Welden is a village in the municipality of

Oudenaarde Oudenaarde (; ; in English sometimes ''Oudenarde'') is a Belgium, Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of East Flanders. The municipality ...

in the province of

East Flanders East Flanders ( ; ; ; ) is a Provinces of Belgium, province of Belgium. It borders (clockwise from the North) the Netherlands, Dutch province of Zeeland and the Belgian provinces of Antwerp (province), Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, Hainaut (provinc ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, and is situated along the

Scheldt The Scheldt ( ; ; ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old Englis ...

. It is located about south of

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

History

Welden is situated on the right bank of the

along the old Roman road from

to Doornik. Artefacts from the

Roman era In modern historiography, ancient Rome is the Roman people, Roman civilisation from the founding of Rome, founding of the Italian city of Rome in the 8th century BC to the Fall of the Western Roman Empire, collapse of the Western Roman Em ...

have been discovered. The land near the river was regularly flooded, and ''

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrology, hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as levee, dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclamation, Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a ...

ed'' in the 11th and 12th century. The village was first mentioned in 1110 as Wenlines, and means "settlement of Wandilo (person)". The area used to be part of

East Francia East Francia (Latin: ) or the Kingdom of the East Franks () was a successor state of Charlemagne's empire created in 843 and ruled by the Carolingian dynasty until 911. It was established through the Treaty of Verdun (843) which divided the for ...

, but was conquered by the

Count of Flanders The count of Flanders was the ruler or sub-ruler of the county of Flanders, beginning in the 9th century. Later, the title would be held for a time, by the rulers of the Holy Roman Empire and Spain. During the French Revolution, in 1790, the c ...

in the mid 11th century. Welden used to contain several '' heerlijkheden'' (landed estates). It was mainly a rural village with a few

brickworks A brickworks, also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock (the most common material from which bricks are made), often with a clay pit, quar ...

. In 1790, Welden was one of the centres of the . The farmers protested against the reintroduction of the ''heerlijkheid'' system, and demanded the return of the

Emperor of Austria The emperor of Austria (, ) was the ruler of the Austrian Empire and later the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The hereditary imperial title and office was proclaimed in 1804 by Francis II, Holy Roman Emperor, a member of the House of Habsburg-Lorr ...

. The priest and

bailiff A bailiff is a manager, overseer or custodian – a legal officer to whom some degree of authority or jurisdiction is given. There are different kinds, and their offices and scope of duties vary. Another official sometimes referred to as a '' ...

tried to calm the masses, but had to flee to Oudenaarde. The revolt was crushed by troops of the

United Belgian States The United Belgian States ( or '; ; ), also known as the United States of Belgium, was a short-lived confederal republic in the Southern Netherlands (modern-day Belgium) established under the Brabant Revolution. It existed from January to Dece ...

. In 1868, a railway station opened on the

Denderleeuw Denderleeuw () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the towns of Denderleeuw proper, and . In 2021, Denderleeuw had a total populati ...

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...

railway line. The railway station closed in 1984. Welden was an independent municipality until 1971, when it was merged into

Buildings

The St Martinus Church originally dates from the 12th century. The church was modified several times during its history. In 1866, it was supposed to be demolished and replaced by a new church. In 1867, it was decided to restore and modify the existing church into a three aisled

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

church. The church was re-consecrated in 1872. It was damaged during World War I.

Notable people

Arthur Decabooter Arthur Decabooter (3 October 1936 – 26 May 2012) was a Belgian professional racing cyclist, active as a professional between 1959 and 1967. Cyclist Walter Godefroot is his wife's brother-in-law. Apart from a few years when he was signed to Lib ...

, (1936–2012) professional racing cyclist *

Henri-Charles Lambrecht Henri-Charles-Camille Lambrecht (1848–1889) was 23rd bishop of Ghent between 1888 and 1889. Born in a small town near Oudenaarde, Lambrecht was educated in the local school. After his studies in St. Joseph Minor Seminary and the Major Seminar ...

(1848–1889), bishop of Ghent

Gallery

File:PM 117623 B Welden.jpg, House in Welden File:Grafkapel Lambrecht in Welden.jpg, Tomb of Henri-Charles Lambrecht File:Welden Spoorwegovergang lijn 89 (disappeared).jpg, Former railway crossing File:Zicht op Welden - 2016.jpg, View on Welden

References

External links

* {{Authority control Oudenaarde Populated places in East Flanders