Braine-le-Château

Braine Castle (French: Château de Braine) is a castle in Braine-le-Château, Walloon Brabant, Wallonia, Belgium. In 649 the Abbess of Mons St. Waudru ceded her "land of Ittre", including Braine, to the Chapter of Mons. Accordingly, Braine had an odd political status since it remained a small enclave of the County of Hainaut within the County of Leuven, part of the Duchy of Brabant. Braine-le-Château was owned by several feudal families. The domain was bought by Jean de Hornes in 1434 and by Lamoral II Claudius Franz, Count of Thurn and Taxis in 1670. Braine-le-Château is named after a castle (château) built in the place called "Les Monts". In the 11th–12th century, two twinned big artificial hills (mottes) were erected on the top of a spur dominating a village set up on the rivier Hain. Such a twin structure is very infrequent north of the river Loire. The castle of Braine existed until 1722 but was rebuilt in different places according to the increase of the village. In the beginning of the 13th century, the lords of Trazegnies, owners of the domain, left the spur and built a squarish castle in the middle of a marshy area; the castle was surrounded by a triple barrier made by the marshes, the rivers and the moats. The castle, located in the heart of the village, was used to control the road Nivelles-Halle. In the 16th century, the castle was made less defensive and more pleasant to live in by suppressing the southern wing and increasing the size of the windows, allowing the sun to light the rooms. The castle was burned in 1667 and revamped in 1681, with the addition of a monumental gate. Count Eugène Gaspard de Robiano purchased the castle in 1835 and his descendants still live there.

Wauthier-Braine Abbey (French: Abbaye de Wauthier-Braine) was a Cistercian nunnery situated in Wallonia at Wauthier-Braine in Walloon Brabant, Belgium.

The Hallerbos (Dutch for Halle forest) is a forest in Belgium, covering an area of 552 ha (1,360 acres). It is mostly situated in the municipality of Halle, in Flemish Brabant and has also a little part in Walloon Brabant. The forest is known in the region for its bluebell carpet which covers the forest floor for a few weeks each spring, attracting many visitors.Visitors can reach there either by their own vehicle or through public transport. For public transport, you can reach Halle railway station and get a bus to the entrance of the forest.

Ittre (French pronunciation: [itʁ] (listen); Walloon: Ite; Dutch: Itter, Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɪtər]) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. Since the fusion of the Belgian municipalities in 1977, the municipality is composed of three districts: Haut-Ittre, Ittre and Virginal-Samme. Ittre was the geographical center of Belgium until World War I. The geographical center was moved to Walhain due to the allocation of the East Cantons (Eupen-Malmédy) to Belgium (Treaty of Versailles).

Clabecq (Dutch: Klabbeek; Walloon: Clabek) is a district of the Belgian municipality of Tubize, Wallonia, located in the province of Walloon Brabant. It was formerly its own municipality until the period of fusion of Belgian municipalities in 1977. It is traversed by the Brussels-Charleroi Canal, and the steelmaking Forges of Clabecq are situated on its banks. Its postal code is 1480, formerly 1361.

Boon Brewery (Brouwerij Boon) is a Belgian brewery in Lembeek, near Brussels, that mainly produces geuze and kriek beer of a fairly traditional lambic variety, but using modern brewing techniques and equipment. Other products of the brewery including Faro beer and Duivelsbier, the traditional beer of Halle. The brewery was founded in 1978. Frank Boon purchased the De Vits brewery, café and geuzestekerij when Rene De Vits and his sister Jeanne decided to retire. The brewery moved from Hondzocht to Lembecq itself and the first beer was produced there in the fall of 1990 in partnership with Palm Belgian Craft Brewers, which took a 50% stake. The production increases steadily: 450 hl in 1990, 5 000 hl in 2000, 11 300 hl in 2009, 14 000 hl in 2011. The head of the brewery is Frank Boon and the Boon family own 50%. The other 50% was sold to Palm Breweries, but in 2014 this stake was transferred to Palm's parent company Diepensteyn NV and Boon was not involved in Palm's sale to Bavaria in 2016. The distribution deal between Palm and Boon came to an end in 2016.

Halle railway station (Dutch: Station Halle, French: Gare de Hal) is a railway station in Halle, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The station opened on 18 May 1840 and is located on the HSL 1, as well as railway lines 26, 94, and 96. The train services are operated by the National Railway Company of Belgium (NMBS/SNCB). On 15 February 2010, the Halle train collision occurred between Halle and Buizingen stations, killing 19 and injuring 171.

Dworp (Dutch pronunciation: [dʋɔrp]; French: Tourneppe [tuʁnɛp]) is a small town in the municipality of Beersel, south of Brussels in Flanders. Dworp has an area of 9.61 square kilometers. As of January 1, 2002, it has a population of 5,277 inhabitants.

Lembeek is a village with a population of 7,256 in the municipality of Halle, Belgium.

Halle (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦɑlə] ; French: Hal, pronounced [al]) is a Belgian city and municipality in the Halle-Vilvoorde district (arrondissement) of the province of Flemish Brabant. It is located on the Brussels–Charleroi Canal and on the Flemish side of the language border that separates Flanders and Wallonia. Halle lies on the border between the Flemish plains to the North (thick loam) and the undulating Brabant lands to the South (thinner loam). The city also borders on the Pajottenland to the west. It is about 22 km (14 mi) southwest of Brussels. The official language of Halle is Dutch. The municipality comprises the city of Halle proper and the towns of Buizingen and Lembeek. The neighboring towns are: Pepingen, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Beersel, Braine-l'Alleud, Braine-le-Château, and Tubize. The population of Halle has increased from 32,758 inhabitants in 1991 to 39,536 on 1 January 2019. The mayor is Marc Snoeck of the Vooruit party.

The South-West Brabant Museum (Dutch: Zuidwestbrabants Museum) is a local museum in Halle, Flemish Brabant, Belgium. From 1981, the museum was housed in a former college of Jesuits from the 17th century. After a closure of half a year in 2014, it was reopened in Den AST.

Tubize (French pronunciation: [tybiz] ; Dutch: Tubeke [ˈtybeːkə]) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On January 1, 2006 Tubize had a total population of 22,335. The total area is 32.66 km2 which gives a population density of 684 inhabitants per km2. The municipality includes the districts of Clabecq, Oisquercq, Saintes, and Tubize. Bordering Flanders, the town is home to a minority of Dutch-speakers.