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Oostkerke (Damme)
Oostkerke is a Belgian polder village and a borough of the West Flemish town of Damme. Oostkerke is in size and has about 600 inhabitants. Location The small village center is surrounded by old whitewashed houses. Nearby there is Oostkerke Castle and two windmills, and several canals are also nearby. In 1974 Oostkerke was voted the most beautiful village in West Flanders. Church Oostkerke is one of the oldest church communities of West Flanders, and for some time the communities of Damme, Moerkerke, Westkapelle and Lapscheure were within the Oostkerke parish. According to legend, the Irish hermit and saint Guthagon died in or near Oostkerke. He came to be considered a minor patron of that place. After miracles occurred at his place of burial a chapel was erected. The Bishop of Tournai placed the relics of his body in a shrine in 1159. The church's graveyard may still have graves from the 14th and 15th centuries. During the Reformation the saint's relics were scattered, and only ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
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 culture, language, politics, and history, and sometimes involving neighbouring countries. The demonym associated with Flanders is Fleming, while the corresponding adjective is Flemish. The official capital of Flanders is the City of Brussels, although the Brussels-Capital Region that includes it has an independent regional government. The powers of the government of Flanders consist, among others, of economic affairs in the Flemish Region and the community aspects of Flanders life in Brussels, such as Flemish culture and education. Geographically, Flanders is mainly flat, and has a small section of coast on the North Sea. It borders the French department of Nord to the south-west near the coast, the Dutch provinces of Zeeland, North Brabant an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |