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Braine-l’Alleud: Walloon Brabant’s Most Populous Municipality

With 40,756 inhabitants (2025), Braine-l’Alleud is the most populous municipality of Walloon Brabant, located about 20 km south of Brussels. It groups three sections: Braine-l’Alleud (1420), Lillois-Witterzée (1428) and Ophain-Bois-Seigneur-Isaac (1421).

Sections and profile

Braine-l’Alleud centre : Commercial and residential centre around the Saint-Étienne church, transformed into a field hospital after the Battle of Waterloo. Mixed housing of apartments and terraced homes.

Lillois-Witterzée and Ophain-Bois-Seigneur-Isaac : Rural sections dominated by villas and subdivisions, attracting affluent families and Brussels commuters.

Lion’s Mound domain : The famous Waterloo battlefield and the Lion’s Mound lie within municipal territory, along with the historic Hougoumont farm.

Lock types in Braine-l’Alleud

The villas and residential subdivisions (largely dominant outside the centre) are equipped with multipoint locks and high-security cylinders, often paired with armoured doors and alarm systems. The centre retains 19th-century terraced houses with original mortise locks, sometimes due for replacement. The sports complexes (Gaston Reiff) and over 123 sports associations generate access-control needs.

Daily interventions in Braine-l’Alleud

The station on railway line 124 (Brussels–Charleroi) and the Mont-Saint-Pont aqueduct (1844) mark the historic infrastructure. The numerous public services and schools, plus the tourist sites tied to 1815, make this a municipality of mixed use.