Oudenaarde (; french: Audenarde ; in English sometimes ''Oudenarde'') is a
Belgian
Belgian may refer to:
* Something of, or related to, Belgium
* Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent
* Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German
*Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
in the
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
province
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...
of
East Flanders
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = Province of Belgium
, image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg
, flag_size =
, image_shield = Wapen van O ...
. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of
Bevere, Edelare,
Eine
EINE and ZWEI are two discontinued Emacs-like text editors developed by Daniel Weinreb and Mike McMahon for Lisp machines in the 1970s and 1980s.
History
EINE was a text editor developed in the late 1970s. In terms of features, its goal was to ...
,
Ename
Ename is a Belgian village in the Flemish province of East Flanders. It stands on the right side of the river Scheldt and it is part of the municipality of Oudenaarde.
The territory was inhabited during Prehistoric and Roman times, and became a t ...
, Heurne, Leupegem, Mater,
Melden
Melden is a village belonging partly to the municipality of Oudenaarde and partly to the municipality of Kluisbergen. It is located in the Flemish Ardennes, the hilly southern part of the province of East Flanders, Belgium.
History
The village is ...
, Mullem, Nederename, Volkegem,
Welden
Welden is a community in the Augsburg district of Bavaria, Germany, and is the seat of the commune of Welden. Since the local government reform in 1978 it comprises Welden, Reutern and Ehgatten.
Geography
Welden lies at the centre of the ''Holz ...
and a part of Ooike.
From the 15th to the 18th century, but especially in the 16th century, Oudenaarde was a world-known centre of
tapestry
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...
production. The town's name, meaning “old field”, still lingers on in “outnal”, an obsolete
English
English usually refers to:
* English language
* English people
English may also refer to:
Peoples, culture, and language
* ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England
** English national ide ...
term for a kind of brown linen thread.
History
The glory of Ename
The history of the current municipality of Oudenaarde starts in 974, when
Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor
Otto II (955 – 7 December 983), called the Red (''der Rote''), was Holy Roman Emperor from 973 until his death in 983. A member of the Ottonian dynasty, Otto II was the youngest and sole surviving son of Otto the Great and Adelaide of Italy ...
and king of
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
, built one of its three fortifications on the
Scheldt
The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corr ...
at Ename to protect his kingdom against possible attacks from
Francia
Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...
(next to the other frontier post at
Valenciennes
Valenciennes (, also , , ; nl, label=also Dutch, Valencijn; pcd, Valincyinnes or ; la, Valentianae) is a commune in the Nord department, Hauts-de-France, France.
It lies on the Scheldt () river. Although the city and region experienced a s ...
, later on also the
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, ). Ename grew very fast. By 1005, the town already had a couple of churches and had become the largest town in the
Duchy of Lotharingia
Lotharingia ( la, regnum Lotharii regnum Lothariense Lotharingia; french: Lotharingie; german: Reich des Lothar Lotharingien Mittelreich; nl, Lotharingen) was a short-lived medieval successor kingdom of the Carolingian Empire. As a more durable ...
. In 1034, Ename was destroyed by an irregular army that surrender the city to count
Baldwin IV. In 1047, the son of
Baldwin V
Baldwin is a Germanic name, composed of the elements ''bald'' "bold" and ''win'' "friend".
People
* Baldwin (name)
Places Canada
* Baldwin, York Regional Municipality, Ontario
* Baldwin, Ontario, in Sudbury District
* Baldwin's Mills, ...
(peacefully) received the imperial fief from the German emperor. The fief was confiscated however in 1047 when he Baldwins rebelled against the German empire. In 1062,
Baldwin V
Baldwin is a Germanic name, composed of the elements ''bald'' "bold" and ''win'' "friend".
People
* Baldwin (name)
Places Canada
* Baldwin, York Regional Municipality, Ontario
* Baldwin, Ontario, in Sudbury District
* Baldwin's Mills, ...
founded together with his wife the
Benedictine
, image = Medalla San Benito.PNG
, caption = Design on the obverse side of the Saint Benedict Medal
, abbreviation = OSB
, formation =
, motto = (English: 'Pray and Work')
, foun ...
abbey of Saint Salvator. By that time, the former merchants and guild artisans of Ename easily got across the Scheldt to the recently founded city of Oudenaarde.
Oudenaarde’s golden age
In the 11th century, Oudenaarde’s economy flourished, thanks to the proximity of the Scheldt and to the burgeoning, but vibrant cloth and tapestry industry. Churches, cloisters and hospitals were built. Throughout the Middle Ages, the city was one of the staunchest supporters of the counts of
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...
