Municipalities of Belgium facts for kids
Belgium is divided into many smaller areas called municipalities. Think of them as local towns or cities. There are 581 municipalities in total.
Most of these municipalities are part of larger areas called provinces.
- 300 municipalities are in Flanders, spread across five provinces.
- 262 municipalities are in Wallonia, also in five provinces.
- The remaining 19 municipalities are in the Brussels Capital Region. This region is special because it is not divided into provinces.
Usually, municipalities are the smallest local government areas in Belgium. But in very large cities, like Antwerp, they can be split even further. Antwerp, for example, has over 500,000 people and is divided into nine districts. These districts have their own local councils.
Contents
Lists of municipalities
You can find lists of municipalities for each of Belgium's three main regions:
- List of municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region (19 municipalities)
- List of municipalities of the Flemish Region (300 municipalities)
- List of municipalities in Wallonia (262 municipalities)
History of Belgian Municipalities
How Municipalities Began (Before 1830)
Municipalities were officially created in 1795. This happened when the French government, called the Directoire, changed how local areas were organized. At first, smaller towns (with fewer than 5,000 people) were grouped together. But by 1800, these groups were removed, and there were 2,776 independent municipalities.
Not much changed when Belgium was part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Only a few very small municipalities were combined.
Changes Between 1830 and 1961
When Belgium became an independent country in 1831, it had 2,739 municipalities. This number stayed about the same for a long time. In 1839, when Belgium's borders were set, some municipalities became part of the Netherlands or the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg. This reduced Belgium's total to 2,508 municipalities.
New municipalities were created until 1928. By 1929, Belgium had 2,675 municipalities. This number included areas like the East Cantons, which joined Belgium after the First World War.
Big Mergers (1961 to 1977)
In 1961, a new law called the Unitary Law was passed. This law allowed the government to combine municipalities for 10 years. They could be merged for financial reasons, or because of their geography, language, or economy.
Between 1964 and 1970, about 300 municipalities were merged into others. The total number of municipalities went down from 2,663 in 1961 to 2,359 in 1971.
Belgium's constitution says that each municipality must belong to only one of the four official language areas. Some municipalities near language borders offer services in more than one language. These special rules prevented some small towns from being merged in the 1970s. For example, Herstappe is one of the smallest Belgian municipalities, with only 84 people in 2006.
In 1975, a new law was passed to merge even more municipalities. This big merger happened on January 1, 1977. It reduced the number of municipalities in Belgium from 2,359 to just 596.
Antwerp's Special Case
The city of Antwerp had a unique situation. Its merger happened later, on January 1, 1983. The towns that merged with Antwerp became "districts" within the city. At first, these districts only had an advisory role. But from 2001, they gained more administrative power.
When Antwerp merged with nearby towns like Berchem, Borgerhout, and Wilrijk, the total number of municipalities in Belgium became 589. This was the last big change for many years. The merger of the 19 municipalities in Brussels was put on hold.
Municipalities in the 21st Century
In 2001, a major change in Belgium's government structure happened. The responsibility for municipalities moved from the federal government to the three main regions (Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels).
This change did not immediately lead to more mergers. However, the Flemish government later offered money and a legal framework to encourage municipalities to merge. This led to 15 Flemish municipalities combining into seven new ones. This reduced the total number of Flemish municipalities from 308 to 300. These changes officially took effect on January 1, 2019.
How Municipalities Are Organized
The Mayor
The mayor is the leader of a municipality. They are also a representative of the regional and federal governments at the local level. The mayor makes sure that laws and rules are followed. They are also in charge of keeping public order in their municipality. The mayor leads the local government team, which includes aldermen.
In Flanders and Brussels, the regional government appoints the mayor. This happens after the municipal council suggests a candidate. The mayor serves for six years.
In Wallonia, the mayor is usually the person from the winning political party who received the most votes in the local elections. It is possible for the mayor to not be from the largest party if that party is not part of the ruling group.
The College
The "college" is the executive part of the municipality's government. In Flanders and Brussels, it is called the "college of mayor and aldermen." In Wallonia, it is called the "municipal college." This group is responsible for the daily running of the municipality. They also prepare and carry out the decisions made by the municipal council.
The Council
The municipal council is like the local parliament of the municipality. Its members are directly elected by the people for a six-year term. The number of councillors depends on how many people live in the municipality. It can range from 7 to 55 members. The council is responsible for all matters that affect the municipality.
Differences Between the Regions
After the Fifth State Reform in 2001, each of Belgium's three regions gained control over their own municipal rules. This means there are now some differences in how municipalities are set up in Flanders, Wallonia, and Brussels. Wallonia has even given some of its powers to the German-speaking Community for its nine municipalities.
Each region can now change or replace the laws about municipalities. For example, Flanders has its own "Municipal Decree" from 2005. Wallonia uses the "Code of Local Democracy and Decentralization." Brussels has also changed parts of the old municipal law. While the rules are still quite similar across the regions, they could become more different in the future.
Agglomerations and Federations
Since 1970, the Belgian Constitution has allowed for the creation of "agglomerations" and "federations" of municipalities. This idea was only used once, in 1971, to create the Brussels Agglomeration. This group included the 19 municipalities of Brussels. However, it stopped existing in 1989 when the Brussels-Capital Region was officially formed.
See also
In Spanish: Municipios de Bélgica para niños
