Cureghem

Rural beginnings Cureghem was originally a hamlet dependent on Anderlecht on the banks of the river Senne, with a few mills, cottages, inns and a chapel called . The name Cureghem dates from the beginning of the 12th century (1130); it is of Germanic (Frankish) origin and is composed of Curo + -inga + heim, meaning "residence/domain of the family of Curo". The School of Veterinary Medicine and Rural Economics () moved there in 1836 and changed its name to the Royal Veterinary School of Cureghem (). It would remain the only veterinary school in the country for over a century. Industrialisation and urbanisation on the Brussels–Charleroi Canal in Cureghem, painting by Gustave Walckiers, Partly due to its favourable location on the Brussels–Charleroi Canal, opened in 1832, the textile industry flourished in the hamlet and many commercial activities were established along the Senne, many of which were linked to brewing and the slaughter of animals. Originally, the main slaughterhouse was that of the City of Brussels, built in 1842 on the site of the current Institute of Arts and Crafts. After various political discussions, it was moved along the /. The Abattoirs of Anderlecht were inaugurated in 1890. The tranquil image of large flooded meadows along the Senne that had prevailed until then disappeared forever. From then on, the district became increasingly prosperous and vibrant. The municipal authorities of Anderlecht decided to develop a dynamic urban planning policy by laying out wide streets lined with bourgeois houses to the west of the /, which had long been the backbone of Cureghem. This was also when the main municipal buildings were constructed, including the most emblematic of all: the current Municipal Hall, completed in 1879. Attempts at revitalising the neighbourhood have, however, not always been successful (see below). Social unrest On 27 March 1992, on and around the / in Cureghem. In the hours that followed, the violence spread to Saint-Gilles and Molenbeek-Saint-Jean. Until May, there was regular unrest in Forest, Schaerbeek and Saint-Josse-ten-Noode. On 7 November 1997, more in Cureghem after an alleged drug dealer was shot dead by the Gendarmerie. These riots brought the neighbourhood infamy at the time. After a fleeing young man was killed in a collision with a police vehicle, young rioters went on a rampage, ransacking another police vehicle and making off with a service weapon. Shortly afterwards, the municipal council decided to accelerate plans to expand car-free streets. ==Sights==

• The Municipal Hall of Anderlecht, located on the /, designed in neo-Flemish Renaissance style by the architect , which was opened in 1879. • The Cureghem Cellars (French: , Dutch: ), a subterranean complex of handmade brick caves with vaults, pillars, and arches, originally the site of a cattle market covered by a forged iron roof in the 1890s. The cellars were simply a foundation for the upper structure until the 1930s, when the city council decided to make better use of them. It proved more profitable to grow mushrooms in the dark and damp underground spaces for local consumption. It fell into disuse as a cattle market but, in 1984, the hall was officially listed as a Belgian monument. Due to its characteristic architecture and unique layout, it was refurbished and transformed by a private company, Abattoir SA. Since 1992, it has served as an event site. One of these was the anatomic exposition Body Worlds () by Gunther Von Hagens, which ran in the cellars between 2008 and 2009 and attracted over 500,000 visitors. • The Synagogue of Anderlecht, an Orthodox synagogue designed in Art Deco style by the architect and completed in 1933. • The National Memorial to the Jewish Martyrs of Belgium, a monument commemorating the 24,600 Belgian Jewish martyrs of World War II, designed by the architects André Godart and Odon Dupire, and completed in 1970. It is located in the centre of the /, which was created for the occasion. • Between 1836 and 1991, the district housed the Royal School of Veterinary Medicine, now moved to Liège but often still referred to as Cureghem. The old campus, listed as protected heritage, has undergone a large rehabilitation process. and the /. • Three listed buildings—the former Atlas Brewery, the old power station, and the former Moulart Mill— are testaments to the old industrial activities next to the waterway. • The Cantillon Brewery, a gueuze museum established in an actual working brewery. File:Town hall of Anderlecht (DSC 2233).jpg|Anderlecht's Municipal Hall seen from the / File:Anderlecht2019 02.jpg|Historic main building of the Royal School of Veterinary Medicine File:Synagogue of Anderlecht (1).jpg|Synagogue of Anderlecht File:Anderlecht, Monument "Aux forains morts glorieusement pour la patrie".jpg|Monument to the Showmen who died for the Fatherland on the Square de l'Aviation/Luchtvaartsquare ==See also==