Aalst

Aalst
	Aalst
	Aalst
State :	Belgium
Region :	Flanders
Province :	East Flanders
District :	Aalst
Coordinates :	50 ° 56 ' N , 4 ° 2' E Coordinates: 50 ° 56 ' N , 4 ° 2' E
Area :	78.12 km²
Residents:	86,445 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density:	1,107 inhabitants per km²
Height:	14 m
Post Code:	9300 (Aalst) ; 9308 (Gijzegem, Hofstade) ; 9310 (Baardegem, Herdersem, Meldert, Moorsel) ; 9320 (Erembodegem, Nieuwerkerken)
Prefix:	053
Mayor:	Christoph D'Haese ( N-VA )
; Local government address :	Stadhuis ; Grote Markt 3 ; 9300 Aalst
Website:	www.aalst.be

Aalst (in the local dialect Oilsjt , French Alost ) is a Belgian city with 86,445 inhabitants (January 1, 2019), who are called Aalstenaars in Dutch . It is located about 24 kilometers northwest of Brussels in the Denderstreek (on the Dender ) in the province of East Flanders and is the administrative seat of the Arrondissement of Aalst .

The city's former town hall , the belfry of which contains a 52-bell carillon , was built in the early 13th century and is the oldest in Belgium. In 1473 Dirk Martens founded the first book printing company in the Netherlands in Aalst. The city fell to France along with southern Flanders during the War of Devolution in 1667 and was occupied by German troops during the two world wars.

Aalst is a carnival stronghold and the center of Belgian cut flower growing . The most important economic factor is the textile industry . In the surrounding area, hops are grown for the traditional brewing industry . The city is well known for its specialty beers, aperitifs and chocolate .

geography

Geographically, Aalst is located in the center of Belgium, roughly halfway between Ghent and Brussels . The center of Aalst is mostly in the Dender Valley, about 10 meters above sea level . From the dender the level rises to around 12 meters in the direction of the large market. The highest point in Aalst is halfway between Aalst-Zentrum and the Herdersem sub-community at 30 meters above sea level. In the east, south-east, south and south-west of Aalst there are hilly landscapes, in the east there is also the Pajottenland with some points that are almost 100 meters high. To the south and southwest are the foothills of the Flemish Ardennes , with a height between 60 and 85 meters. The Molenbeek-Ter Erpenbeek runs through Aalst and Hofstade.

history

Town hall and belfry of Aalst

Aalst in 1651 by J. Blaeu

From ancient finds it can be concluded that the area around Aalst was already settled at the time of the Roman Empire . The time when today's city was built is unknown; it is certain that Aalst originated on the small river island "Chipka" in the Dender. This island is now part of the De Molendries area . Only a few years ago, all arms of the Dender were bridged or built over, so that they are no longer visible today, which means that the actual island can no longer be seen in the cityscape.

Aalst is attested as a castle in 870 and it is assumed that the actual city was founded before 1000 or that the settlement became a city due to its strategically important location at the intersection of the Dender river with the road from Bruges to Cologne on the Flemish-Brabant border was expanded with the port. The country of Aalst had been in the Brabantgau since the Frankish times.

After the parts of the Gaues between the Schelde and Dender were conquered by Count Baldwin V of Flanders in 1046 , the country or the later county of Aalst with the city as its center was able to retain a certain degree of independence for a century. Aalst was now within Imperial Flanders , which was a fiefdom of the Holy Roman Empire . The dukes of Brabant-Lorraine tried for two more centuries to assert their right of surrender over Aalst. Aalst's coat of arms colors still contain those of Lorraine: white and red. Ecclesiastically, Aalst initially belonged to the Archdiaconate of Brabant, later to the Archdiaconate of Brussels of the Archdiocese of Kammerich (Cambrai). After the diocese reform in the 16th century, it belonged to the Archdiocese of Mechelen (-Brussels). In contrast to Aalst, the districts of Aalst Baardegem and Meldert belonged to the freedom of Asse in the Duchy of Brabant until 1795.

