Turned

Etymology

The city is documented under the names of 1st century Turris Nerviorum , 300 Turnacum , 365 Turnaco , which signifie : with (Celtic suffix barge ) the hills (Gallic *turno “height”).

Geography

Turned is located in Low-Belgium, with the southern limit of Flemish plain, in the basin of the Scheldt. It belongs to the Province of Hainaut, the Walloon region and the French Communauté of Belgium. Turned has its clean Arrondissement which joins together the communes of Turned, Antoing, Brunehaut, Those, Estaimpuis, Leuze-in-Hainaut, Mount-with-the Enclus, Pecq, Péruwelz and Rumes. Turned is a city which includes/understands many parks, churches and ramparts.

This French-speaking city was, for a long time, one of the urban centres most important of the Comté of Flanders, the Royaume of France and the Netherlands (Austrian, Spanish,…), but an economic decline and a demographic stagnation with the Industrial revolution made of it a town of small size in the arc of European density commonly called blue Banane.

Its surface of 213,75 km ² makes of it the widest commune of Belgium, and it is most important as a population of Western Hainaut. She is located at 85 kilometers in the west of Brussels and at 25 kilometers in the east of Lille.

Physical environment

Turned and the Scheldt

The “city with the five bell-towers” is crossed by the the Scheldt, it belongs to the under-basin the High-Scheldt. It belongs to the chain of cities scaldiennes, all distant between them of about thirty kilometers: Cambric, Valencian, Turned, Audenarde, Ghent, Termonde and Antwerp. The Scheldt is born on the plates from Picardy. After having digressed in the alluvial plain, the river is tightened around Antoing, by boring the dome of the Mélantois, until Tournai for then penetrating the Flemish plain and continuing a road formerly full with meanders. Turned is thus between two dual areas: plates in the south and plains in north, calcareous stone areas favourable with the exploitation of careers upstream and the Flemish plain favourable with the trade downstream.

Thanks to this opening of the valley of the Scheldt, Tournai had as of its foundation a vocation of town of passage and contact. The left bank is rectified than Right Bank, with a culminating point with 77 meters (Peak-With-Wind). On the other hand, the Right Bank is occupied by an alluvial plain of small a rieu, the rieu of Love. The elevated position of left bank supported the establishment of the city there, in addition to the meeting between the Roman Voie Arras - Asse and the the Scheldt, as well as a secondary Roman way, the way Bavay - Cassel - Boulogne-sur-Mer.

The Scheldt had an important economic role throughout the history of the city. The authorized tonnage of the Scheldt with Tournai is today of 1.350 tons.

The river is polluted enough, even if water quality improves since construction of stations of purification. French heavy industries at the border during many years poured many pollutants. The river is also polluted by the consumption of the inhabitants and the spreading of the farmers. At the beginning of the century, the Scheldt was famous to contain fish enormously, particularly salmons at the beautiful season. The fish populations are rather weak now.

Ground water

The city is located above an abundant network of ground water of carboniferous limestone.

This large ground water of carboniferous limestone exceeds the regional and national borders and is overexploited. She does not know an administrative border. They are initially the French who drew excessively, then the Belgians (French-speaking and Dutch-speaking side) without holding account one of the other. The piezometric level decreases by one meter per annum since the Sixties (although this level tends to stagnate lately). The tablecloth thus lost nearly 70 meters in 50 years. The three areas (Walloon, Flemish and Nord/Pas-de-Calais Area) founded a dialog today, to put an end to this overexploitation. This overexploitation actuates karstic wells , more known under the name of “sand pipes”, in the area of Turned.

Geology

Turned is located on a Anticlinal, the faulted Anticline of Mélantois-Tournaisis. This geological structure is directed East-West and its longitudinal faults are for dextral majority taking down. It ennoie in the east and passes to a synclinal depression to the nord : the Synclinal one of Roubaix.

