Wevelgem () 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

West Flanders West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...

. The municipality comprises the towns of Gullegem, Moorsele and Wevelgem proper. On January 1, 2006, Wevelgem had a total population of 31,020. The total area is 38.76 km² which gives a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing 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 geog ...

of 800 inhabitants per km². Wevelgem is accessible by road (E403 – A19 – R8), by boat ( De Leie), by air ( Kortrijk-Wevelgem International Airport) or by train at Wevelgem railway station. Wevelgem is known for the annual

Gent–Wevelgem Gent–Wevelgem, officially Gent–Wevelgem – In Flanders Fields, is a road bicycle racing, road cycling race in Belgium, held annually since 1934. It is one of the classic cycle races, classic races part of the Flemish Cycling Week, run in late ...

bicycle road race Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and spectators. The two most comm ...

which finishes in the town.

History

The earliest known mention dates from 1197. Wevelgem was home to the

Cistercian The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

Guldenberg Abbey in the 13th–14th centuries, which owned grain mills in various locations. From c. 1278 to 1310, abbess Ida was in charge, though Marc Brion lists it as an abbey for men. In the old days, the river De Leie was important for Wevelgem. The people used the river to soak

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

, before they processed it in one of the many flax factories in Wevelgem. That is also the reason De Leie got the nickname ''The Golden River'', referring to the colour of the flax. Because selling flax was lucrative, many people came to Wevelgem and stayed there for many generations. Nowadays, the cultivation of flax is less important, but some factories still process it. During the

First World War World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, the Germans constructed an airport. The airport still exists and is now used for private purposes. Also remaining is the German Military cemetery, which is also partly situated in

Menen Menen (; ; or ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Menen proper and the towns of Lauwe (Belgium), Lau ...

. There are 47,864 soldiers buried there, who all died during WW1. This makes the cemetery the biggest German cemetery in Belgium. Across the cemetery, there used to be a (fake) airport, with wooden planes to mislead the enemy; there are still remains of the airport consisting of a big bunker and a small bunker near the railway. The bridge that connects Lauwe to Wevelgem was destroyed during the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

and was rebuilt later.

Notable people

* Annelien Coorevits, Miss Belgium 2007 * Justine De Jonckheere, Miss Belgium 2011 * Steak Number Eight, rock band founded in 2007, broke through in the same year *

Dag Otto Lauritzen Dag Otto Lauritzen (born 13 September 1956) is a Norwegian television personality and retired professional cyclist. At the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles he won a bronze medal in the individual road race. He was the first Norwegian to win ...

, Norwegian former

cyclist Cycling, also known as bicycling or biking, is the activity of riding a bicycle or other types of pedal-driven human-powered vehicles such as balance bikes, unicycles, tricycles, and quadricycles. Cycling is practised around the world fo ...

, lived in Gullegem whilst active * Aagje Vanwalleghem, gymnast, qualified for the finals of the Olympic Games 2004 * Steven Vanackere, (Dutch: �steːvə(n) vɑnˈɑkərə, Flemish politician was born in Wevelgem * Jean-Claude Van Geenberghe, Belgian-Ukrainian equestrian lived in Moorsele *

Camille Dhont Camille Dhont, also known as Camille (born 12 June 2001) is a Belgian singer and actress. Biography Born in Wevelgem, Dhont made her professional debut in 2017, in the stage musical ''De ridders van de ronde keukentafel''. She had her breakout th ...

, Belgian singer and actress born in Wevelgem

Gallery

Image:Wevelgem - Sint-Theresia.jpg, Sint-Theresia's Church near Wevelgem. File:Abdij van Wevelgem - 1641.jpg, Guldenberg Abbey of Wevelgem in 1641. File:Moorsele - Military Cemetery 1.jpg, Military cemetery in Moorsele.

References

External links

* {{Authority control Municipalities of West Flanders