The noble family (traceable since 964), to which Baldwin V entrusted the government of the County of Aalst, had previously owned the bailiwick of goods belonging to the Sint Pieter Abbey in Ghent. Its members initially did not have the title of count, but ruled as Lords of Aalst . Around 1076 the Waasland came to the County of Aalst. Boudewijn I was followed in 1081 by his son Boudewijn II as lord of Aalst, who died in 1097 during the siege of Nicaea . Boudewijn III. succeeded his father Boudewijn II. and ruled until 1127. Iwein, a brother of Boudewijn III., supported Dietrich von Alsace against Wilhelm Clito , who was killed in 1128 during the siege of Aalst. With Dietrich's permission, Iwein became his brother's successor and was the first in his family to hold the title comes . Iwein's son Dirk followed in 1145, who died childless in 1166, after which the County of Aalst was united with Flanders.

Since 1384 Aalst belonged to the Burgundian Netherlands . This ended the time of the exposed location of the city on the border of the county of Flanders .

Aalst used to owe its prosperity to hops, among other things. During Aalst's heyday in the 15th century, the weavers' guild was very influential. Dirk Martens, born around 1446 in Aalst (also including: Thierry Martens, Dirck Martens, Theodoricus Martinus, Theodoricus Martini Alostanus) founded the first printing company in the Netherlands here in 1473. A statue of Jean Geefs (1825-1860) was erected to him in 1856 . In 1578 Aalst's fortifications were expanded under Johannes Corputius ' direction. During the Thirty Years' War the city suffered badly from the Spanish. In 1667, during the War of Devolution , the French Marshal Turenne captured Aalst after a four-day siege and had the fortifications razed. The city developed a flourishing textile industry and was under French rule until 1706 when it fell back to Flanders after the Battle of Ramillies . In 1734 it was occupied again by the French.

On December 14, 1813, Prussian troops threw the French back near Aalst. In the 19th century the industrial revolution caused social unrest. During both world wars , the city was conquered by German troops who occupied it from September 1914 to November 1918 and from May 1940 to September 1944. Aalst suffered severe damage during the fighting.

coat of arms

The Aalster coat of arms is a design by the silversmith Nicolaas Colijn . He designed it in 1394 for the city as a city seal for port matters. The coat of arms shows a sword in the middle, which is supposed to symbolize the legal urban autonomy and the military resilience of the city. As a symbol of belonging to the County of Flanders and the Holy Roman Empire of the German Nation, the Flemish lion and the double-headed eagle of the empire are shown in their coats of arms.

City structure

In addition to Aalst itself, the merged municipality also includes the sub-municipalities of Baardegem, Erembodegem, Gijzegem, Herdersem, Hofstade, Meldert, Moorsel and Nieuwerkerken.

No.	Surname	Area (km²)	Inhabitants 01/01/2010	Population density (inw./km²)	Incorporated in
I.	Aalst	18.96	42.204	2,226
II	Baardegem	6.20	1,889	305	1977
III	Erembodegem	10.81	10,900	1.008	1977
IV	Gijzegem	4.66	3,247	697	1977
V	Herdersem	5.33	2,577	483	1977
VI	Hofstade	6.59	5,787	878	1977
VII	Notifies	8.82	2,868	325	1977
VIII	Moorsel	9.43	4,709	499	1977
IX	Nieuwerkerken	7.28	5,854	804	1977
	Groß Aalst (total)	78.11	80.035	1,025

Faluintjes

The Faluintjes is a regional name for the four old communities Baardegem, Herdersem, Meldert en Moorsel. Strictly speaking, the name actually only applies to the parts of the Molenbeek in Meldert. In the course of time, her name appears in different variants: falloerden (1417), fallanten (1458), falaën, fauluynten (1727), fallontjens (1779), faillanten (1821) en falaentenbosch en -meersch. "Falloerden" were bundles of brushwood or wood bundles made from willow and ash, tree species that used to be found here in abundance. Another possible explanation concerns the French word falun. The Faluintjes communities can be discovered through four walking routes, each of which begins in one of the villages.