, defending them against insurrections from the South, and even from
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in ...
. The city became known as the ''residence of the nobles''. It built itself a flagship
town hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
(built 1526–1537), which we can still admire today, and the St-Walburga church.
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infan ...
stayed here for a couple of months in 1522 and fathered an illegitimate daughter,
Margaret of Parma
Margaret of Parma (; 5 July 1522 – 18 January 1586) was Governor of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567 and from 1578 to 1582. She was the illegitimate daughter of the then 22-year-old Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Johanna Maria van der G ...
, who was to become Regent of the Netherlands.
Decline
![PM 057410 B Oudenaarde](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/68/PM_057410_B_Oudenaarde.jpg)
During the
Reformation
The Reformation (alternatively named the Protestant Reformation or the European Reformation) was a major movement within Western Christianity in 16th-century Europe that posed a religious and political challenge to the Catholic Church and in ...
, the people of Oudenaarde chose
Protestantism
Protestantism is a branch of Christianity that follows the theological tenets of the Protestant Reformation, a movement that began seeking to reform the Catholic Church from within in the 16th century against what its followers perceived to b ...
and allied themselves with Ghent against
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infan ...
. In 1582, after a prolonged siege by Margaret's son,
Alexander Farnese Alessandro Farnese may refer to:
*Pope Paul III (1468–1549), Roman Catholic Bishop of Rome
*Alessandro Farnese (cardinal) (1520–1589), Paul's grandson, Roman Catholic bishop and cardinal-nephew
*Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma (1545–1592), P ...
, the city finally gave in, causing most merchants, workers, and even nobles to flee. Oudenaarde fell under the
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation (), also called the Catholic Reformation () or the Catholic Revival, was the period of Catholic resurgence that was initiated in response to the Protestant Reformation. It began with the Council of Trent (1545–1563) a ...
, which for a short while revived the commerce of tapestry. The glory days, however, never came back. The French attacked and took the city three times in less than a century. Fortifications were repeatedly improved in the 16th and 17th centuries, including additions by
Vauban. In 1708, one of the key battles in the
War of the Spanish Succession
The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phil ...
, known as the
Battle of Oudenaarde
The Battle of Oudenarde, also known as the Battle of Oudenaarde, was a major engagement of the War of the Spanish Succession, pitting a Grand Alliance force consisting of eighty thousand men under the command of the Duke of Marlborough and Prin ...
, was fought in the vicinity of the city. Oudenaarde slumbered as a provincial town under the
Habsburg
The House of Habsburg (), alternatively spelled Hapsburg in Englishgerman: Haus Habsburg, ; es, Casa de Habsburgo; hu, Habsburg család, it, Casa di Asburgo, nl, Huis van Habsburg, pl, dom Habsburgów, pt, Casa de Habsburgo, la, Domus Hab ...
regime. Like its neighbours, in the 1790s it suffered religious curtailment imposed by the
French Revolution
The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in November 1799. Many of its ideas are considere ...
.
The city later
suffered damage during
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
, which is commemorated by several monuments scattered around town.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
the town was occupied by Nazi German forces in
May 1940. The town was liberated by
British forces
The British Armed Forces, also known as His Majesty's Armed Forces, are the military forces responsible for the defence of the United Kingdom, its Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies. They also promote the UK's wider interests, s ...
on the 5th of September 1944.
Beer
![LiefmansOudbruin](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/LiefmansOudbruin.jpg)
Oudenaarde is known for the brewing of
Oud bruin
Oud Bruin (Old Brown), also known as Flanders Brown, is a style of beer originating from the Flemish region of Belgium. The Dutch name refers to the long aging process, up to a year. It undergoes a secondary fermentation, which takes several weeks ...
beer
Beer is one of the oldest and the most widely consumed type of alcoholic drink in the world, and the third most popular drink overall after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of starches, mainly derived from ce ...
, which is sometimes termed Oudenaarde Oud bruin, especially that of
Liefmans Brewery
Liefmans is a Belgian brewery which produces oud bruin and other Belgian beers. It was founded in 1679. The company went bankrupt in 2008 and was acquired by Duvel Moortgat. Liefmans' wheat beer, Dentergems Wit, and a Belgian ale, Lucifer, were s ...
in the town.
Oud Bruin (Old Brown), also known as Flanders Brown, is a style of beer originating from the
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...
region of
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. The Dutch name refers to the long aging process, up to a year. It undergoes a secondary
fermentation
Fermentation is a metabolic process that produces chemical changes in organic substrates through the action of enzymes. In biochemistry, it is narrowly defined as the extraction of energy from carbohydrates in the absence of oxygen. In food ...
