Beersel

Not to be confused with Beerzel, also a place in Flanders.

Beersel (Dutch: [ˈbeːrsəl] ^ⓘ) is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium, 12 kilometres (7.5 mi) 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.^[2] The total area is 30.01 km² (11.59 sq mi), which gives a population density of 856/km² (2,220/sq mi).^[3]

Beersel
Municipality
Beersel Castle, one of the municipality's notable monuments
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Beersel
Beersel Location in Belgium Beersel in the Province of Flemish Brabant
Coordinates: 50°46′N 04°18′E
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	Flemish Brabant
Arrondissement	Halle-Vilvoorde
Government
• Mayor	Jo Vander Meylen (CD&V)
• Governing party/ies	Lijst Burgemeester, N-VA, Open VLD
Area
• Total	30.4 km2 (11.7 sq mi)
Population  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	25,069
• Density	820/km2 (2,100/sq mi)
Postal codes	1650, 1651, 1652, 1653, 1654
NIS code	23003
Area codes	02
Website	www.beersel.be

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.^[4] 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^[4]