ABOUT WATERLOO

Waterloo, the "morne plaine" of Victor Hugo, owes its fame to the Duke of Wellington. At his headquarters, there he drafted the message announcing the defeat of Napoleon after the battle of Mont-Saint-Jean or the "Belle Alliance". Although the fighting mostly took place in Braine-l'Alleud and the surrounding areas, history commemorates it under the name of the "Battle of Waterloo" with its monument, the "Butte du Lion" (the Lion's Mound).



Originally a hamlet of Braine-l'Alleud, at the end of the 18th century Waterloo became an entirely separate town. Some twenty kilometres from Brussels, in the young province of Brabant wallon, it today plays an important economic, touristic and cultural role due to the enthusiasm of its many national and international companies, its trades-people and the high cultural standards of its residents from all corners of the world.