, which takes several weeks to a month, and is followed by bottle ageing for several more months. The extended ageing allows residual
yeast
Yeasts are eukaryotic, single-celled microorganisms classified as members of the fungus kingdom. The first yeast originated hundreds of millions of years ago, and at least 1,500 species are currently recognized. They are estimated to constitut ...
and
bacteria
Bacteria (; singular: bacterium) are ubiquitous, mostly free-living organisms often consisting of one biological cell. They constitute a large domain of prokaryotic microorganisms. Typically a few micrometres in length, bacteria were among ...
to develop a
sour
The gustatory system or sense of taste is the sensory system that is partially responsible for the perception of taste (flavor). Taste is the perception produced or stimulated when a substance in the mouth reacts chemically with taste receptor ...
flavour characteristic for this style. Usually, cultured yeast and bacteria are used, as stainless steel does not harbour wild organisms as wood does.
Sights
*The
Flamboyant
Flamboyant (from ) is a form of late Gothic architecture that developed in Europe in the Late Middle Ages and Renaissance, from around 1375 to the mid-16th century. It is characterized by double curves forming flame-like shapes in the bar-tr ...
Gothic
Gothic or Gothics may refer to:
People and languages
*Goths or Gothic people, the ethnonym of a group of East Germanic tribes
**Gothic language, an extinct East Germanic language spoken by the Goths
**Crimean Gothic, the Gothic language spoken b ...
-style
Town Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
and its
Belfry were designated by
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
as a
World Heritage Site
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
in 1999.
The city hall houses a unique collection of Oudenaarde
tapestries
Tapestry is a form of textile art, traditionally woven by hand on a loom. Tapestry is weft-faced weaving, in which all the warp threads are hidden in the completed work, unlike most woven textiles, where both the warp and the weft threads may ...
.
*The Church of Our Lady of
Pamele
Oudenaarde (; french: Audenarde ; in English sometimes ''Oudenarde'') is a Belgium, Belgian Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the cit ...
, begun in 1234 on the banks of the Scheldt, and the Church of St Walburga near the market square, are both worth a visit.
*Oudenaarde is also home to the ''Centrum Tour of Flanders'', a museum dedicated to the
Tour of Flanders
The Tour of Flanders ( nl, Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organi ...
(Tour of Flanders) cycle race.
*Since 2008 the village of Mater in Oudenaarde has been the home of Belgium's smallest craft brewery: the
Smisje Brewery (previously located in
Bruges
Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country, and the sixth-largest city of the countr ...
).
File:Oudenaarde_stadhuis_25-9-2016_09-52-11.JPG, Oudenaarde Town Hall
File:Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Pamele kerk 2.jpg, Church of Our Lady of Pamele
File:Oudenaarde, de Sint Walburgakerk oeg27310 foto8 2013-05-07 15.44.jpg, Saint Walburga's church, Oudenaarde
File:Oudenaarde, stationsgebouw oeg27384 foto1 2013-05-07 15.25.jpg, Oudenaarde railway station
File:Oudenaarde, straatzicht op de Markt positie2 met oeg27250 plaatsen foto3 2013-05-07 15.40.jpg, The marketplace, Oudenaarde
Events
*Recurring events include a beer fest in June, an open-air musical festival in the summer, and an agricultural fair in February.
*Every ten years, one of the largest floral displays in Flanders takes place on the market square (''Grote Markt''). The last one took place in 2005.
Newspaper
![Gazet van Oudenaarde](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Gazet_van_Oudenaarde.jpg)
Oudenaarde used to have its own newspaper, namely ''the Gazette van Audenaerde''.
Sports
The main football club in Oudenaarde is
K.S.V. Oudenaarde
Koninklijke Sport Vereniging Oudenaarde is a football in Belgium, Belgian association football club based in Oudenaarde, East Flanders. It is currently playing in the Belgian Third Division. The club plays at Burgemeester Thienpontstadion in Ou ...
.
The celebrated ''
Tour of Flanders voor Vrouwen'', the women's Tour of Flanders cycle race, starts in Oudenaarde every spring. The men's
Tour of Flanders
The Tour of Flanders ( nl, Ronde van Vlaanderen), also known as ''De Ronde'' (''"The Tour"''), is an annual road cycling race held in Belgium every spring. The most important cycling race in Flanders, it is part of the UCI World Tour and organi ...
has passed through Oudenaarde on several occasions, finishing in the town since 2012, and it regularly ascends the
Koppenberg
Koppenberg (literally "Heads Mountain") is a high hill in Oudenaarde, the Flemish Ardennes, Belgium. "Koppen" is an abbreviation for cobblestones which in Dutch slang language are called ''kinderkoppen'', or "children's heads". This climb is part ...
