The local lord soon acquired a large piece of territory in this area, extending to the rivers Scheldt, Rupel, and Dender.

Under the leadership of Norbert of Xanten, the Norbertine monks built the Grimbergen Abbey here in 1128, founding a beer brewery.

The unrest caused the destruction of the local castle by the Duke of Brabant, the move of the ruling Grimbergen lord to nearby Ninove, and the parceling of his territory.

In the middle of the 19th century, the new road linking Vilvoorde to Aalst and the Brussels-Willebroek canal started attracting industrial concerns.

The vicinal tramway arrived in 1887, and a local airfield was built after World War I. Grimbergen is home to the following sights: