Buggenhout () is a

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

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 ...

province 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 ...

in the

Denderstreek The Denderstreek or Denderland is a region in Belgium. It is named after the river Dender. Though the river stretches over three provinces, Hainaut, East Flanders and Flemish Brabant, the region called after the river is situated in East Flander ...

. The municipality comprises the towns of Buggenhout proper, Briel,

Opdorp Opdorp is one of the three towns making up the municipality of Buggenhout in East Flanders, Belgium. Sometimes it's classified in the Denderstreek. Opdorp is at the geographical centre of Flanders, Belgium. It is also the point at which three pro ...

, and . In 2021, Buggenhout had a total population of 14,689. The total area is 25.25 square kilometres. Buggenhout is also known for its forest, the "Buggenhoutbos", which is the largest forest of East Flanders. The geographic centre of Flanders lies in Opdorp. Buggenhout has two breweries,

Bosteels Brewery Bosteels Brewery (Brouwerij Bosteels) is a brewery in Buggenhout, Belgium. The brewery was founded in 1791 and was owned and operated by the same family. Bosteels brew three beers: Tripel Karmeliet, DeuS, and Pauwel Kwak. In 2019 a new beer was ...

(known for the "Tripel Karmeliet", "Deus" (a champagne beer), "

Kwak Kwak or KWAK may refer to: *Kwak (surname), a Korean surname (郭, 霍) *KWAK (AM), a radio station (1240 AM) licensed to serve Stuttgart, Arkansas, United States *KWAK-FM, a radio station (105.5 FM), licensed to serve Stuttgart, Arkansas *KWAK-LP, ...

") and De Landtsheer, now called

Brouwerij Malheur Malheur Brewery (Brouwerij Malheur) is a brewery in Buggenhout, Belgium, formerly named De Landtsheer. It is known for its Malheur brew. Description The Malheur is a unique pale ale that is as close to a champagne as a beer can get. The yeast use ...

(known for "Malheur").

Etymology

The original meaning of the name is "

beech Beech (''Fagus'') is a genus of deciduous trees in the family Fagaceae, native to temperate Europe, Asia, and North America. Recent classifications recognize 10 to 13 species in two distinct subgenera, ''Engleriana'' and ''Fagus''. The ''Engle ...

wood" or "beech forest" (in modern Dutch: ''Beukenhout''). The name is derived from the

Middle Dutch Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects whose ancestor was Old Dutch. It was spoken and written between 1150 and 1500. Until the advent of Modern Dutch after 1500 or c. 1550, there was no overarch ...

''Bucghenhout'' from

Old Dutch In linguistics, Old Dutch (Dutch: Oudnederlands) or Old Low Franconian (Dutch: Oudnederfrankisch) is the set of Franconian dialects (i.e. dialects that evolved from Frankish) spoken in the Low Countries during the Early Middle Ages, from aroun ...

''Bukenholt''. ''Buken'' comes from

Proto-Germanic Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages. Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic branc ...

* (Modern Dutch: , Old English: (beeches)), holt from *hulta (Modern Dutch: , Old English: (forest)). Buggenhout still contains a forested area called ''Buggenhoutbos''.

History

The village was first mention in 1125. It used to belong to the

Duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg Neth ...

. Due to internal feuds, the area was confiscated. The forest was declared

crown land Crown land (sometimes spelled crownland), also known as royal domain, is a territorial area belonging to the monarch, who personifies the Crown. It is the equivalent of an entailed estate and passes with the monarchy, being inseparable from it. ...

, and the village of Buggenhout became two '' heerlijkheden'' (landed estates). After 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 ...

, Buggenhout was transferred to East Flanders.

Gallery

File:Boskapel, Buggenhout (3).JPG, Forest chapel File:Buggenhout - town hall - België.jpg, Town hall File:Geografisch Middelpunt van Vlaanderen.jpg, Geographical centre of Flanders File:Cruysveltstede - panoramio.jpg, Cruysveltstede

References

External links

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