Binche Palace

Binche (French pronunciation: [bɛ̃ʃ] ; Walloon: Bince; Dutch: Bing) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Since 1977, the municipality consists of Binche, Bray, Buvrinnes, Épinois, Leval-Trahegnies, Péronnes-lez-Binche, Ressaix, and Waudrez districts. According to the surveys from 2021, Binche had a total population of 33,416, approximately 550 inhabitants per km2. The motto of the city is "Plus Oultre" (meaning "Further beyond" in Old French), which was the motto of Holy Roman Emperor Charles V, who in 1545 gave the medieval Castle of Binche to his sister, Queen Mary of Hungary. Her attention was spent on Binche, which she had rebuilt into Binche Palace under the direction of the architect-sculptor Jacques du Broeucq, remembered today as the first master of Giambologna. This château, intended to rival Fontainebleau, was eventually destroyed by the soldiers of Henry II of France in 1554. In 2003, the Carnival of Binche was proclaimed one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. In addition, the Belfry and City Hall were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as part of the Belfries of Belgium and France site, for its importance in civic functions, architecture, and its testimony to the power and influence of the town.

Triage-Lavoir de Péronnes is a former coal washing facility that was built with the help of the Marshall Plan in 1954. It was built for the demand of the coal industry to process the coal coming from the mines of Péronnes, Ressaix and Trivières. It was capable processing over 3,000 tons of coal daily. In 1969 the nearby coal mines in Saint-Albert and Sint-Margriete were closed, which caused Triage-Lavoir to become useless, and it was closed down after only 15 years of active operation. Immediately after closing the facility, all the machines and equipment were removed and the facility stayed abandoned for over 3 decades. The building was under threat of demolition in 2000 but on May 15, 2003, it was classified as a monument to be saved. Currently the building is under renovation financed by the European Union and the Walloon Region through the Marshall Plan of Wallonia program. The renovation started in September 2005. The renovation of the exterior of the building was scheduled to be finished by September 2006. The budget for the walls was 2.1 million euros. In spring 2010, the renovation work was still in progress. The exterior and a small fraction of the ground floor has been rebuilt. Certain parts of the old building will be left untouched, other than cleaning and careful restoring, in order to preserve the building's unique architectural elements. Inside the back of the building, half buried in the ground, new storage rooms will be built for the companies to use.The renovated building is supposed host several organisations, including The General Archives of the Royalty (intermediate centre of archives), Royal Institute of Natural Sciences of Belgium (stores coal and fossil core-samples), the IFAPME (center of professional development: contemporary artwork, design) and some private offices.

The Arrondissement of La Louvière (French: Arrondissement de La Louvière) is one of the seven administrative arrondissements in the Walloon province of Hainaut, Belgium. The Arrondissement of La Louvière was created in 2019 from the municipalities of La Louvière (formerly from Arrondissement of Soignies) and Binche, Estinnes, and Morlanwelz (formerly from Arrondissement of Thuin).

Bonne-Espérance Abbey (French: Abbaye de Bonne-Espérance) was a Premonstratensian abbey that existed from 1130 to the end of the 18th century, located in Vellereille-les-Brayeux in the Walloon municipality of Estinnes, province of Hainaut, Diocese of Tournai, in present-day Belgium.

Péronnes-lez-Binche (French pronunciation: [peʁɔn le bɛ̃ʃ], lit. 'Péronnes near Binche'; Walloon: Perone) is a town in Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Binche located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It was a municipality before the 1977 fusion of the Belgian municipalities. Péronnes became known for its coal rich ground which allowed the mining industry to grow. The mining industry has now been dead for decades but ancient coal hills and few infrastructure stays to remind of the golden age. The most well known building is Triage-Lavoir, coal washing plant, which was built in 1954 with the help of Marshall Plan.

Trivières (Walloon: Triviere) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of La Louvière, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is located between Mons and Charleroi, about 35 miles (56 km) south of Brussels. It was a fully fledged municipality before the fusion of the Belgian municipalities. It is 731 hectares (1,810 acres) in size.

Fayt-lez-Manage (Walloon: El Fayi-dlé-Manadje) is a town of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Manage, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The name dates to 1920, previously it was called Fayt-lez-Seneffe. It was a municipality in its own right before the merger of the municipalities in 1977. The locality is served by bus 30 Anderlues - Morlanwelz - La Louvière - Strépy-Bracquenies - Thieu.

La Louvière (French pronunciation: [la luvjɛʁ] ; Walloon: El Lovire) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Boussoit, Haine-Saint-Paul, Haine-Saint-Pierre, Houdeng-Aimeries, Houdeng-Gœgnies, La Louvière, Maurage, Saint-Vaast, Strépy-Bracquegnies, and Trivières. La Louvière is the capital of the Centre region, a former coal mining area in the Sillon industriel, between the Borinage to the West and the Pays Noir to the East.

The Bois-du-Luc was a coal mine in Houdeng-Aimeries, near La Louvière, in Belgium which today is preserved as an industrial heritage site. As well as the site of the headquarters of the Société des Charbonnages de Bois-du-Luc et d'Havre, the Bois du Luc was the site of the Saint Emmanuel Pit (Fosse Saint-Emmanuel) which belonged to the company. The Fosse Saint-Emmanuel was one of the oldest mines in Belgium, with recorded activity dating back to 1685. The company ceased mining in 1973. The Bois-du-Luc is particularly known for the surrounding company town (cité ouvrière) which was created for the mine works during the 19th century and is today one of the most notable surviving remnants of industrial paternalism in Belgium. It includes workers' housing which dates from the 1830s and covers approximately 2 hectares (4.9 acres). The site, run as an ecomuseum since 1983, features on the European Route of Industrial Heritage and is one of the four Walloon mining sites listed by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site under the Major Mining Sites of Wallonia listing.

Estinnes (French pronunciation: [ɛstin] ; Picard: L' Estene) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1 January 2006 Estinnes had a total population of 7,413. The total area is 72.73 km2 which gives a population density of 102 inhabitants per km2. The municipality consists of the following districts: Croix-lez-Rouveroy, Estinnes-au-Mont, Estinnes-au-Val, Faurœulx, Haulchin, Peissant, Rouveroy, Vellereille-les-Brayeux, and Vellereille-le-Sec. Estinnes was the location, on 1 March 744, of the second reform council organized by Saint Boniface.Near Estinnes is a wind farm with 11 wind turbines of Enercon E-126 type, 198.5 metres (651 ft) high.

Mont-Sainte-Aldegonde (Walloon: Li Mont) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Morlanwelz, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.

Bienne-lez-Happart (Walloon: Biene) is a village of Wallonia and a district in the municipality of Lobbes, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium.