Commune d’Anderlecht / Gemeente Anderlecht

The name Anderlecht can be found for the first time in 1046. During the 11th century, the area consisted of the seigneuries Anderlecht and Aa and the villages Cureghem and Neerpede. The current municipality came into being as a result of the growing together of the lordships and villages. In 1394, Duchess Johanna of Brabant added Anderlecht to Brussels. It was not until the end of the Ancien Régime that it became an independent municipality.

In 1795, Anderlecht became the principal town of a canton. This canton had 11,400 inhabitants and 11 municipalities: Anderlecht, Dilbeek, Groot-Bijgaarden, Itterbeek, Jette, Laaken, Sint-Agatha-Berchem, Sint-Jans-Molenbeek, Sint-Maartens-Bodegem, Vlezenbeek and Wambeek. The canton had extensive pastures, which made it known for its rich grain production.

In 1890, it became the seat of a peace court. Due to language laws, the Dutch-speaking municipalities were removed from the canton in 1963. This meant that only the municipalities of Anderlecht and Sint-Agatha-Berchem belonged to the canton.

The archives of the municipality are kept in a building of the town hall. In 2004, it was moved from the 3 cellars to a depot with mobile shelves. There was mould in the cellars, which meant that some archive documents had to be thrown away. The archive department manages the archive documents of 4 departments: the personnel department, the town planning department, the municipality's property and the reports of the municipal council and the bench of aldermen. The other departments have their own systems for organising their archives, and some have drawn up inventories that are kept in their offices. The departments keep archive documents in their offices and in the depot. The original minutes of the municipal council are kept in the town hall and the headings are in the depot. The minutes are now stored digitally, which means that copies are no longer made. They also keep files on the mayors, elected officials and aldermen. The records concerning the revenue are kept in 2 separate rooms in the attic.

The archives of the commune of Anderlecht are kept in three different locations: in the Erasmushuis (Erasmus House), the Rijksarchief Brussel (State Archives of Brussels) and at the commune itself.

Part of the commune's archives can be found in the Erasmushuis. The residence of the humanist Desiderius Erasmus became a museum in 1932 where a lot of historical material is preserved. In the first place, mainly church archives are kept there, but municipal archives transferred from Anderlecht can also be found. The following series from the Ancien Régime and the French period can be found there:

Religious services (1778-1898) Elections (1796-1903) Municipal property (1780-1882) Real estate (1795-1883) Justice and police (1795-1883) Militia (1796-1861) Personnel (1796-1879) Taxes (1795-1871) Local roads (1795-1861) Land tax registers (1785-1805) Registers of municipal correspondence (1799-1834) Military claims (1796-1835) Minutes of the municipal council of the canton of Anderlecht (1796-1800) Registers of civil status (from 1794) Immigration (from 1924) Burial registers (from 1866) Civil guard (since 1883) Notary public (from 1796) In addition, the Erasmus House contains military records from both the First World War and the Second World War. Also historical documents from the French period and the Ancien Régime are preserved, including correspondence about the arrival of R. Napoléon and Marie-Louise in Anderlecht in 1810.

In the Brussels State Archives, one finds 2.70 metres of archives handed over by the municipality of Anderlecht. The archives cover the period from 1805 to 1939. The inventory can be consulted online.

Accounts Charity Population Elections Public Works Taxes Planning Police

In the municipality's depot, mainly records are kept that originate from the execution of the tasks of the municipal administration. The following series are present:

Bills (from 1953) Nursery and schools Household service Taxes Remuneration and pensions (from 1971) Legal affairs Urbanism (from the 1800s) Public Works Mayor's office Property of the municipality Offences Festivities and ceremonies (from 1946) Minutes of the municipal council (from 1810) Minutes of the college of aldermen Plans