The faulted Anticline of Mélantois-Tournaisis is notched by the valley of the Scheldt, with the result that enters Tournai and Antoing, the calcareous rock levels the surface of the ground more or less. This rock of the base Paléozoïque is called “ Limestone of Tournai ” and belonged to a stage of the Carboniferous lower, called Tournaisien. It is a argilo-siliceous limestone forming a rather monotonous whole of layers of which the total thickness exceeds the 300 meters and is broad of approximately 25 meters.

The calcareous rock was useful as of the construction material Antiquity at the same time rough and cut but also transformed into Chaux and Ciment. It is always exploited at our time even if many careers closed.

The whole of the area of Turned is covered by wind silts with Pleistocene (Lœss). The funds of the valleys are clogged partially by old alluvia (Pleistocene) and recent (Holocene).

Natural environment

In spite of a rather green character, the natural environment of Turned is poor and impoverishes themselves still nowadays. The biodiversity regresses there because the urbanization is strong there and important pollution. Turned is between two natural parks, the Natural park of the Plains of the Scheldt in the south and the natural park of the Country of the Hills in the North-East. The area of Turned thus has vocation to be a zone of connection between these two natural parks. Unfortunately it is not reality.

There are some types of natural environments in the commune of Turned: parks, waste lands, hedges, the wetlands like the marshes of the rieu of love, old careers like that of “the East”, rieus and funds of valley, and spaces wooded.

The countryside tournaisienne has been subjected to strong a Urbanisation for more than 20 years, which is worsening because much of French and inhabitant of Brussels were attracted by weak real prices compared to their areas of origin. A certain number of French also came in the area to avoid the Solidarity tax on fortune, their removal facilitated by the opening of the borders of the European countries. The village of Orcq, as well as the common neighbor of Estaimpuis are famous to shelter some French big families.

The environment of Turned rather well is polluted and put at severely tested, in particular by the rhythm of life of the inhabitants (motor vehicle traffic,…). Industry cimentière also has a rather strong influence by the degradation of grounds in career there to extract from the stone and the constitution of spoil heaps by the embankments. This industry cimentière affects the quality of the air, by the combustion of limestone, like the use of the furnaces for the Incinération of waste. This incineration always is very badly felt by the local populations, particularly the villagers of Gaurain-Ramecroix. The area of the careers of Turned Antoing is called “the White Country” because the rejections of dust of industry cimentière make the roofs white and the places near the careers and of the cement factories resemble lunar landscapes.

Climate

Turned enjoys a oceanic climate Tempéré. The principal features of this climate are the low seasonal thermal amplitudes and of the precipitations moderated throughout the year.

History

Monumental inheritance and museums

Religious architecture

the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Tournai
the church Saint-Quentin
the church Holy-Marie-Madeleine
the church Saint-Marguerite
the church Saint-Jacob
the church Saint-Piat
the church of Rédemptoristes
the church Saint-Brice, where one discovered the March 27th 1653, falls it from Childéric Ier, wire of Mérovée and father of Clovis.
the church Midsummer's Day
the church Saint Nicolas's Day
the church Saint-Pierre (demolished in 1822)

Civil architecture

the belfry
the Market with Cloths
the Town hall

Architectural units

the Town square
the quays

Military architecture

the Bridge of the Holes
the Turn Henri VIII
the fortifications

Museums

the Museum of Archeology
the Royal Museum of Weapons and military History
the Museum of the Art schools
the Museum of Natural history
the Museum of History and of decorative Arts
the Museum of the Tapestry and arts of the fabric
the House Tournaisienne - Museum of Folklore

Culture

Turned, Flemish city of Romance expression

Turned is a Belgian city of French language. The local language, the tournaisien, is a Picardy dialect like the dialects of other communes of Hainaut and the north of France.

The city of Turned, which in the past always benefitted from a rather broad autonomy, fact part of the Romance Flanders just like Lille, Douai, Tourcoing or Mouscron. These cities, bilingual or not, belong to the Flemish cultural surface and thus have Flemish characteristics which one finds in their artistic heritage (architecture, painting, sculpture,…).

