According to legend, Saint Gertrude of Nivelles, daughter of Pippin of Landen, founded a chapel there in the 8th century. A document by Otto I, Holy Roman Emperor, dated 966, mentions the church of Iatrebache. The name Ietrebecca—possibly from the Celtic root ett meaning "rapid movement" and the Dutch word beek meaning "stream"—is found for the first time in a document dated 1127. The current spelling appears eleven years later in 1138, around which time a newer and larger church was built.
Middle Ages
Etterbeek in the 16th century
In the Middle Ages, Etterbeek was a rural hamlet mostly independent of Brussels, aside from taxation rights on beer given to Brussels around 1300 by John II, Duke of Brabant. The following two centuries counted several grievous moments: in 1489, Albert III, Duke of Saxony, ravaged Etterbeek in his pursuit of the rebels who fought against Holy Roman Emperor Maximilian; in 1580, the village was destroyed again, this time by iconoclasts during the wars of religion. Peace returned under the reigns of the Archdukes Albert VII and Isabella.
Barony and municipality
The village of Etterbeek (spelled Etterbeke) marked on the 18th-century Ferraris map
In 1673, Etterbeek gained its independence from neighbouring Sint-Genesius-Rode, when King Charles II of Spain promoted it into a barony. The first baron was Don Diego-Henriquez de Castro, general treasurer of the Spanish Netherlands armies. The Barony House was sold in 1767 and can still be seen today as Etterbeek's oldest building.
Under the French regime, Etterbeek was made into a commune, within the canton of Sint-Stevens-Woluwe. From then on, and especially after the Belgian Revolution of 1830 and the development of Brussels as a capital city, the population of Etterbeek grew quickly. In 1876, there were more than 10,000 inhabitants, in 1900 more than 20,000, and in 1910 more than 33,000. In the 1900s (decade), during the reign of King Leopold II, construction boomed and changed the town's character with the addition of the broad avenues and residential areas that exist today.
21st century
In 2010, the municipal council approved the initial stages of a large-scale urban development project on the site of the Public Centre for Social Welfare (CPAS/OCMW), near the Avenue des Casernes/Kazernelaan. This project, called the Jardins de la Chasse in French or Tuinen van de Jacht in Dutch, consisted of the construction of a new administrative centre, including a modern Municipal Hall, a police station, new CPAS/OCMW headquarters, housing, shops, and a green area. Demolition of the former CPAS/OCMW building began in 2014, and building of houses started in 2016, with construction of the new Municipal Hall completed in 2021. The site of the former Municipal Hall may be used for further residential development in the future.
Main sights
Etterbeek has a rich cultural and architectural heritage. Some of the main points of interest include:
The Church of St. Anthony of Padua, a Catholic church, designed in neo-Gothic style and built between 1905 and 1935, which has been listed as a protected monument since 2004.
The Church of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart, located on the Rue de Tervaete/Tervaetestraat, a neo-Romanesque building completed in 1954.
A third church—the Church of St. Gertrude—was demolished in 1993, as it was in danger of collapsing.
Of a completely different character, the Barony House dates from 1680 and is the municipality's oldest surviving dwelling.
The Fondation René Carcan, a foundation and museum in the engraver and sculptor René Carcan's old studio, was located in Etterbeek.
The Chaussée de Wavre/Waversesteenweg has, since 27 September 2014, featured a series of large scale Le Chat drawings by the cartoonist Philippe Geluck, who was born and raised in this neighbourhood. The 24 drawings extend over a total length of 120 metres (390ft).
The main university campus of the Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) is called Campus Etterbeek, although it is geographically not within Etterbeek but in the adjacent Ixelles.
Etterbeek has a large immigrant population, with both the EU and non-European migrant communities outnumbering the native Belgians. Akin to neighbouring Ixelles and Schaerbeek, Etterbeek also has a large Muslim population, mainly of Moroccan origin.
In the summer of 1996, the municipal swimming pool burnt down. It has now been rebuilt and is again open to the public.
Events
Etterbeek Medieval Market in 2007
Etterbeek hosts an annual medieval market. Previously held at the end of May on the Avenue du Deuxième Régiment de Lanciers/Tweede Lansiers Regimentelaan in the south of the municipality, in recent years, it has taken place at the Cinquantenaire.
↑Les Jardins de la Chasse (Slide deck) (in French). Archived from the original on 23 September 2008. Retrieved 12 October 2008– via etterbeek.irisnet.be.
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