Lede () 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 ...

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 ...

, 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 Flande ...

near the cities of

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...

, Aalst and Dendermonde. In 2011, Lede had a population of 17,882 and area of 29.69 km², a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), 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 ...

of 575 inhabitants per km². The current mayor of Lede is Geertrui Van de Velde ( CD&V).

Geography

The municipality comprises the sub-municipalities of Impe, Lede proper, Oordegem, Smetlede, Wanzele, and the hamlet of

Papegem Papegem is a village in the municipality of Lede located in the Belgian province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. It has an area of 0.58 km². The Wellebeek (a brook) which flows there belongs to the basin of the Molenbeek which origin ...

. All the sub-municipalities and also the hamlet are crossed by the Molenbeek. Impe Lede Oordegem Papegem Smetlede Wanzele

Sandstone

The Lede Formation ( nl, Formatie van Lede; abbreviation: Ld) is a

geologic formation A geological formation, or simply formation, is a body of rock having a consistent set of physical characteristics ( lithology) that distinguishes it from adjacent bodies of rock, and which occupies a particular position in the layers of rock exp ...

in the subsurface of

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 ...

. The formation is named after Lede. It consists of shallow-marine

limestone Limestone ( calcium carbonate ) is a type of carbonate sedimentary rock which is the main source of the material lime. It is composed mostly of the minerals calcite and aragonite, which are different crystal forms of . Limestone forms whe ...

and

sandstone Sandstone is a clastic sedimentary rock composed mainly of sand-sized (0.0625 to 2 mm) silicate grains. Sandstones comprise about 20–25% of all sedimentary rocks. Most sandstone is composed of quartz or feldspar (both silicates ...

, deposited in the former sea that covered Belgium during the

Eocene The Eocene ( ) Epoch is a geological epoch that lasted from about 56 to 33.9 million years ago (mya). It is the second epoch of the Paleogene Period in the modern Cenozoic Era. The name ''Eocene'' comes from the Ancient Greek (''ēṓs'', " ...

. The bluestone (for roads) and in particular the yellow-brown calcareous sandstone extracted from quarries in Lede and neighbouring areas, were widely used during the 15th to 18th century as construction material for religious and civil buildings.De Inventaris van het Bouwkundig Erfgoed, Lede
(ID: 20771)

Sights

Lede is known for a statue of

the Virgin Mary Mary; arc, ܡܪܝܡ, translit=Mariam; ar, مريم, translit=Maryam; grc, Μαρία, translit=María; la, Maria; cop, Ⲙⲁⲣⲓⲁ, translit=Maria was a first-century Jewish woman of Nazareth, the wife of Joseph and the mother ...

, called "''Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-van-Zeven-Smarten''" ( Our Lady of the Seven Sorrows), to which a local legend attributes magical powers. The statue attracts many pilgrims. The statue is taken around in a procession during a Sunday in June, after the biannual nine-day festival. The local church, built in 1496, houses the statue. The abandoned

Mesen Castle Mesen Castle was an important noble residence in Lede, Belgium, today partly ruined and completely abandoned. The castle is considered to have been one of the most important aristocratic estates of the 18th century. History Originally the vast e ...

is situated in central Lede. It used to be the residence of the

Marquess of Lede The Marquess of Lede ( es, Marquesado de Lede) was a Flemish title in use during the Ancien Régime. Lede is a city in Flanders, Belgium. History Jacques, son of Adrian Bette, Lord of Angrelles inherited the Heerlijkheid of Lede, of his father ...

. Its demolition was started in April 2010. Kasteel van Mesen, Lede (DSCF0372)

Notable people

*House of Bette (Marquess of Lede) ** Guillaum de Bette, 1st Marquess of Lede **

Jean François de Bette, 3rd Marquess of Lede Jean François de Bette, 3rd Marquess of Lede (6 December 1672 – Madrid, 11 January 1725) was a Belgian military commander in Spanish service. He was also lord of the Fiefdom of Lede in Flanders. Biography Born in Brussels, son of Ambroise ...

** Françoise de Bette * Julius de GeyterThe Twentieth Century Home Encyclopedia and Gazetteer: Who Is Who? Embraces Over Six Thousand Short Biographies, Volume 2

References

External links

The website of Lede
{{Authority control Municipalities of East Flanders Populated places in East Flanders