Vilvoorde

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Vilvoorde Vilvorde (French)
City and municipality
Town Hall
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Vilvoorde
Vilvoorde Location in Belgium Location of Vilvoorde in Flemish Brabant
Coordinates: 50°56′N 04°25′E / 50.933°N 4.417°E / 50.933; 4.417
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	Flemish Brabant
Arrondissement	Halle Vilvoorde
Government
• Mayor	Hans Bonte (Vooruit)
• Governing party/ies	Vooruit, Open Vld, CD&V, Groen
Area
• Total	21.57 km2 (8.33 sq mi)
Population  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	44,015
• Density	2,000/km2 (5,300/sq mi)
Postal codes	1800
NIS code	23088
Area codes	02 - 015
Website	www.vilvoorde.be

Vilvoorde (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈvɪlvoːrdə] ^ⓘ, French: Vilvorde [vilvɔʁd]; historically known as Filford in English^[2]) is a Belgian city and municipality in the Halle-Vilvoorde district (arrondissement) of the province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the city of Vilvoorde proper with its two outlying quarters of Koningslo and Houtem and the small town of Peutie.

The official language of Vilvoorde is Dutch. There is a French-speaking minority of about 33.7%,^[3][4] concentrated especially in the Koningslo and Beauval^[5] quarter bordering Brussels. The French-speaking minority is represented by 3 members on the 33-seat local council.

From 2000 until August 1, 2007, the mayor of Vilvoorde was former Belgian prime minister Jean-Luc Dehaene. The mayor since 2013 is Hans Bonte, also a member of the federal House of Representatives.

The nickname for inhabitants of Vilvoorde is Pjeirefretters (horse eaters) because horse meat (especially steak) is a beloved food in Vilvoorde.^{[citation needed]}