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For the brewery, see Chimay Brewery. For the imaginary lake in early modern cartography, see Lake Chimay.
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Chimay

Chimai  (Walloon)
Municipality
Chimay: Grand Place
Chimay: Grand Place
Flag of Chimay
Flag
 Coat of arms of Chimay
Coat of arms
Chimay is located in Belgium
Chimay
Chimay
Location in Belgium
Country Belgium
Community French Community
Region Wallonia
Province Hainaut
Arrondissement Thuin
Area
 • Total 197.10 km2 (76.10 sq mi)
Population
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 • Total Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1,575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Postal codes
6460, 6461, 6462, 6463, 6464
Area codes 060
Website www.ville-de-chimay.be
Belgique - Louvain-la-Neuve - Gare - Quai - Belgian beers - 02
Bottles of Chimay beer represented on a mural of the railway station of Louvain-la-Neuve (Belgium).

Chimay (French pronunciation: [ʃimɛ], Walloon: Chimai) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. In 2006, Chimay had a population of 9,774. The area is 197.10 km2 which gives a population density of 50 inhabitants per km2. It is the source of the Oise River.

In the administrative district of Thuin, the municipality was created with a merger of 14 communes in 1977. The Trappist monastery of Scourmont Abbey in the town is famous for the Chimay Brewery.

Toponymy

The etymology of the name is ultimately, via Vulgar Latin, from the Proto-Celtic word koimos meaning "pretty, pleasant".

Subdivisions

The Walloon names of the place names are in brackets and italics.

  • Baileux (Balieu)
  • Bailièvre (Bailleve)
  • Bourlers (Bourlé)
  • Chimay (Chimai)
  • Forges (Foidjes)
  • L'Escaillère (L'Ecayire)
  • Lompret (Lompré)
  • Rièzes (Rieze)
  • Robechies (Robchiye)
  • Saint-Remy (Sint-Rmey)
  • Salles (Sale)
  • Vaulx (Vå)
  • Villers-la-Tour (Vilé-al-Tour)
  • Virelles (Virele)

Demographics

Year Population Change Density
1904  3,383
—
 17.1/km2
2003  9,871 +6,488 50.1/km2
2006  9,774 −22 or −0.23% 49.6/km2
2016  9,850 +76 or +0.78% 50.0/km2

Attractions

  • Chimay Castle, the château of the princes of Chimay
  • Lake Virelles
  • The source of the Oise

Chimay has traditionally hosted an annual motor racing event, run on a street circuit formed from local public roads. From the 1920s to 1960s the event was run for contemporary Grand Prix and sportscar categories, and included the famous Grand Prix des Frontières. In recent times, while the event has persisted it has been run for historic race series. The track briefly lost its licence in 2006 related to safety fears, but has since had it reinstated.

  • Château Chimay 2

    Chimay Castle

  • Chimay Belgium town square

    The central town square, Chimay

  • Chimay CH1aJPG

    Chimay Castle

Chimay Trappist beers and cheeses are produced in the town by the Chimay Brewery, run by the Trappist monks of Scourmont Abbey, and are internationally renowned.

Notable people

  • Daniel van Buyten (b. 1978), football player
  • Émile Coulonvaux (1892–1966), politician
  • François Duval (b. 1980), rally car driver
  • Jean Froissart (c.1337-c.1405), medieval historian
  • Georges Hostelet (1875–1960), mathematician, philosopher, and sociologist
  • François-Joseph-Philippe de Riquet (1771–1843), Prince of Chimay, and his wife Thérésa Tallien (1773–1835), French social figure

Twin cities/towns

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