Saint-Ghislain

Saint-Ghislain (French pronunciation: ​[sɛ̃ ɡilɛ̃]; Picard: Sint-Guilin) is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 22,466 inhabitants. The total area is 70.18 square kilometres (27.10 sq mi), giving a population density of 320 inhabitants per square kilometre (830/sq mi).

For the 7th-century Belgian saint, see Saint Ghislain.
Saint-Ghislain
Municipality
Saint-Ghislain: the former town hall (1752), the new church, and the tower of the old church (16th century)
Flag
Coat of arms
Saint-Ghislain
Location in Belgium
Location of Saint-Ghislain in Hainaut
Coordinates: 50°27′N 03°49′E
CountryBelgium
CommunityFrench Community
RegionWallonia
ProvinceHainaut
ArrondissementMons
Government
 • MayorDaniel Olivier
 • Governing party/iesPS
Area
 • Total70.18 km2 (27.10 sq mi)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total23,335
 • Density330/km2 (860/sq mi)
Postal codes
7330-7334
Area codes065
Websitewww.saint-ghislain.be

History

The town is named after Saint Ghislain. In the 7th century, with two unknown disciples Ghislain made a clearing in the vicinity of Castrilocus (now Mons), later taking up his abode at a place called Ursidongus, where he built an oratory or chapel dedicated to Saints Peter and Paul. Ursidongus was later named after him.

Economy

Google chose Saint-Ghislain in 2007 to host its new major European datacenter. As of October 2011 Google currently has 12 people employed full-time.

People born in Saint-Ghislain

References
  1. "Wettelijke Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2018". Statbel. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
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