Oostnieuwkerke is a

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 ...

village in the 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 ...

. It is part of the municipality of

Staden Staden (; vls, Stoan) is a village and rural municipality in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality has around 11 000 inhabitants. In the local West-Flemish dialect, the ''d'' is not pronounced, which results in ''Stoan'' as pr ...

. There are more than 3400 inhabitants and Oostnieuwkerke lies closer to the town

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. Th ...

than it is to the main village Staden. The little river the

Mandel Mandel is a surname (and occasional given name) that occurs in multiple cultures and languages. It is a Dutch, German and Jewish surname, meaning "almond", from the Middle High German and Middle Dutch ''mandel''.''Dictionary of American Family Nam ...

flows through the centre of Oostnieuwkerke towards Roeselare. Oostnieuwkerke Kerk

History

While there are found some names like ''Nieukerka'' or ''Neuekerca'' referring to Oostnieuwkerke in old writings from the year 1093, Oostnieuwkerke only became a village in its current form 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 coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

. In 1977, Oostnieuwkerke was merged with Staden. Oostnieuwkerke has a neogothic church which has been restored in the 21st century. The church has beautiful stained glass, some old and some newer. The most recent one was made in 2010. There used to be two primary schools in Oostnieuwkerke, but the mayor of Staden now rents (since 2010) the buildings to the monastery which made the two schools fall under one name and one director.

Famous persons

* Maurice Blomme (1926-1980), cyclist {{Authority control Populated places in West Flanders