Baardegem

The name comes from Bardingaheim, which means something like "the place of residence of those from Bardo". Together with Herdersem, Meldert en Moorsel, it belongs to the so-called "Faluintjesgemeenten". Of these, Baardegem and Meldertin were part of the Brabantgau during the Carolingian period and up to the Brussels Quartier (district) of the Duchy of Brabant, while Herdersem and Moorsel were always part of the County of Flanders. The pastorei (Baardegem-Dorp 48), St. Margaret's Church (Baardegem-Drop) and Baardegem train station (Spoorstraat) are well worth a visit. The village had an annual competition, the round of Baardegem, in which racing cyclists drove across the "Maxens" café. However, since this burned down in 2002, a long tradition was lost.

Born in Baardegem

Jan Frans Vonck ( November 29, 1743 - December 1, 1792 ) was the leader of the Vonckists during the Brabant Revolution .
Hans Bourlon ( March 13, 1962 ) is a Flemish media personality and heads Studio 100.

Population development

Source NIS
Notes: 1806 to 1970 = censuses; 1976 = population on December 31st

Herdersem

Church of the Assumption of Our Lady

Herdersem is one of the four “Faluintjesgemeenten” and borders on Aalst, Moorsel , Hofstade , Gijzegem and Wieze . The name Hardigisheim denotes the home of Hardigis or Harding. Herdersem is best known for its very lively St. Anthony worship and procession on the weekend around the feast day of St. Antonius Abbas (January 17th). In all probability Herdersem was inhabited as early as the seventh century. The area was protected by a fortification in Ham Square. Around 868/69 the name Hardigisheim appears in the property list of the Abbey of Lobbes . In the 11th century the village belonging to the county of Flanders came into the possession of the von Herdersem family. It changed hands several times from the 13th century on until it came into the possession of the Valdez family in 1619 and became a barony.

From the 20th century, agriculture lost more and more of its importance and the first forms of industry settled: concrete manufacturers and a factory for textile machines. In 1976, Herdersem, which had been independent until then, was incorporated into Aalst despite protests from some residents. As for other places, there are also mockery for residents of Herdersem, namely "Meiviskoppen" (allis shad heads - during the May fair, the allis shad, which was brought in in large quantities by local fishermen, was consumed in Herdersem) and "whales" (Walloons, as the surrounding communities den can only understand the strongly deviating Herdersemer dialect with difficulty), the latter being less common.

Pastorei

Worth seeing

The sacristy from 1764 of the former Parish Church, today's Church of the Assumption of Our Lady (1859–1861) with Van Peteghem organ, the pastory from 1866 are worth seeing; the brick OLV ten Beeldeken chapel from the 15th century, countless wayside chapels from the 19th century, the bust of Alfons De Cock , the Sashaus (1768–1769, renovated in 1865), the late classical manor house de Liser (built in 1817) and the Monnikenhof the core of the 17th century, the old Sasbrücke from 1860, which was moved in 1970, remains of the beemdlandschappen on the old Dender in the picturesque Denderland . Highlights of the year in Herdersem are the Herderrock event , the St. Antoniuskermis and the folkloric St. Antoniusstoet. In addition to the author and ethnologist Alfons De Cock (1850–1921), the priest and doctor of Germanic philology Jozef De Cock (1877–1944) was born here. The village is on the bike path through the Dender towns.

Notifies

St. Walburgakirche in Meldert

First mentioned in 1151 on the occasion of an agreement between the Abbey of Affligem and Bernerus, Lord of Moorsel. The spelling has remained unchanged since then. The meaning is not certain, however, the name was derived from a plant, Melde or Milde, which is one of the spinach-like vegetables. Reported would therefore mean reason with report herb.

The village belonged to the land of Asse and was thus part of the Duchy of Brabant. The Lords of Asse exercised their sovereign rights here. The Lords of Moorsel and Wieze also owned Kokerij and Nievel, two important areas of Meldert. Most of the village belonged to the nearby Affligem Abbey, while the Vorst women's abbey also had extensive domains here. Until 1259 Baardegem belonged to a parish with detectors. The bloom and decline of Meldert were very closely related to Affligems Abbey. Her property also included the lovely te Mutsereel and te Putte farms. The Affligems possessions at Meldert paid for themselves primarily through the exploitation of local sandstone pits, from which the stone was shipped to large parts of Europe via the Dender near Herdersem . Just like Affligem Abbey, Meldert was sacked and destroyed between the 14th and 18th centuries. About a third of the area of the village consisted of forest until the 18th century. The Kravaalbos is now a holdover from it.

