Hoeilaart

Coordinates: 50°46′N 04°28′E / 50.767°N 4.467°E / 50.767; 4.467Country BelgiumCommunityFlemish CommunityRegionFlemish RegionProvinceFlemish BrabantArrondissementHalle-VilvoordeGovernment • MayorTim Vandenput [nl] (Open VLD) • Governing party/iesOpen VLD, PRO HoeilaartArea • Total20.53 km² (7.93 sq mi)Population • Total11,172 • Density540/km² (1,400/sq mi)Postal codesNIS codeArea codes02Websitewww.hoeilaart.be

Hoeilaart (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦuilaːrt]) is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, Belgium. The name Hoeilaart is of Gallic-Celtic origin, coming from "Ho-Lar," meaning a high clearing in the woods. Residents are called Hoeilanders or Doenders. The municipality only comprises the town of Hoeilaart proper. On January 1, 2019, Hoeilaart had a total population of 11,325. The total area is 20.43 km² which gives a population density of 493 inhabitants per km². Hoeilaart also sometimes called "The Glass Village" because of the greenhouse grape cultivation that once took place.

The official language is Dutch. Local minorities consist of nationals from many European union-countries, USA and Canada, and numerous French-speakers. 38.1% in 2004 according to the birth statistics of the ONEM agency. 41.6% speak Dutch; the rest speak foreign languages.

Attractions

• Forest Museum Jan van Ruusbroec (in the Sonian Forest)
• Neo-Romanesque Church dating from 1870–1874
• Kasteel de Man (town hall)
• "Serristenvillas" from the 1920s
• Smeyberghoeve
• The old millhouse of the Groenendael Priory

• 
  Old tram station of Hoeilaart with Nero statue

Notable people

• Jan van Ruusbroec (1291–1381), one of the greatest mystics of the southern Netherlands.
• Armand Pien, weather forecaster on Flemish TV
• Michael Klawans, basketball three-point sharpshooter. Nicknamed White Chocolate.
• Marc Sleen, comics artist, author of Nero
• Jaak Pijpen [nl], lawyer, politician
• Walter Baele

References

External links

• Media related to Hoeilaart at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website - Only available in Dutch