Bastogne to become largest municipality in Belgium

Bastogne in Luxembourg province will become Belgium's largest municipality after its merger with Bertogne, announced the Belgian statistical office Statbel. Significant changes will be made to the geographical division of Belgium in the coming months, with the merging of 28 municipalities in Flanders on 1 January 2025 and 2 in Wallonia on 2 December 2024.

By merging with Bertogne, Bastogne will become the largest municipality in the country, covering 265 km². It will therefore supplant Tournai, which covers an area of 215 km².

After merging with Borsbeek, Antwerp will overtake Couvin to retain the third place at the national level with 208 km². It remains the largest municipality in Flanders with a small margin. The second-largest municipality in Flanders will be Beveren, thanks to its merger with Kruibeke and Zwijndrecht. It will cover an area of 206 km² and overtake Ghent, which covers 158 km².

As no merger is planned in the Brussels-Capital Region, the ranking there remains unchanged, with the City of Brussels, Uccle and Anderlecht as the largest municipalities, with 33, 23 and 18 km² respectively.

Belgium's total surface area remains at 30,689 km², with the Flemish Region accounting for 13,626 km², Wallonia for 16,901 km² and the Brussels-Capital Region for 162 km².

^{The 'Porte de Trèves' in Bastogne © BELGA PHOTO JEAN-LUC FLEMAL}