Uccle is one of the 19 municipalities located in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. In common with all of Brussels’ municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch). Lying beyond Forest and Ixelles and skirting the Sonian Forest, Uccle is Brussel’s largest and southernmost commune. Large, 19th and 20th century villas with generous gardens make this green and calm suburb a favourite with well-off expatriates, with the Art Deco area around the Royal Observatory and the fringes of the Sonian Forest the two most desirable addresses.
| Country | Belgium |
|---|---|
| Community | Flemish Community French Community |
| Region | Brussels |
| Arrondissement | Brussels |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Boris Dilliès |
| Area | |
| • Total | 22.91 km2 (8.85 sq mi) |
| Population | |
| • Total | 82,275 |
| • Density | 3,600/km2 (9,300/sq mi) |
Uccle is known by many as a green, hilly commune with wealthy inhabitants, who are often of foreign origin and are among the richest in Brussels.
Sights
- Uccle is mainly a residential area but has a lot of parks and forested areas, such as the Wolvendael Park and the Verrewinkel Woods. Wolvendael is the site of a 1763 castle, owned by a number of notable aristocrats from the 18th and 19th centuries.
- The municipality is also situated to the immediate west of the Bois de la Cambre (Dutch: Ter Kamerenbos).
- St. Job Square and the area near St. Peter’s Church and the town hall are two older parts of town, now filled with a happy mix of stores and pubs.
- Uccle is the site of the Belgian national weather station, the Royal Meteorological Institute: any information on Belgian weather, unless region specific, is described by the statistics recorded in Uccle. Right next door is the Royal Observatory of Belgium.
- Uccle Cemetery, also known as Dieweg Cemetery, was created following a cholera epidemic in Brussels in 1866. Although burials ended in 1958, the grave of Hergé, the creator of Tintin who died in 1983, can be found here.[6]
- The Bloemenwerf, a turn of the 20th century (1900) Art Nouveau villa built by architect Henry Van de Velde.
- Nemo 33 is the second deepest indoor swimming pool in the world.
- Château de La Fougeraie, built in 1911 for the industrialist Paul Wittouck by the architects Louis Süe and Paul Huillard. Decorated by Gustave Louis Jaulmes.
Education
- European School, Brussels I is located in Uccle.
- Lycée Français Jean Monnet is located in Uccle.
- The Collège Saint-Pierre in Uccle was founded in 1905 by Cardinal Pierre-Lambert Goossens
