlaxoSmithKline Biologicals . The cluster hosts three spin-offs from UCLouvain : Cedit ,

3654-458: The word Flanders used by the Flemish Movement . The word had previously appeared in German and Latin as early as the 17th century. The rising of a Walloon identity led the Walloon Movement to choose different symbols representing Wallonia. The main symbol is the "bold rooster" (French: coq hardi ), also named "Walloon rooster" (French: coq wallon , Walloon : cok walon ), which is widely used, particularly on arms and flags. The rooster

3717-405: Was already the case before the Industrial Revolution, with an engineer as Rennequin Sualem for instance. Engineer Zenobe Gramme invented the Gramme dynamo , the first generator to produce power on a commercial scale for industry. Chemist Ernest Solvay gave his name to the Solvay process for production of soda ash , an important chemical for many industrial uses. Ernest Solvay also acted as

3780-420: Was chosen as an emblem by the Walloon Assembly on 20 April 1913, and designed by Pierre Paulus on 3 July 1913. The Flag of Wallonia features the red rooster on a yellow background. An anthem, Le Chant des Wallons ( The Walloons' Song ), written by Theophile Bovy in 1900 and composed by Louis Hillier in 1901, was also adopted. On September 21, 1913, the "national" feast day of Wallonia took place for

3843-549: Was composed of members of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives and the Belgian Senate elected in Wallonia. Wallonia is considered to be left-wing politically, in contrast to Flanders, which is more right-wing. The region has been described as one of the few places in Europe without a significant right-wing populism presence. In Wallonia, there is a cordon sanitaire in the media, where far-right politicians are banned from interviews and live appearances. The ban has also affected more mainstream right-wing parties such as

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3906-468: Was the historic cloth making town of Ghent . The two World Wars curbed the continuous expansion that Wallonia had enjoyed up till that time. Towards the end of the 1950s, things began to change dramatically. The factories of Wallonia were by then antiquated, the coal was running out and the cost of extracting coal was constantly rising. It was the end of an era, and Wallonia has been making efforts to redefine itself. The restoration of economical development

3969-427: Was €25,700 or 85% of the EU27 average in the same year. Belgium is a federal state made up of three communities and three regions, each with considerable autonomy. One of these is the Walloon Region, which is governed by the Parliament of Wallonia and the executive Government of Wallonia . The Walloon Region's autonomy extends even to foreign policy; Wallonia is entitled to pursue its own foreign policy, including

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