Godewaersvelde (;
French Flemish
French Flemish (French Flemish: , Standard Dutch: , french: flamand français) is a West Flemish dialect spoken in the north of contemporary France. Place names attest to Flemish having been spoken since the 8th century in the part of Fland ...
: ''Godsvelde'') is a
commune
A commune is an alternative term for an intentional community. Commune or comună or comune or other derivations may also refer to:
Administrative-territorial entities
* Commune (administrative division), a municipality or township
** Communes of ...
in the
Nord department in northern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
, near the Belgian border.
Heraldry
Etymology
The name of the commune means "Godafritha's Heath" or "Godefried Fields".
British soldiers called it "God" during the First World War. A popular story claims that Godewaersvelde means "God bless our fields", but it appears to be unfounded, and is dismissed by linguists and historians.
Another WWI troop nickname was "Gerty Wears Velvet".
* 1295-1296: Gaudefroit camp
* 1300: Godeverdesvelde
* 1318: Godefroichamp
[Sources: Jozef van Overstraeten1
see also La Voix du Nord, News / Hazebrouck / Page 4 / Article 2 Edition Sunday, April 24, 2005]
* 1918: Goedesversvelde (in
WWI
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 ...
news in newspapers)
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
: ''Godewaarsvelde'';
Frans-Vlaams: ''Godsvelde''; official
French: ''Godewaersvelde'' is in
Franse Westhoek, in the
Nord Department,
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
. The community has 2000 dwellers. In the place where
French Flemish
French Flemish (French Flemish: , Standard Dutch: , french: flamand français) is a West Flemish dialect spoken in the north of contemporary France. Place names attest to Flemish having been spoken since the 8th century in the part of Fland ...
dialect and in the
Westhoek becoming known as ''Godsvelde'' is spoken.
Location
Godewaersvelde is in northern France along the Belgian border and is in the heart of
Flanders
Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
, less than half an hour from
Lille
Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in French Flanders. On the river Deûle, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France region, the prefecture of the N ...
and
Dunkirk. It is one of nine municipalities in the canton of
Steenvoorde
Steenvoorde () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. Once part of the Seventeen Provinces of the Low Countries, Steenvoorde was the site of the beginning of the Beeldenstorm, or " Iconoclastic Fury." Today the city is known for ...
. Godewaersvelde covers 1189 hectares or nearly 12 square kilometers and is crossed by several county roads: the R & D 948 which connects at the A25 interchange in
Poperinge
Poperinge (; french: Poperinghe, ； vls, Poperienge) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders, Flemish Region, and has a history going back to medieval times. The municipality comprises the town of Poperinge pr ...
, 139 R & D that leads to
Boeschèpe and
Eecke, DR 18, which connects Route Méteren to Poperinge.
See also
*
Communes of the Nord department
The following is a list of the 648 communes of the Nord department of the French Republic.
The communes cooperate in the following intercommunalities (as of 2020):[Mont des Cats Mont des Cats is a small hill (alt. 164m) near the town of Godewaersvelde, France. Located in the Nord department, its Flemish name is Katsberg.
The hill is seat of the Mont des Cats abbey, famous for its cheese produced by monks since 1890.
Ato ...]
Gallery
File:Mont des Cats.jpg, Mont des Cats Mont des Cats is a small hill (alt. 164m) near the town of Godewaersvelde, France. Located in the Nord department, its Flemish name is Katsberg.
The hill is seat of the Mont des Cats abbey, famous for its cheese produced by monks since 1890.
Ato ...
File:Mont des Cats - Abbaye du Mont des Cats - Chapelle 1.jpg, Chapel of Saint Bernard of the Abbaye du Mont des Cats
File:Henri le douanier.jpg, "Henri le douanier", giant
References
Communes of Nord (French department)
Nord communes articles needing translation from French Wikipedia
French Flanders
{{Nord-geo-stub