Izegem (; vls, Yzegem) is a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...
and
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 ...
located in the
Belgian province of
West Flanders
)
, settlement_type = Province of Belgium
, image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg
, flag_size =
, image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg
, shield_size =
, image_map ...
. The municipality comprises the city of Izegem proper and the towns of
Emelgem and
Kachtem
Izegem (; vls, Yzegem) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Izegem proper and the towns of Emelgem and Kacht ...
. Emelgem was added to Izegem in 1965, Kachtem in 1977. Izegem itself lies on the southern banks of the Mandel, Emelgem and Kachtem on the north. Along the shores of the canal a large industrial zone has developed, which made the three municipalities one urban area. On January 1, 2006, Izegem had a total population of 26,544. The total area is which gives a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopul ...
of 1,042 inhabitants per km².
Izegem is also known as the ''pekkerstad'', ''borstelstad'' or ''schoenenstad''. The river
Mandel and the
canal Roeselare–Leie run throughout the city. Izegem used to be famous for its shoe- and brush-making. Today there are only a few factories left, but the city houses a shoe- and brush museum. Until the 1920s, Izegem was often spelled Iseghem, which can be found on old passport applications, birth records, and gazetteers. The Van Iseghem surname originally referred to this city.
Izegem shares borders with the following villages and towns:
*a.
Ingelmunster
Ingelmunster (; vls, Iengelmunstr) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises only the town of Ingelmunster proper and the village of Kriek. As of January 1, 2006, Ingelmunster had a total popu ...
(town Ingelmunster)
*b.
Lendelede
Lendelede (; vls, Lendlee) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises only the town of Lendelede proper. On January 1, 2006, Lendelede had a total population of 5,399. The total area is 13.15&nbs ...
(town Lendelede)
*c.
Sint-Eloois-Winkel
Sint-Eloois-Winkel is a village in the Belgian province of West Flanders. It is a '' deelgemeente'' of the municipality of Ledegem, separated from the center of the town by highway A17. The population of Sint-Eloois-Winkel is 3800, only a few hun ...
(town Ledegem)
*d.
Rumbeke (city Roeselare)
*e.
Roeselare
Roeselare (; french: Roulers, ; West Flemish: ''Roeseloare'') is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke.
The ...
(city Roeselare)
*f.
Ardooie (town Ardooie)
*g.
Meulebeke
Meulebeke (; vls, Mullebeke) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises only the town of Meulebeke proper. On January 1, 2006, Meulebeke had a total population of 10,980. The total area is 29.35& ...
(town Meulebeke)
Notable people
* Ancestral town of famed British actor
Dirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as ''Doctor in the House'' (1954) for the Rank Organ ...
through paternal grandfather Aimé Van Den Bogaerde.
[De Forche, Christian ''De Izegemse roots van Dirk Bogarde (1921-1999)''. Ten Mandere, 2001/1, p. 20-26.]
*
Johan Bruyneel
Johan Bruyneel (born 23 August 1964) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer and a former directeur sportif for UCI ProTour team , and (later known as Discovery Channel), a US-based UCI ProTour cycling team. On 25 October 2018, the W ...
, former professional cyclist and director of
Team RadioShack
Team RadioShack was a professional road bicycle racing team, with RadioShack as the title sponsor, the creation of which was announced on July 23, 2009. Lance Armstrong co-owned and led the team, which raced in the Grand Tours and the UCI ProTour ...
who led
Lance Armstrong during the
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consists ...
was born here.
* The band members of
't Hof van Commerce
t Hof van Commerce is a Belgian hip hop crew from Izegem in the province West Flanders in Flanders, the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium. Their name means 'commercial court' in their local dialect. Almost all their raps/lyrics are in West Flemish, ...
, including singer–songwriter
Flip Kowlier
Flip Kowlier (pseudonym of Filip Willy Mariette Cauwelier, born 15 March 1976 in Izegem, West Flanders) is a Belgian singer-songwriter. He sings in a distinct West Flemish
West Flemish (''West-Vlams'' or ''West-Vloams'' or ''Vlaemsch'' (in ...
, are from Izegem.
*
Bart Staes
Bart Hubert Wilfried Marcel Staes (; born 7 August 1958), is a Belgium, Belgian politician who served as a Member of the European Parliament for Flanders from 1999 until 2019. He is a member of Groen (political party), Groen, part of the Europea ...
, member of the European Parliament, was born in Izegem.
*
Yves Lampaert
Yves Lampaert (born 10 April 1991) is a Belgian road racing cyclist, who rides for UCI WorldTeam .
Career
Lampaert practiced judo from the age of six, earned a black belt, but at the age of 17 started training in cycling.
He rode at the 2014 ...
, professional cyclist, was born here in 1991.
*
Ulla Werbrouck
Ulla Werbrouck (born 24 January 1972 in Izegem) is a former Belgian politician and judoka.
At the 1996 Summer Olympics, she won the gold medal in the women's half-heavyweight category.
In January 2007, she joined the r ...
, judoka, Olympic gold winner at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
*
Martijn Wydaeghe, rally co-driver competing alongside
Thierry Neuville at the
World Rally Championship.
References
External links
*
Official website- Mostly in
Dutch
{{Authority control
Municipalities of West Flanders