Uccle

Uccle (French, ykl) or Ukkel (Dutch, ˈʏkəl) is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the southern part of the region, it is bordered by the City of Brussels, Forest, Ixelles, and Watermael-Boitsfort, as well as the Flemish municipalities of Drogenbos, Linkebeek and Sint-Genesius-Rode. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch). the municipality had a population of 85,099 inhabitants. The total area is , which gives a population density of , half the average of Brussels. It is generally considered an affluent area of the region, and is particularly noted for its community of French immigrants. According to legend, Uccle's Church of St. Peter was dedicated by Pope Leo III in the year 803, with Charlemagne and Gerbald, Bishop of Liège, attending the ceremony. During the following centuries, several noble families built their manors and took residency there. The first mention of the name Woluesdal, now evolved into Wolvendael, dates from 1209. In 1467, Isabella of Portugal, wife of Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, founded a Franciscan convent on Uccle's territory. Later, Uccle became the judiciary capital of the area including Brussels. Throughout the early stages of its history, however, the village of Uccle always had a predominantly rural character and lived mostly from the products of forestry and agriculture. At the end of the 18th century, a few years after the French Revolution, Uccle merged with neighbouring territories to become a municipality, with its own burgomaster (mayor) and municipal assembly. It had to wait until 1828, however, for the Dutch authorities to allow the construction of the first Municipal Hall. This was a time of economic prosperity and growth, stimulated by the proximity to the two main roads linking Brussels to the industrial south. A newer and larger Municipal Hall was built between 1872 and 1882. Banker and philanthropist Georges Brugmann was instrumental in the urbanisation of the municipality just before the turn of the 20th century.