Saint-Josse-ten-Noode
Saint-Josse-ten-Noode () or Sint-Joost-ten-Node (), often simply called Saint-Josse or Sint-Joost, is one of the nineteen municipalities in the Brussels-Capital Region of Belgium. It is bordered by the City of Brussels and Schaerbeek. On 1 January 2007, the municipality had a total population of 23,785. The total area is 1.14 km² which gives a population density of 20,664 inhabitants per km². From a total of 581 municipalities in Belgium, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode is both the smallest in area size and the most densely populated. In common with all  of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch). History. Named after Judoc, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode was originally a farming village on the outskirts of Brussels. In the centuries before the dismantling of the ramparts encircling Brussels, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode was also the place where noblemen built country estates, the most notable amongst them the Castle of the Dukes of Brabant built by Philip the Good in 1456. The area surrounding that castle was planted with wine groves which explains the presence of the bushel of grapes in the coat of arms of the commune. After the demolition  of the ramparts, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode was one of the first areas outside Brussels to urbanise. The rich built houses around the new boulevards and higher parts of the commune, while industries and workman's cottages were built in the lower lying part close to the River Zenne. In 1855, 58% of the land area of Saint-Joose-Ten-Noode was annexed by the municipality of the City of Brussels to make way for the Squares Ambiorix, Palmerston, Marie-Louise and Marguerite of the newly created Leopold Quarter (now the European Quarter). According to an inventory of architecture commissioned  by the region of Brussels, Saint-Josse-ten-Noode has on average the oldest buildings of all 19 Brussels communes. Demographics. While foreigners were a majority in 1995, in 2007 most of the population had Belgian citizenship, which has resulted in a sharp increase of municipal councillors with a foreign background, benefitting from the open proportional electoral system: from none in 1988 to two (from Morocco) in 1994, a near majority of 13 (seven from Morocco, five from Turkey) out of 27 in 2000 (including three aldermen) and a majority of 20 out of 27 in 2007 (including six aldermen  out of seven, the seventh is a member of the Flemish minority). List of mayors. From: "Histoire de Saint Josse Ten Noode et de Schaerbeek" – Van Bemmel – 1869 and other sources available at the local public library. Culture. Charlier Museum is devoted to Belgian art of the end of the 19th century. The Jazz Station is a museum and archive on jazz, and a venue for jazz concerts.