Kruibeke () 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 ...

located 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 ...

. The municipality comprises the towns of

Bazel Bazel is a village in Belgium, in the municipality of Kruibeke in the province of East Flanders. The village is home to the Wissekerke Castle. The municipality of Bazel merged into Kruibeke in 1977. Overview The parish church was founded in the e ...

, Kruibeke proper and

Rupelmonde Rupelmonde is a village in the municipality of Kruibeke, in the Belgian province of East Flanders. It stands on the bank of the river Schelde opposite the confluence of the eponymous Rupel, and is famed for its sundials as well as having what is ...

. On 1 January 2018, Kruibeke had a total population of 16,657. The total area is 33.42 km². The oldest secular centre of the area is the feudal castle of Wissekerke at Bazel, which was inhabited by the ancient family Vilain until 1989. In March 2003, the mayor at that time Antoine Denert set up the Department of Tenderness to encourage residents to be nicer to each other. Denert worried that "people don't

cuddle A hug is a form of endearment, universal in most human communities, in which two or more people put their arms around the neck, back, or waist of one another and hold each other closely. If more than two people are involved, it may be referred ...

anymore and that's the reason why there are so many conflicts." and announced: "I will set an example and start in my own village by caressing, cuddling and

kiss A kiss is the touch or pressing of one's lips against another person or an object. Cultural connotations of kissing vary widely. Depending on the culture and context, a kiss can express sentiments of love, passion, romance, sexual attraction, ...

ing as many people as possible." He officially added Tenderness to his alderman portfolio of duties, until then Work, Environment and Budget. As of 26 August 2004, no other civic governments have adopted this idea. Jos Stassen has been the active mayor since the 2013 elections. He leads a majority composed of SamenVoorKruibeke (sp.a, Groen! and Open VLD) and CD&V. Their combined efforts gave them a majority over the largest party, N-VA, led by former mayor Antoine Denert.

Famous inhabitants

Gerardus Mercator Gerardus Mercator (; 5 March 1512 – 2 December 1594) was a 16th-century geographer, cosmographer and Cartography, cartographer from the County of Flanders. He is most renowned for creating the Mercator 1569 world map, 1569 world map based on ...

, cartographer

References

External links

*
Official website

News item: Belgian mayor sets up Department of Tenderness
{{Authority control Municipalities of East Flanders Waasland Populated places in East Flanders