BINCHE

town, Hainaut province, Belgium. It lies 9 miles (15 km) southeast of Mons. Situated on a hill, Binche remains encircled by fortifications built in the 12th century and flanked by 27 towers. Its town hall was constructed in the second half of the 14th century and restored in the 16th century by Jacques de Broeucq. A portion of the town's fortifications were pulled down in 1545 to build a palace for Mary of Hungary, regent of the Netherlands and sister to Charles V (Holy Roman emperor and king of Spain). She held a great fete there in 1549 to celebrate the Spanish conquest of Peru. The ramparts and the town suffered at the hands of the French in 1554 and 1675. Now a centre of the confectionary and fashion industries, Binche is most famous for its Shrove Tuesday carnival. The costume of the gilles (clowns), unique in Europe to Binche's carnival, may derive from that of Peruvian Incas. Pop. (1992 est.) mun., 32,908.