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Overijse (Municipality, Province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium)

by Andy Weir

Presentation of Overijse
Municipal flag of Overijse

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Presentation of Overijse

Overijse (24,000 inhabitants) is located in the Flemish Brabant, between Brussels and Wavre. The city got its name from the river which waters the municipality, the IJse. The oldest known form of the name is Isca, mentioned in a chart dated 832. Isca is the Latinized form of a Celtic root which means water.

Overijse had an uneven history, with periods of rise and fall. Between 1001 and 1005, Overijse received its first chart from Duke Otto of Lorraine. Thanks to this chart, the merchants of Overijse did not pay the tax on the grain market of Brussels.
In 1234, Duke Henri granted the citizens of Overijse a freedom chart. The citizens of Overijse had therefore the same status as the inhabitants of Brussels, Leuven and Wavre, which were then the three richest cities in Brabant.

The rule of the sleazy Lords of Witthem, which started in 1345, was a period of decline for Overijse. In 1488, the village was burned down by the troops of Maximilian of Austria. Between 300 and 400 inhabitants were killed in the church. The decline of the vineyards started around 1500.

After the destruction, the XVIth century was a period of rebirth. A colossal building site allowed the reconstruction of the center of the village. The St. Hubert's hospital was built and th