Schaarbeek
 |
Schaarbeek within the Brussels-Capital Region |
Schaerbeek (
French) or
Schaarbeek (
Dutch) is one of the nineteen
municipalities located in the
Brussels-Capital Region of
Belgium. (
Schaerbeek is actually just an old Dutch spelling for
Schaarbeek.)
On
1 January 2006 the municipality had a total population of 111,946. The total area is 8.14
km² which gives a
population density of 13,753 inhabitants per km².
Schaarbeek is nicknamed as "the commune of donkeys" (
La commune des ânes or
De ezelsgemeente). This name is a reminiscent of times when people of Schaarbeek who were cultivators of
sour cherries (primarily for
Kriek production) would arrive at Brussels marketplace with donkeys laden with sour cherries.
Famous Belgian singer
Jacques Brel was born in Schaarbeek.
Today, it is home to a powerful
Turkish immigrant community (a significant part of which originates from
Emirdağ,
Turkey). It is also home to a large
Moroccan population and other immigrant communities.
*
Official site of Schaerbeek municipality (only in French or Dutch)