hill in the municipality. The
Koppenbergcross
The Cyclo-cross Koppenberg is a cyclo-cross race held in Oudenaarde, Belgium, which is part of the X²O Badkamers Trophy. The cyclo-cross race uses the Koppenberg climb that has been used many times in the Belgian Classic the Tour of Flanders. T ...
cyclo-cross race, which takes place on the Koppenberg hillside, is part of the
BPost Bank Trophy
Bpost (stylised ''bpost'') also known as the Belgian Post Group, is the Belgium, Belgian company responsible for the delivery of national and international mail. The Belgian Post Group is one of the largest civilian employers in Belgium. It pro ...
.
Notable inhabitants
* The
Viscount of Audenaerde Viscount of Audenaerde was a Flemish feudal title. It was associated successively with two families.
History
The title was created by Maximilian of Austria around 1482, after the death of his wife Mary of Burgundy. He created the title as a mark ...
.
*
Arnold of Soissons
Arnold (Arnoul) of Soissons or Arnold or Arnulf of Oudenburg (c. 1040–1087) is a saint of the Catholic Church, the patron saint of hop-pickers, Belgian brewers.
Biography
Arnold, born in Brabant, the son of a certain Fulbertus was first a c ...
, saint (1040-1087)
*
Margaret of Parma
Margaret of Parma (; 5 July 1522 – 18 January 1586) was Governor of the Netherlands from 1559 to 1567 and from 1578 to 1582. She was the illegitimate daughter of the then 22-year-old Holy Roman Emperor Charles V and Johanna Maria van der G ...
, daughter of
Charles V Charles V may refer to:
* Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (1500–1558)
* Charles V of Naples (1661–1700), better known as Charles II of Spain
* Charles V of France (1338–1380), called the Wise
* Charles V, Duke of Lorraine (1643–1690)
* Infan ...
and
Regent of the Netherlands (1522-1586)
*
Henri-Charles Lambrecht, bishop, born in Welden.
*
Johannes van den Driesche
Johannes van den Driesche r Drusius(28 June 1550February 1616) was a Flemish Protestant divine, distinguished specially as an Orientalist, Christian Hebraist and exegete.
Life
He was born at Oudenarde, in Flanders. Intended for the church, h ...
, orientalist and exegete (1550-1616)
*
Adriaen Brouwer
Adriaen Brouwer (, in Oudenaarde – January 1638, in Antwerp) was a Flemish painter active in Flanders and the Dutch Republic in the first half of the 17th century. , painter (1605-1638)
*
Charles Liedts
Charles Augustin Baron Liedts (2 December 1802 in Oudenaarde – 21 March 1878) was a Belgium, Belgian Liberalism, liberal politician.
Born into the Bourgeoisie of Oudenaarde he became only 28 years young member of the National Congress of Belg ...
, politician (1802-1878)
*
Gentil Theodoor Antheunis, poet (1840-1907)
*
Reimond Stijns
Reimond Stijns (10 May 1850, in Oudenaarde, Mullem – 12 December 1905, in Sint-Jans-Molenbeek) was a Belgium, Belgian writer.
He started his professional career as a teacher in 1870, first in Bevere (Oudenaarde), and afterwards back in Sint-Jan ...
, writer (1850-1905)
*
Robert Herberigs
Robert Herberigs (9 June 1886 in Ghent – 20 September 1974 in Oudenaarde) was a Belgian painter, writer and musician.
Biography
Herberigs studied at the Royal Conservatory of Ghent with Oscar Roels and Léon Van der Haeghen. He also enjo ...
, painter, writer and musician (1886-1974)
*
Arthur Decabooter
Arthur Decabooter (3 October 1936 – 26 May 2012) was a Belgian professional racing cyclist, active as a professional between 1959 and 1967. Cyclist Walter Godefroot is his wife's brother-in-law.
Apart from a few years when he was signed to Lib ...
, cyclist, born in Welden (1936-2012)
*
André Dierickx
André Dierickx (born 29 October 1947) is a Belgian former professional road racing cyclist who competed between 1969 and 1981. He competed in the individual road race at the 1968 Summer Olympics.
Notable results
;1970 – Flandria-Mars ...
, road racing cyclist (b. 1946)
*
Jotie T'Hooft
Johan Geeraard Adriaan T'Hooft (9 May 1956 – 6 October 1977) was a Flemish Belgian neo-romantic poet. He is well known for his hippie/ junkie lifestyle, death-related poetry and early death at age 21 from a drug-related suicide. These e ...
, poet (1956-1977)
*
Bart Kaëll
Bart Kaëll (born 2 August 1960 in Oudenaarde) is the stage name of Bart Marcel Emilienne Gyselinck, a Flemish singer and TV host.
Career
Kaëll studied music in Antwerp, after finishing school he landed a job as a singer and in 1982 he took pa ...
, singer and TV host (b. 1960)
*
Eric Van Lancker
Eric Van Lancker (born 30 April 1961 in Oudenaarde) is a Belgian former road bicycle racer. After retiring, he worked as a team manager for several different professional teams.
Major results
;1983
: 2nd Flèche Ardennaise
: 8th Ronde van Vlaa ...
, cyclist (b. 1961)
*
Mario De Clercq
Mario De Clercq (born 5 March 1966) is a Belgian former racing cyclist. He specialized in cyclo-cross racing but also rode on the road and circuit races during his career, he raced as a professional between 1991 and 2004. The majority of his yea ...
, cyclist, three-time world cyclo-cross champion (b. 1966)
*
Frank De Bleeckere
Frank De Bleeckere (; born 1 July 1966) is a Belgian former association football, football Referee (association football), referee. He had been a referee since 1984, and an international (FIFA) official since 1998. De Bleeckere refereed in his f ...
, football referee (b. 1966)
*
Jonathan Page, cyclist, American cyclo-cross champion (b. 1976)
*
Brigitta Callens
Brigitta Callens (born 28 September 1980 in Oudenaarde, East Flanders, Belgium) was Miss Belgium 1999 and her country's representative to Miss World 1999.
Brigitta "Gitta" Callens was born in Oudenaarde, a small town in the Flemish Ardennes. S ...
,
Miss Belgium 1999 (b. 1980)
*
Charlotte Vandermeersch
Charlotte ( ) is the most populous city in the U.S. state of North Carolina. Located in the Piedmont region, it is the county seat of Mecklenburg County. The population was 874,579 at the 2020 census, making Charlotte the 16th-most populous ...
, actress (b. 1983)
*
Stijn Vandenbergh
Stijn Vandenbergh (born 25 April 1984) is a Belgian former professional road racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2007 and 2020 for the , , and teams.
Born in Oudenaarde, Vandenbergh, as a first year professional, won the first stag ...
, cyclist (b. 1984)
*
Kenny De Ketele
Kenny De Ketele (born 5 June 1985) is a Belgian former professional racing cyclist, who rode professionally between 2007 and 2021, entirely for UCI ProTeam . He won eight medals at the UCI Track Cycling World Championships, including a gold medal ...
, track cyclist, Madison World Champion (b. 1985)
*
Jan Bakelants
Jan Bakelants (born 14 February 1986) is a Belgian professional road racing cyclist, who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam .
Career
His major wins include the 2008 Tour de l'Avenir and stage 2 of the 2013 Tour de France, claiming the yellow jer ...
, cyclist (b. 1986)
*
Jan Dequeker, professor, humanitarian and philanthropist (b. 1997)
International relations
Twin towns — sister cities
*
Coburg
Coburg () is a town located on the Itz river in the Upper Franconia region of Bavaria, Germany. Long part of one of the Thuringian states of the Wettin line, it joined Bavaria by popular vote only in 1920. Until the revolution of 1918, it was ...
, Germany (1972)
*
Bergen op Zoom
Bergen op Zoom (; called ''Berrege'' in the local dialect) is a municipality and a city located in the south of the Netherlands.
Etymology
The city was built on a place where two types of soil meet: sandy soil and marine clay. The sandy soil p ...
, Netherlands (1986)
*
Castel Madama, Italy (1986)
*
Arras
Arras ( , ; pcd, Aro; historical nl, Atrecht ) is the prefecture of the Pas-de-Calais Departments of France, department, which forms part of the regions of France, region of Hauts-de-France; before the regions of France#Reform and mergers of ...
, France (1990)
*
Hastings
Hastings () is a large seaside town and borough in East Sussex on the south coast of England,
east to the county town of Lewes and south east of London. The town gives its name to the Battle of Hastings, which took place to the north-west ...
, United Kingdom (1991)
*
Buzău
The city of Buzău (formerly spelled ''Buzeu'' or ''Buzĕu''; ) is the county seat of Buzău County, Romania, in the historical region of Muntenia. It lies near the right bank of the Buzău River, between the south-eastern curvature of the Car ...
, Romania (2007)
References
External links
Official websiteCentrum Tour of Flanders- available in English
{{Authority control
Municipalities of East Flanders
World Heritage Sites in Belgium
Vauban fortifications in Belgium
Populated places in East Flanders