# The language border is fixed (8 November 1962)

URL: https://allhistories.com/belgium/timeline/1962-the-language-border-is-fixed
Themes: Key Events

The law of 8 November 1962, named after interior minister Arthur Gilson, fixed the Belgian language border definitively, assigning every municipality to a single language area. Together with the law of 2 August 1963 on the use of languages in administration, it came into force on 1 September 1963. Belgium was divided into Dutch-speaking, French-speaking and German-speaking areas and the bilingual area of Brussels, covering nineteen municipalities. Several communes changed province: Voeren (Fourons) passed from Liège to Limburg, while Comines and Mouscron moved from West Flanders to Hainaut. Some municipalities along the border and around Brussels received 'facilities' for linguistic minorities. The linguistic census, whose results had repeatedly redrawn the border, was abolished.

## Why it matters
The fixed language border turned Belgium's linguistic divide into a territorial one, laying the groundwork for the communities and regions of the later federal state.

Ruler at the Time: [Baudouin](https://allhistories.com/belgium/rulers/baudouin)

Prime Minister of Belgium: Théo Lefèvre (Catholic / Christian Democrat)

## Sources
- [Wikipedia — Language legislation in Belgium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Language_legislation_in_Belgium)
- [Wikipedia — Voeren](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Voeren)
- [Wikipedia — Communities, regions, and language areas of Belgium](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Communities,_regions,_and_language_areas_of_Belgium)
- [Université Laval (CEFAN) — Belgique: Loi du 8 novembre 1962](https://axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/europe/belgiqueetat-loi1962.htm)
- [Wikipedia — History of Belgium (period overview)](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Belgium)
- [Wikipedia — Timeline of Belgian history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timeline_of_Belgian_history)