(French, ) or (Dutch, ), meaning "The Wheel", is a district of Anderlecht, a municipality of Brussels, Belgium. Located in the south of Anderlecht, it is one of this municipality's largest districts of and one of Brussels' main garden cities. Mostly built in the 1920s, with its modest and picturesque houses, it offers a vision of an early 20th-century working-class neighbourhood. At its southern edge, it is also home to the Food and Chemical Industries Education and Research Center (/), as well as large department stores.

The district is crossed by the last end of the / in Brussels, and is bounded to the east by the Brussels–Charleroi Canal and to the south by the Flemish municipality of Sint-Pieters-Leeuw, in the Pajottenland. It is served by the metro stations Bizet, La Roue/Het Rad and CERIA/COOVI on line 5.

Toponymy

The name () likely originates from a large wheel once displayed near a forge or coach stop at the crossroads of the / and the /. Another legend refers to a breaking wheel used near a medieval prison tower that once stood in the area.

History

Origins and medieval times

The area has been inhabited since at least 4000 BCE. Archaeological discoveries in the / area revealed flint tools, stone grinders, and handmade ceramic vessels from prehistoric times. In 1890, workers unearthed the remains of a Roman villa and a Frankish cemetery, confirming continuous settlement from antiquity through the early medieval era.

In 1826, King William I of the Netherlands ordered the construction of the Brussels–Charleroi Canal to enhance transportation and water management. This infrastructure project significantly transformed the region by absorbing the overflow of the Senne and encouraging industrial growth. The subsequent development of railways in the 1920s further accelerated the area's industrial and urban evolution.

Following Belgian independence in 1830, urbanisation accelerated. Large-scale urban projects in Brussels displaced many working-class residents, prompting residential growth in the area. In 1901, the parish of Saint Joseph was established, initially marked by the construction of a small chapel on the /, which was later replaced by the larger Church of St. Joseph, completed in 1937. The design of the 688 single-family houses was entrusted to a group of architects, including , under the leadership of and the urban planner . The project became a testing ground for new construction techniques and materials. The homogeneous ensemble comprised nearly sixty different house models, each featuring a common room, laundry, two storage spaces, three bedrooms, an attic, and a garden of approximately .

Following the war, many houses were sold to residents who often lacked the means to maintain or adapt them to modern requirements, leading to alterations that sometimes compromised the original character of the neighbourhood. By 2005, the Foyer Anderlechtois still owned 40% of the housing stock and had launched renovation and owner-awareness programmes.

  • The Municipal School no. 21, another Art Deco building from 1939.
  • The Food and Chemical Industries Education and Research Center (/), one of the largest agribusiness industry campuses in Belgium.
  • The former depot and station of the National Company of Light Railways (NMVB/SNCV).

<gallery mode="packed" heights="180">

File:Saint Joseph Church (1).jpg|Church of St. Joseph

File:La Roue (2).jpg|Municipal School no. 21

File:Het Rad metroingang in Anderlecht.jpg|La Roue/Het Rad metro station

File:Anderlecht Canal (2).jpg|View along the canal in La Roue

</gallery>

See also

  • Neighbourhoods in Brussels
  • History of Brussels

References

  • La Roue — quartier historique, a document about La Roue/Het Rad by Florent Van Hoey, November 1984 (PDF)