Beersel () is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium, south-west of the centre of Brussels. The municipality comprises the towns of Alsemberg, Beersel proper, Dworp, Huizingen and Lot. On 1 January 2023, Beersel had a total population of 26.473. The total area is , which gives a population density of .

Beersel is perhaps best known for Beersel Castle, built between 1300 and 1310 by Jean II, Duke of Brabant, as a defense for Brussels. Guillaume Dufay, a notable 15th-century Franco-Flemish composer, was likely born in Beersel. In terms of gastronomy, Beersel is known for its boterham met plattekaas en radijzen (sandwich with white cheese and radishes), usually served with a geuze beer, and for its mandjeskaas (literally 'basket cheese'), which is a white cheese stored in little baskets. Beersel also has two traditional, authentic geuze breweries, Oud Beersel and 3 Fonteinen.

Notable residents

• Eugène Prévinaire (1805–1877, Huizingen), second governor of the National Bank of Belgium (NBB) from 1870 until 1877

• Herman Teirlinck (1879–1967), writer

• Stéphane Demol (1966–2023), assistant manager of the Belgium national football team

• Morten Olsen (born 1949), former football player and manager of the Denmark national football team

• Karel Van Miert (1942–2009), former European Commissioner

• Guillaume Dufay (1397?–1474), Burgundian composer

References

Citations

Bibliography

External links

• Official website - Only available in Dutch

• Gazetteer Entry