Sint-Pieters-Leeuw
Sint-Pieters-Leeuw (, ) is a Dutch-speaking municipality of Belgium located in the province of Flemish Brabant (Flemish Region). The municipality comprises the towns of Oudenaken, Ruisbroek, Sint-Laureins-Berchem, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw proper and Vlezenbeek. Sint-Pieters-Leeuw is located just outside the Brussels-Capital Region, in the Payottenland. The municipality is a blend of parks, castles, meadows and gardens with the Coloma park as its green heart. On January 1, 2018, Sint-Pieters-Leeuw had a total population of 34,025. The total area is 40.38 km² which gives a population density of 842 inhabitants per  km². It is a mostly a residential community with largely preserved rural areas and some industrial zones. History. The municipality is one of the largest municipalities in Flemish Brabant. The rural settlement grew into a major residential and professional community. Sint-Pieters-Leeuw has a lengthy history behind it. The oldest document dates back to the 9th century and is a deed of donation by 'dame Angela', a noblewoman from Brabant, in which reference is made to a 'domain' of seven miles in length and one mile in width with a parent church and 9 subsidiary churches', donated to the  chapter of Saint Peter in Deutz, Cologne. From 1236 onwards the domain belonged to the Land of Gaasbeek. In 1284 Henry I, Duke of Brabant and lord of Gaasbeek, granted a copy of the local penal code to the populace, which led the municipality to long remain the principal seat of a 'meierij' (Dutch for a district over which a mayor has jurisdiction) and a college of Aldermen. In 1687 the fiefdom of Gaasbeek was publicly sold in various parts. By marriage or inheritance both the water castle of Coloma, currently the Municipal Cultural Centre, and the rights of the  fiefdom as well as all manner of provisions (among others mills) became the possession of important nobles and courtiers such as Jan Karel Roose, member of the Great Council of Mechelen and Vital-Alex de Coloma, chamberlain of empress Maria-Theresia. Since 1 January 1977 the former municipalities of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, Oudenaken, Ruisbroek, Sint-Laureins-Berchem and Vlezenbeek have been joined to form a new administrative residential community. Economy. Neuhaus, an international exporter of fine Belgian chocolate, is based in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, as well as Lindemans Brewery, a brewery that produces lambics, a distinctly Belgian type of beer . Other companies with a headquarters or main plant in Sint-Pieters-Leeuw include Belle-Vue Brewery, Mercedes-Benz Truck Center, Vanden Borre, Printer Systems (Avery Dennison), a Material Plant and Reinforcement Steel Plant of Besix and DATS 24 (a subsidiary of Colruyt). Sights. Attractions include: