Wallonia is the mainly French speaking part of southern Belgium. The river corridor of the Meuse River became one of the first industrialized areas of Europe. The wealth created and lifestyle changes greatly influenced a Belgium breaking away from the Netherlands. So slip on your smoking jacket, fill your pipe, take your first sip of your adult beverage, and sit back in your most comfortable chair. Welcome to todays offering from The Philatelist.
Notice the grey colors used on this modern stamp. The stamp honors an engineering association in Mons left over from the time of the area being the “Sillon Industriel” of Belgium. A nice way to remember the former industries of the area in a way to say we still have something to show for it.
Todays stamp is issue A838. a 49 Euro cents stamp issued by Belgium on March 17th, 1973. It was issued with another stamp honoring a business association in Solvay. According to the Scott catalog, the stamp is worth 40 cents used.
The area was industrialized in the nineteenth century. In the area near Mons that mainly meant coal and steel mills. This brought jobs and some wealth to the French speaking area. It was a time remember where fewer workers were required on farms and the concomitant move to cities. Not surprisingly based on what was happening, the area became a hotbed of quite left politics as the workers fought for more pay and better conditions. The changing nature of the city could be seen not just in the new industrial concerns. The walls and fortifications left over from the Dutch period were removed.
After the war, the industry of the area gradually shut down. Out of I guess right field, the areas economic decline was cushioned by France’s decision to leave NATO in 1967. The Supreme Headquarters Allied Forces Europe, (SHAPE) moved to the outskirts of Mons from outside Paris. Strange that after the French slight, a French speaking area of Belgium was chosen.
The NATO headquarters was not enough to restore Mons. The EU classifies the former industrial furrow of Belgium as an objective 1 area. This means that the area has low GNP per capita and there are incentives in place to encourage growth. It is quite unusual for a region of western Europe to have such a designation. Maybe the lefty politicians are actually working for their constituents. Perhaps if they had worked harder to keep the factories open?
Well my drink is empty and I will pour another to toast the engineers of Mons. I hope there are opportunities to practice their profession without having to pick up roots and move. Come again tomorrow for another story that can be learned from stamp collecting.