Nederbrakel is a town in the municipality of

Brakel 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, t ...

. It is located 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 ...

and in the

Flemish Ardennes The Flemish Ardennes (Dutch: ''Vlaamse Ardennen'') is an informal name given to a hilly region in the south of the province of East Flanders, Belgium. Highest summit is the Hotondberg (145 m). Main characteristics of the region are rural hilly lan ...

, the hilly southern part of the 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 ...

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 ...

. With 5,972 residents as of 2000, it forms the largest individual part of the municipality. Nederbrakel is located near the language border.

Overview

Ceramics have been discovered dating from 450 B.C. The town was first mentioned as Brakele Inferius in the 13th century. In the 19th century, the economy was mainly based on

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. Textiles made from flax are known in ...

cultivation. The Railway line Aalst-Zottegem-Ronse opened in 1885 with a train station at Nederbrakel which closed in 1963. The Sint-Pietersbanden Church was built in the 14th century, and reconstructed in 1828. The tower was built next to the church between 1515 and 1521. The spire burnt down in 1750 and replaced with a simple spire. The tower was classified as a monument in 1936. Nederbrakel - Toepkapel 1

In 1917,

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean Titles * ...

August Vael prayed that the town would be spared in

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 ...

. In 1924, the Toep Chapel was erected to commemorate the sparing of Nederbakel. The Toep Hill is one of the two hills next to the village. The Toep Park is located on top of the hill. This privately owned park contains the source of

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. Mineral water may usually be still or sparkling (carbonated/effervescent) according to the presence or absence of added gases. Tra ...

which has been bottled since 1898. On the edge of the park is the Castle of the Toep Sources, a neoclassic castle built in 1873. During the 20th century, the town became mainly a residential and commuter's town. In 1971, the municipality of Nederbrakel merged with Michelbeke and Opbrakel. The new municipality was named Brakel.

Notable people

Jean Henri De Coene Jean Henri De Coene (1798–1866) was a Belgian painter of genre and historical subjects. De Coene was born at Nederbrakel. He was a pupil of David and of Paelinck, and became professor in the Brussels Academy The Royal Academy of Fine Arts o ...

(1798–1866), painter * Albert De Vleeschauwer (1897–1971), politician

References

External links

Webpage at Internet Archive
{{Authority control Brakel Former municipalities of East Flanders Populated places in East Flanders