Charleroi (BE)

Loading map...

{"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"auto","height":"250px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":12,"defzoom":14,"layers":["OpenStreetMap"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":50.415,"lon":4.435,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Charleroi (Walloon: Tchålerwè) is a city and a municipality (201,816 inhabitants end 2017) of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The first written mention of a place called Charnoy dates from a 9th-century offering in the Lobbes abbey, which lists various neighboring towns and related tithe duties. During the Middle Ages, Charnoy was one of the many small hamlets in the area, part of the County of Namur. The history of Charleroi began in 1666 due to the Spanish efforts. Francisco Castel Rodrigo, Spanish Governor of the Netherlands, started to build a fortress near the Sambre. The name Charnoy was officially replaced by that of the newly founded city of Charles-Roi (King Charles), so named in honor of Charles II of Spain. The Belgian Revolution of 1830 gave the area its freedom from the Netherlands and ushered in a new era of prosperity, still based mostly on glass, metallurgy and coal, hence the area’s name, Pays Noir ("Black Country"). After the Industrial Revolution, Charleroi benefited from the increased use of coke in the metallurgical industry. People from across Europe were attracted by the economic opportunities, and the population grew rapidly. Spirou magazine which featured the popular cartoon characters Lucky Luke and the Smurfs was launched by the publishing company Éditions Dupuis in 1938. After World War II, Charleroi witnessed a general decline of its heavy industry.

Postal history before 1910

The following former 14 municipalities, merged into Charleroi in 1977 (post office opening year):

- Gosselies (before 1830) - Marchienne-au-Pont (1847) - Roux (1850) - Lodelinsart (1860) - Gilly and Jumet (1862) - Couillet (1864) - Ransart (1868) - Marcinelle and Mont-sur-Marchienne (1876) - Dampremy (1878) - Monceau-sur-Sambre and Montignies-sur-Sambre (1880) - Goutroux (1909 relay)

Charleroi after 1994

Bridge in 2008.

Slogan cancel Charleroi 1995.

Baudouin period

DC CHARLEROI 1 * 1 in 1956

DC CHARLEROI X in 1970

Circle CHARLEROI G2 in 1972

Circle CHARLEROI G4G in 1978

CHARLEROI X in 1992

Slogan cancels

Capitale du Pays Noir in 1955.

Non-touristic slogan cancel DC CHARLEROI X 1982.

Meter cancels

Meter cancel Charleroi 1971

Albert I period

Circle CHARLEROY (SUD) in 1910.

File:Charleroi (BE) ALBI b.jpg .

Leopold II period

DC CHARLEROI in 1875 (?).

Circle CHARLEROI in 1884.

Leopold I period

The CHARLEROI post office opened before 1830. It used a Perception code 25 with bars (before 1864) and 77 with points before 1874.

Perception 25 (horizontal bars) on the first stamp issue in 1849.

Perception 25 on a 40c medaillon issue.

Points 77 on a 1863 issue.

Sub-offices

Centre, Faubourg, Station, Sud, Ville Haute before 1910.

Charleroi (Ville Haute)

Opened around 1868.

CHARLEROY (VILLE HAUTE) in 1920. Click for the Stamp Set

Charleroi (Centre)

Opened on 5 August 1887.

Centre in 1890

Circle CHARLEROI (CENTRE) in 1897.

CHARLEROI in 1945.

Charleroi (Station)

Opened on 5 August 1887.

Charleroi Station was renamed to Charleroi-South (when?) after the opening of Charleroi-West.

Circle CHARLEROI (STATION) in 1897.

Circle CHARLEROI (STATION) in 1902.

Charleroi (Sud)

Opened on 18 April 1905.

Railway frame CHARLEROY- SUD in 1921.

Railway frame CHARLEROI (SUD) in 1942.

Railway frame CHARLEROI (SUD) in 1943.

Former municipalities

Sorted by opening date

Gosselies

Postal code: 6041 The GOSSELIES post office opened before 1830. It used a postal code 50 with bars (before 1864), and 152 with points before 1874.