Thus, the city of Turned was one of the great arts centres and economic Flemish whatever the crown of which it was " vassale". Here are some evidence:

the Gothic chorus of the Cathédrale Notre-Dame de Tournai was a precursory element of the art scaldien which is typically Flemish.
Tournai was the religious capital of the Flanders lasting more than thousand years (from 496 to 1559)
the tapestry and drapery tournaisienne belongs to the Flemish university and Turned formed even Flemish part of Hanse of London which gathered the clothiers cities of Flanders.
the church Saint-Brice de Tournai is the first specimen of the style hallekerk which is so typical Flemish cities and campaigns.
Certains great names of the primitive Flemish are tournaisiens: Robert Campin, Roger of Pasture, Jacques Daret.
the tradition of the Monday lost or perjury (in Dutch verloren maandad or verzworen maandag ) is a very long-lived Flemish tradition with Tournai.

Even if it is located in the Flemish cultural surface, Tournai also has treasures of art mosan, style typical of the Walloon cultural center. Indeed, two more important mountings of the Cathedral Notre-Dame de Tournai, mountings of Notre-Dame Flemish and of Saint-Eleuthère (13th century), are two works of Nicolas de Verdun (artist inhabitant of Li2ege born in 1181) of which évêché of Turned had placed order. These reliquaries testify to the opulence of the towns of Turned and Liege to the Middle Ages: in particular the Flemish mounting of Notre-Dame who is regarded as one of the seven wonders of Belgium.

Music

The Messe of Turned is the oldest polyphonic mass which reached us until today, it gathers in an anonymous collection of the parts going back to 1330 to approximately 1340.

Gastronomy

the Rabbit of Monday perjury Known as: " Monday perdu"
the salad tournaisienne
the Success of the Day
the cookies " Delacre"
the balloons tournaisiens.
the aperitifs " The tournaisien" and " the tournaisienne".
the cookies " Desobry"

The products of the entity of Turned.

the beers " Bush"
the products " Lutosa"
the beer " Tournay" brewery of Cazeau (only brewery of the entity of Turned)

Folklore

the Monday perjury Known as: " Monday perdu"
the Saint Nicolas
the Grande procession of Turned
the Four Processions, with its giants
the Jeu of Iron
the sets of Balls
the Balle winds into a ball
the Royale Company of the Walloon Cabaret Tournaisien
the Carnaval of Turned

Others

Madelin the clown tournaisien is a cartoon of Arnauld Cambier highlighting the folklore and the traditions of the area.

Famous characters

Clovis Ier, King of the Francs (5th century)
Lethalde and Englebert, cross Flemish (11th century)
Rogier van der Weyden (or Rogier of Pasture), painter, primitive Flemish (15th century)
Christine de Lalaing, wife of the Governor of Turned, Princesse of Epinoy (16th century)
Guillaume of Melun, prince d' Espinoy (17th century)
Louis-François-Joseph of the Bar, historian and writer (18th century)
Donat Casterman, printer (18th century)
Albert Goblet of Alviella, soldier and politician (19th century)
Jules Bara, political personality (19th century)
Jean-Baptiste Noted, baritone (19th century)
Wild Piat, painter (19th century)
Louis Gallait, painter (19th century)
Bruno Renard, architect (19th century)
Georges Rodenbach writer (19th century)
Small Gabrielle, nurse, spy of the First World War (19th century)
Luc Game preserve, celebrates sporting commentator (20th century)

See too

External bonds

texts of Tounai as Picardy and former French
Official site of the city of Turned
Tournai on Wikitravel
Wikiz Tournai: collaboratif site of local information
Official site of the CPAS of Turned
Site of the Union of the Cities and Communes of Wallonia
Site of Inter-commune of Economic development of Turned Ath
Site of the House of Tourism of Tournaisis
Site of the Transborder Center of Industrial development and Commercial of Turned Lille (Ctdic)

Sporting clubs

Regional Entente of Tournaisis
Royal Football Club Turned
Aqua Sub Tournai: school of deep-sea diving
Turned Yacht Club: veil and pleasure sailing
Cyclo Club of Kain
Kain Tennis Club
Union of Audax de Tournai - bicycle touring
Mount-Walk - walking
Tournai Game of bowls Club
Tournai Celtics Baseball & Softball Club asbl

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