Last modified: 2021-07-01 by ivan sache
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The municipality of Herent (19,395 inhabitants on 1 January 2007; 3,273 ha; municipal website) is located east of Brussels, close to Leuven. The municipality of Herent was established in 1976 as the merger of the former municipalities of Herent (10,519 inh.), Veltem-Beisem (4,371 inh.) and Winksele (4,236 inh.). At the same time, the village of Wijgmaal was transferred from Herent to Leuven while the village of Kelfs was transferred to Haacht.
Herent has been known as a parish since the 9th century and as a
municipality with magistrates and a seal since the 13th century. The
Mayor of Herent had jurisprudence over the neighbouring municipalities
of Veltem, Winksele, Tildonk, Korbeek-Dijle and Neerijse. The
magistrates met in an inn and the archives were kept into two coffers.
Herent belonged to the Duchy of Brabant; in 1658, King Philip IV made of the domain a Barony granted to Rene of Mol, who was succeeded by the Barons of Spangen. In 1687, King Charles II allowed them to change the
name of the domain for Herent van Spangen. This use was suppressed
after the French Revolution.
Located close to Leuven, Herent was often the gathering place of the
troops besieging Leuven, the convent of Bethlehem being used for
housing the staff. Herent was occupied by Maarten van Rossum (1543),
William the Silent (1572), the Duke of Alençon (1582), Richelieu and
the Prince of Orange (1635) and the French troops (1694).
Ivan Sache, 17 July 2007
The flag of Herent is quartered, 1, on a blue field, the Blessed Virgin
holding Baby Jesus in her left hand an a fleur-de-lis in her right
hand, all in yellow; 2, on a black field, a yellow lion with red tongue
and claws, facing the flag fly, and a yellow "W" placed in the lower left
corner; 3, like 2, but without the "W"; 4, a white field with a serrated
blue chief charged with three yellow fleurs-de-lis.
The flag, adopted on 25 February 1986 by the Municipal Council, is prescribed by a Decree issued on 1 July 1986 by the Executive of Flanders and published on 3 December 1987 in the Belgian official gazette.
The flag is a banner of the municipal arms.
[Gemeentewapens in België - Vlaanderen en Brussel [w2v02]]
The four quarters of the arms of Herent show the former arms of the
four components of the new municipality, Herent, Winksele, Veltem and
Beisem, respectively.
The arms of Herent were granted by Royal Decree on 9 July 1861, after a municipal seal already used in 1391 and also found in 1452, 1539 and 1590. The arms of Winksele, with the Brabantian lion and a "W" for the village name, were granted by Royal Decree on 24
April 1912, after a municipal seal already used in 1309 and also found
in 1424 and 1539.
[Wapenboek van de Provinciën en Gemeenten van België [svm55a]]
Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 17 July 2007