Circle in 1879 on a 1875 issue.

Circle in 1889 on a postal card cut.

Circle with points in 1962 after the 1977 merge.

Marchienne-au-Pont

Postal code: 6030. It had a population of 17,000 in 1977. A post office opened on 1 September 1847. It used a Perception code 80, and 238 in points.

Circle in 1890.

Circle in 1898.

Circle in 1910.

Circle in 1921 (?) on a 10 c pair.

MARCHIENNE-AU-PONT in 1947.

Meter cancels

File:Charleroi (BE) mcM1.jpg Meter cancel Marchienne-au-Pont

File:Charleroi (BE) mcM2.jpg Meter cancel Marchienne-au-Pont

Roux

Postal code: 6044. A post office opened on 1 December 1850. It used a Perception code 160, and 317 in points.

Code 160 on a 1851 issue pair.

Circle in 1930.

Lodelinsart

Postal code: 6042.

A post office opened on 27 March 1860. It used a Distribution code 102, and 221 in points.

Circle in 1907.

Circle in 1974.

File:Charleroi (BE) LOD c.jpg

Gilly

Postal code: 6060

The GILLY post office opened on 17 November 1862. It used a postal code 203 with 8 bars (before 1864), and 149 with points before 1874.

Pair with 203 in 8 bars ona 1863 issue.

Circle in 1935.

Gilly on a 1990 issue.

Jumet

Postal code: 6040 The JUMET post office opened on 17 November 1862. It used a Perception code 204 before 1865, and a numeral 199 with points.

Frame JUMET MARCHANDISES in 1935.

JUMET F1F cancel on 1941 Semi-Postals local cover

Circle JUMET D1D in 1962

DC JUMET 1 6040 in 1982

Couillet

Postal code: 6010 (6090 before 1977).

The COUILLET post office opened on 28 April 1864. It used a numeral 91 with points.

Circle COUILLET C on a 1921 issue.

Circle at COUILLET 1 in 1981.

Ransart

Postal code: 6043 The RANSART post office opened on 1 May 1868. It used a numeral 306 with points.

Circle at RANSART in 1913.

Mont-sur-Marchienne

Loading map...

{"minzoom":false,"maxzoom":false,"mappingservice":"leaflet","width":"auto","height":"350px","centre":false,"title":"","label":"","icon":"","lines":[],"polygons":[],"circles":[],"rectangles":[],"copycoords":false,"static":false,"zoom":14,"defzoom":14,"layers":["OpenStreetMap"],"image layers":[],"overlays":[],"resizable":false,"fullscreen":false,"scrollwheelzoom":true,"cluster":false,"clustermaxzoom":20,"clusterzoomonclick":true,"clustermaxradius":80,"clusterspiderfy":true,"geojson":"","clicktarget":"","imageLayers":[],"locations":[{"text":"","title":"","link":"","lat":50.39,"lon":4.405,"icon":""}],"imageoverlays":null}

Mont-sur-Marchienne (Walloon: Mont-dzeu-Mårciene) is a section of Charleroi (13,670 inhabitants in 2008). A post office opened on 11 September 1876.

Postal code: 6032

Circle on a postal card cut in 1886.

Circle in 1960.

Marcinelle

Postal code: 6001 A post office opened on 1 December 1876.

Circle on 5 June 1970.

Dampremy

A post office opened on 28 October 1878.

Postal code: 6020

Circle (with points) DAMPREMY 1 on a 1948 issue.

La Docherie

The post office at LA DOCHERIE opened on 12 February 1906. It is located between Marchienne-au-Pont and Dampremy. Postal code: 6030 (in 1998).

Circle on a 1932 issue.

Montignies-sur-Sambre

The post office MONTIGNIES-SUR-SAMBRE opened in 1880. Postal code: 6080 before 1977, 6061 after.

Circle 6061 in 1992.

Covers

File:Charleroi (BE) Cover a.jpg