50°28N 3°58E, pop (2000e) 93 800. Commercial and cultural city, capital of Hainaut province, S Belgium; inland harbour, handling mostly coal from the Borinage, major mining region; built on site of one of Caesar's camps; often a battlefield, notably in World War 1 (Aug 1914); railway; university (1965); textiles, leather, pharmaceuticals, metal processing, aluminium products; Gothic cathedral, town hall (15th-c); annual Battle of the Lumecon.
| Mons | |
|---|---|
| Province: | Hainaut |
| District: | Mons |
| Area: | 146.53 km² |
| Population: | 91,221 (2006) |
| Population density: | 623 /km² |
Mons (Dutch and German: Bergen, Walloon: Mont) is a Belgian municipality located in the Walloon province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. The Mons municipality includes the old communes of Cuesmes, Ghlin, Hyon, Nimy, Obourg, Baudour (partly), Jemappes (partly), Ciply, Harmignies, Harveng, Havré, Maisières, Mesvin, Nouvelles, Saint-Symphorien, Spiennes, Villers-Saint-Ghislain, Casteau (partly), Masnuy-Saint-Jean (partly), and Ville-sur-Haine (partly).
History
Early settlements to the Middle Ages
The first signs of activity in the region of Mons can be found at Spiennes, where some of the best flint tools in Europe were found dating from the Neolithic period. In the 7th century, Saint Ghislain and two of his disciples built an oratory or chapel dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul near the Mons hill, at a place called Ursidongus, now known as Saint-Ghislain.
Like Ath, its neighbour to the north-west, Mons was made a fortified city by Baldwin IV, Count of Hainaut in the 12th century. The city had 4,700 inhabitants by the end of the 13th century. Mons succeeded Valenciennes as the capital of the county of Hainaut in 1295 and grew to 8,900 inhabitants by the end of the 15th century.
From 1500 to 1800
In 1515, Charles V takes an oath in Mons as Count of Hainaut. De Coligny having been murdered during the St. Bartholomew's Day massacre, the Duke of Alba takes Mons in September of 1572 in the name of the catholic King of Spain. from 1580 to 1584, Mons became the capital of the Southern Netherlands. Between 1697 and 1701, Mons was alternately French and Austrian, then French again from 1701 to 1709. In 1715, Mons returned to Austria under the terms of the Treaty of Utrecht (1713). After the Battle of Jemappes (1792), the Hainaut area was annexed to France and Mons became the capital of the Jemappes district.
From 1800 until now
Following the fall of the First French Empire in 1814, King William I of the Netherlands fortified the city heavily. In 1830, however, Belgium gained its independence and the decision was taken to dismantle fortified cities such as Mons, Charleroi, and Namur. The Industrial Revolution and coal mining made Mons a center of heavy industry, which strongly influenced the culture and image of the whole Borinage region. On August 23 and 24, 1914, Mons was the site of the first battle fought by the British Army in World War I. NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe (SHAPE) was relocated in Casteau, a village near Mons, from Fontainebleau after France's withdrawal from the military structure of the alliance in 1967. The City Hall, originally built near the current location of the belfry, was moved on the Grand Place in the 13th century.
Education
Mons has a strong education community with three universities :
Faculté polytechnique de Mons or FPMs Facultés universitaires catholiques de Mons or FUCAM Université de Mons-Hainaut or UMHSports
The town hosts a football club named R.A.E.C. Mons.
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