Forest (French, ) or Vorst (Dutch, ), is one of the 19 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region, Belgium. Located in the southern part of the region, it is bordered by Anderlecht, Ixelles, Uccle, and Saint-Gilles, as well as the Flemish municipality of Drogenbos. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it is legally bilingual (French–Dutch). , the municipality had a population of 56,616 inhabitants. The total area is 6.29 km2, which gives a population density of 8998 PD/km2. The municipality is commonly known for Forest National/Vorst Nationaal concert hall. It also houses an important prison, an Audi factory and a railway depot that is home to the Belgian fleet of Eurostar train sets.

Etymology

The first inhabitants named their village Vorst, which was likely based on the Old Dutch word Vorstbosch, meaning "forest" (bosch) of the "prince" (vorst). This likely found its origin in the Latin name forestem silvam, meaning "private forest". This also explains why the French translation differs from the original Dutch name; whereas the other 18 municipalities of the Brussels-Capital Region retained the Dutch phonetic name in their French translation, Vorst was translated into Forest, likely based on the Latin concept of forestem silvam.

History

Frankish origins and medieval period

The first houses built in this forested area along the Geleysbeek, a tributary of the river Senne, date from the 7th century. The village's first church was dedicated to Saint Dionysius the Areopagite. The legend of Saint Alena, a young convert to Chalcedonian Christianity murdered by her father's troops for hearing mass at the church of Dionysius, also takes place in the 7th century. The chapel and cult of Saint Alena, however, date only from the 12th century. The saint's cenotaph, one of the rare examples of 12th-century sculpture in Belgium, can still be admired in the chapel today. The contiguous Church of St. Denis (Dionysius) was rebuilt in the Romanesque style at around the same time. The abbots of Affligem, which had been the ecclesiastical owners of the parish since the bishop of Cambrai ceded it to them in 1105, decided to build a priory for women in Forest; Forest Abbey. The first abbess of the Forest priory was appointed in 1239. Also in the 13th century, the Romanesque Church of St. Denis was rebuilt in the newer Gothic style. The neighbouring abbatial church was rebuilt in the 15th century.

17th century until today

During the period of the Austrian Netherlands, especially during the reigns of Archdukes Albert and Isabella, Forest prospered, thanks to the Abbey. On 26 March 1764, however, a devastating fire ruined some of the buildings and destroyed many of its artworks. Three decades later, in the years following the French Revolution, the religious community was disbanded, the nuns forced to flee, and the buildings sold. The municipality bought the Abbey in 1964 and proceeded to restore it to its former glory.

Main sights

Events and folklore

Famous inhabitants

International relations

Twin towns and sister cities

Forest is twinned with: