Brakel () is a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek and the Flemish Ardennes. The name is derived from a Carolingian villa ''Braglo'' first mentioned in 866 and located in the center of Opbrakel. Since 1970, the municipality has comprised the villages of Nederbrakel, Opbrakel,

Michelbeke Michelbeke is a village in the municipality of Brakel, Belgium. It is located in the Denderstreek and in the Flemish Ardennes, the hilly southern part of the province of East Flanders, Belgium. It was itself a municipality until the fusion of the m ...

, Elst, Zegelsem. In 1977 Everbeek, Parike and part of

Sint-Maria-Oudenhove Sint-Maria-Oudenhove is a village in the Denderstreek and in the Flemish Ardennes, the hilly southern part of the province of East Flanders, Belgium. It was formerly an independent municipality. In 1977 the main part of the settlement became part ...

were added. On 1 January 2018, Brakel had a population of 14,781. The area is 56.46 km² which gives a population density of 262 per km². The mayor is

Stefaan De Vleeschouwer Stefaan is a Dutch-language masculine given name, a version of Stephen, that is most common in Belgium. People with this name include: * Stefaan De Clerck (born 1951), Belgian politician and former Minister of Justice *Stefaan Engels (born 1961), B ...

. The region is known for the green hills and valleys, which attract cyclists and walkers and play a role in the Tour of Flanders cycling race. The Braekel chicken is named after the town. Uitkijktoren5074

The ''Uitkijktoren'', a high viewing tower was opened in April 2001. It is located at on the ''Twaalfbunderstraat'', north-west of Nederbrakel. Orientation boards at the top enable visitors to identify places of interest in all directions.

Famous inhabitants

Alexander De Croo Alexander De Croo (born 3 November 1975) is a Belgian politician and businessman who has served as the prime minister of Belgium since October 2020. De Croo was born in Vilvoorde, Flemish Brabant, and studied business engineering at the Vrije ...

, politician,

Prime Minister of Belgium german: Premierminister von Belgien , insignia = State Coat of Arms of Belgium.svg , insigniasize = 100px , insigniacaption = Coat of arms , insigniaalt = , flag = Government ...

since 2020 * Herman De Croo, politician, former president of the

Chamber of Representatives of Belgium The Chamber of Representatives (Dutch: , french: link=no, Chambre des représentants, german: link=no, Abgeordnetenkammer) is one of the two chambers in the bicameral Federal Parliament of Belgium, the other being the Senate. It is considered to ...

* Robbie McEwen, cyclist, won 12 stages in the Tour de France * Peter van Petegem, cyclist, won Paris–Roubaix and the Tour of Flanders

References

External links

*
Official website
{{Authority control Municipalities of East Flanders Populated places in East Flanders