Merchtem () is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality ...
located in the
Belgian province of
Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant ( nl, Vlaams-Brabant ; french: Brabant flamand ) is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hai ...
. The municipality comprises the villages of
Brussegem and
Hamme, the hamlets of
Ossel
Ossel is a hamlet in Flemish Brabant, Belgium. It is part of the municipality of Merchtem
Merchtem () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Flemish Brabant. The municipality comprises the villages of Brussegem and Hamme, the hamle ...
and
Peizegem, and Merchtem proper. On July 9, 2009, Merchtem had a total population of 15,298. The total area is 36.72 km² which gives 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 416 inhabitants per km².
Folklore
Merchtem is known for 'de
steltenlopers', people walking on
stilts
Stilts are poles, posts or pillars that allow a person or structure to stand at a height above the ground.
In flood plains, and on beaches or unstable ground, buildings are often constructed on stilts to protect them from damage by water, wa ...
(up to several meters above ground). Langevelde, a part of the municipality, was frequently flooded after heavy rain. In order to reach the centre, people were using sticks to walk.
After an internal struggle, the group split up in two parts, 'stichting Langevelde' and 'stichting Jan Vaderhasselt'.
Language controversy
On August 28, 2006 mayor
Eddie de Block
Eddie or Eddy may refer to:
Science and technology
*Eddy (fluid dynamics), the swirling of a fluid and the reverse current created when the fluid flows past an obstacle
* Eddie (text editor), a text editor originally for BeOS and now ported to Lin ...
introduced a ban on speaking
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
in the town's schools. Mayor de Block said that the measure did not violate
human rights
Human rights are moral principles or normsJames Nickel, with assistance from Thomas Pogge, M.B.E. Smith, and Leif Wenar, 13 December 2013, Stanford Encyclopedia of PhilosophyHuman Rights Retrieved 14 August 2014 for certain standards of hu ...
and that it would help
integration
Integration may refer to:
Biology
* Multisensory integration
* Path integration
* Pre-integration complex, viral genetic material used to insert a viral genome into a host genome
*DNA integration, by means of site-specific recombinase technolo ...
. A previous ban on signs in languages different from
Dutch in the town's markets had been overturned by
Flemish
Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium ...
Interior Minister
An interior minister (sometimes called a minister of internal affairs or minister of home affairs) is a cabinet official position that is responsible for internal affairs, such as public security, civil registration and identification, emergenc ...
Marino Keulen.
Places of interest
File:Parochiekerk Onze-Lieve-Vrouw Kerkstraat Merchtem Belgium.jpg, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw church
File:Merchtemsteltenlopers.jpg, Steltenlopers
References
External links
*
Official website
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Flemish Brabant