history of jemappes

Jemappes found his name in the special position it occupies on the shores of the Haine and the Trouille. Indeed it is at the center of its territory, that the two rivers meet. From the seventh century, the village is designated under various terms, but having the same origin. It said: Gamappium (in 1065), Gamapium (in 1122), Gamapia (in 1150), Gemapna, Gemappes (in 1295), etc.., Terms in which two radicals are similar, Gam, Jem that mean gemelli, Gemini , and appia twins, who called mean better water or water. The union of two radicals wants to double water mark, the two waters.
History has seen several spellings before determining which is the current Jemappes: Jemmapes, Jemappes, Jemmappes, Jemmappe, Jemapes ... The French always write with two "m" so they pronounce "jémap".

Jemappes formed once seigniory which was attributed to the Count of Hainault as a secular high priest confessed the chapter of St. Waudru. Jemappes formed a council which belonged to the hereditary families de la Motte of Jemappes, of Beaurieu, of Vertaing, of Griffon, of Masnuy etc. The charter of freedoms and of Jemappes dated 16 April 1328.

On 6 November 1792, the town was the scene of the "battle of Jemmapes ", famous in France by the victory of General Dumouriez.
A monument erected on the hill of Campiau, the "Rooster of Jemappes", commemorates the battle. It is a stone obelisk blue Ecaussines, surmounted by a metal statue of a rooster more than 2 meters created by the sculptor Jean Gaspar. An inscription on the pedestal includes "Jemappes 1792" all of a height of several meters has been designed by architect Eugène Bodson and construction was carried out by the company to Jemappes Carmon. The monument was inaugurated for a first time on 24 September 1911, at the congress of the association of Mons "Les Amitiés françaises" (French friendly). The cock, turned eastwards, flouting the Germanic tribes who lost the battle. The Germans took the city in August 1914 during the 1st world war and destroy it for revenge. It will be rebuilt in 1922, carved by Samuel Charles will be rehabilitated for the second inauguration on 21 May by the same builders.

In 1857, Jemappes was the scene of particularly violent riots following the vote of the "law of convents" by a room predominantly Catholic. Opponents of the law while protesting violently throughout the country, but it is Jemappes that the most serious incident took place: the demonstrators ransacked and set fire to the convent of the brothers dochtrine and Christian religious s last ' run away to escape the angry people.

Late nineteenth century, people of Jemappes and friends from Borinage are mounted to Mons with pitchforks in protest against the status of the worker. They were received by the civic guard Mons up to the Canal Bridge, near the existing roundabout Great-Près. Fourches of Jemappes against guns of Mons, it was a bloodbath.
This fratricidal riots gave origin to the ancient hatred of Jemppes against Mons, blurred nowadays with younger generations. It has often been shown by entries in the village displayed such as "Nuts in Mons!" (especially when talking about the merger of Commons) or the famous "let's go Jumap, of 'at-Montois down!" a song which was written and is still sung in groups or families in Jemappes hardliners, once again, rarely less than 50 years ... or "we are borégne or we are not ", which marks the commitment of Jemappes for Borinage and not to Mons.
PS : Jumap is the dialect used to say in our region Jemappes, and borègne to say Borinage. The borinage is a region of Hainault which is composed of several towns like, Boussu, Quaregnon, Dour, Frameries, ...

In 1977, the entire commune Jemappes merged with 18 other municipalities to form the Big Mons. Currently Jemappes is an integral part of the city of Mons.
Jemappes colors are blue and white.