The wind whispers tales of two cities. It speaks of Lille and Menin. Today, we stand at Menin. Menin is Menen in Dutch. It is a city with a foot in both worlds. Menin sits in Belgium’s Flemish Region. This city shares a border with Halluin. Halluin is a French commune. The main street connects. Rijselstraat in Menin becomes Rue de Lille in Halluin.
Menin is part of the Eurometropolis Lille-Courtrai-Tournai. This area links cities across borders. It connects people and economies.
Let’s take a look around Menin. The city is split in two. The Lys River divides it. The old town is to the west, north of the river. Another part lies to the south. A small strip of land connects them. This is Barakken or Les Baraques.
Menin is close to other cities. Courtrai is 10 km to the northeast. Ypres lies 10 km to the west. Tourcoing is 10 km to the south. Lille is 15 km to the southwest.
The Lys River shapes Menin. It forms part of the border with France. An old bend in the river creates an industrial zone. This area belongs to Halluin.
Menin includes more than just the city center. Lauwe and Rekkem are also part of the municipality. These are sections of the city.
Menin’s history is rich. In 1338, Louis de Male bought Menin. He was the Count of Flanders. He added it to his lands.
The 15th century saw change. Flanders became part of the Burgundy region. It was one of the Burgundian Netherlands’ components.
Charles de Habsbourg later ruled. He became King of Spain as Charles I. He was also Emperor Charles Quint. He made Flanders part of the Holy Roman Empire. In 1555, he passed the Netherlands to his son. His son was Phillip II, King of Spain.
In 1578, Menin was fortified. Calvinists fortified it. They were from the Republic of Ghent. Later, Emmanuel de Lalaing took Menin. He was working for the King of Spain. The city was retaken. Scottish Colonel Henri Balfour took it. He represented the States General. In 1582, Alexandre Farnese took Menin again. Menin stayed with the Spanish King. The northern provinces formed a new state. They were called the United Provinces.
France took Menin in 1668. Louis XIV had Vauban build new walls. In 1706, enemies captured Menin. This happened during the War of the Spanish Succession. The Treaty of Utrecht gave Menin back. It went to the Southern Netherlands. These lands became the Austrian Netherlands.
In 1715, the Barrier Treaty allowed Dutch troops in Menin. This was to protect against France. In 1744, France seized Menin again. This was during the War of the Austrian Succession. They held it until 1748.
Menin was the main town. It was one of five areas in the Courtrai region. This area included Izegem. It also included other towns.
Jean-Andre van der Mersch was born in Menin. He led a revolt in 1789. He fought against the Austrians.
French forces captured Menin. They were reinforced by Belgian troops. Hanoverian soldiers retook it. The French army besieged Menin. Menin became part of France. It was in the Lys department.
In 1815, Menin joined the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Belgian Revolution in 1830 created Belgium.
Menin has a coat of arms. It features red chevrons on a silver background. This design dates back centuries.
Menin is a city of languages. Some say over 30% of the city spoke French in 2013.