Bree, Belgium

Bree (Brée, ) is a city and municipality in the Flemish province of Limburg, Belgium. In December 2021, Bree had a total population of 16,097. The total area is 64.96 km2 which gives it a population density of 246 PD/sqkm. The mayor of Bree is Liesbeth van der Auwera.

Cultural center

 * De Zeepziederij, the cultural center of Bree. This center was known till 2019 as the cultural center of De Breughel.

Musea

 * Stadsmuseum Bree, located in the old town hall
 * Rijtuigmuseum Bree
 * De Gulden Tas, the smallest coffee roastery in Belgium, founded in 1995

Events

 * The yearly Sint-Niklaasmarkt on 5 December, organized from the start of the 17th century
 * The yearly Goat market which takes place on the first Monday after the first week of October. Many years ago the best goats were sold here, now it is a folklore-event

Climate
Climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round. The Köppen Climate Classification subtype for this climate is "Cfb" (Marine West Coast Climate/Oceanic climate).

Demographics
Bree had a population of 16,097 (7,991 men and 8,106 women) as of 6 December 2021, 9% of the population has a foreign nationality.



Income
The average income in Bree is €18,659 per year as of 2019.

Notable inhabitants

 * Jaak Broekx, oldest man in Belgium from 2021 to 2023
 * Kim Clijsters, tennis player, former WTA number 1
 * Lei Clijsters, football player, father of Kim
 * Thibaut Courtois, football player for Real Madrid and the Belgium national football team
 * Gert Doumen, former football player
 * Stefan Everts, motocross racer, 10-time Motocross World Champion
 * Johnny Galecki, American actor, born in Bree; raised in the United States
 * Bas Leinders, racing driver, tested for the Minardi Formula 1 team in 2004, born in Bree
 * Max Verstappen, three time Formula One World Champion driver for Red Bull Racing

Twin towns – sister cities
Bree is twinned with:
 * 🇩🇪 Geldern, Germany
 * 🇪🇸 Salomó, Spain
 * 🇮🇹 Volpago, Italy

In addition, Bree established economic cooperation with Yangzhou, China.