Situated between Charleroi and Mons not far from the French border, Binche takes great pride in being the only town in Belgium - and indeed in the Netherlands - to retain intact a substantial proportion of its medieval ramparts including 27 towers. Now serving primarily as the market town for the
surrounding region, little remains of Binche's once quite considerable textile industry apart from the manufacture of carnival costumes.
Throughout its long history those who have held the fate of Binche in their hands have frequently been women - Joanna of Constantinople, Margaret of York, and especially Mary of Hungary under whom the town enjoyed its heyday. Mary, sister of the Emperor Charles V, played host to her brother, his son Philip and the flower of Europe's nobility at a great celebration held at her Renaissance palace in 1549. Only five years later Binche was occupied by troops of the French King Henry II and the palace was destroyed. Apart from the 19th C. when it had a thriving textile industry, the town has remained something of a backwater ever since.
Each year the Carnival of Binche takes place attracting an increasing number of visitors. This event was named one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO in 2003.
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