Meldert is the most rural and greenest of the four Faluintjesgemeenten. It was the center of hop growing in the region between Asse and Aalst and was therefore also called Klein Poperinge, after the place in West Flanders known for hop growing. The Meldert pond is a remnant of the large ponds that Affiges Abbey had built in the area for fish farming and the operation of the water mills. The beautiful mill (De Mooie Molen) on the bank, which dates back to the 16th century, is another typical example.

In addition to the courtyards mentioned above, the triangular village square is a remnant from the Franconian era, as is the 14th-century Sint-Walburgakerk (with Van Peteghem organ) made of local white sandstone with a churchyard and wall around the church, the nearby one Pastorie, the St. Rochus Chapel from the 16th century, surrounded by strange trees, and a large number of wayside chapels and farmsteads.

The coat of arms consists of two shields: the right one made of silver with a black lion, armored and tongued with red; the left shield is split red with a silver sword and two crossed silver keys with beards turned upwards on the left, as well as a shield on the right similar to the Scottish coat of arms.

Moorsel

Moorsel in winter

The last of the Faluintjes communities, Moorsel, like other villages, also has a popular folk figure, a real veteran and original, namely Pee Klak or Domien Camiel De Rop . The folkloric festival "Pikkeling" is organized annually in one of these communities. According to tradition, on the Sunday of the festival, a handmade "pikkeling jewel" is thrown, which is made anew every year by goldsmith Veronique De Proft. Along the old railway route "Leireke", running from Aalst to Londerzeel, it is easy to walk or cycle. About is the built of sandstone Melderter St. Gudulakapelle, which is a reminder of the Moorseler legend of the Holy Gudula Brussels and from a Japanese hotel chain in the center Osaka as a copy was copied. The water fort from 1520 was built by order of the Cardinal Abbot of Affligem, Karel von Croy. It has always been inhabited so far. A branch of the Flemish youth organization Chiro and KLJ Moorsel are also based in Moorsel (since 1933, originally only accessible to girls).

Other incorporated places

Erembodegem

Erembodegem lies on both sides of the Dender, the left bank is called "the good side", while the right bank is "the bad side". In 1976 the village of Terjoden was added to the merged community of Haaltert from the then still independent community, and in 1977 Erembodegem itself was incorporated into Aalst.

Known residents

Louis Paul Boon (Aalst, March 15, 1912 - Erembodegem, May 10, 1979), Flemish author
Sabine Appelmans (April 22, 1972), former Flemish professional tennis player
Patrick Bernauw (* 1962), Flemish author
Roger Moens (April 26, 1930), former Flemish athlete
Dom Modest van Assche (May 18, 1891 - Brugge, October 30, 1945) former abbot of St. Peters Abbey of Steenbrugge te Assebroek
Louis De Pelsmaeker, former sports journalist

Gijzegem

Attractions

The classicistic St. Martin's Church from 1772 with a listed organ belonging to the Peteghem family.
A pillory rediscovered only in 1960.
Castle, devastated in 1614 and replaced by a new one, which was modernized in 1809 and again demolished in 1954 and replaced by a new building reminiscent of the previous building. From the original estate of the Goubau family, Lords of Gijzegem and Mespelare, only a picturesque courtyard, the leasehold and the entrance portal have survived.
Father's Oblaten van Maria - main house of the Scholasticate located in the Vereeckenstraat
Motherhouse of the Sisters of St. Vicentius a Paulo, located on Pachthofstraße, donated by Elisabeth de Robiano, Baroness le Candèle.

Population development

Sources: NIS and City of Aalst
Notes: 1806 to 1970 = censuses; 1976 and 2001 = population on December 31; 2007 = population on January 1st

Hofstade

The origin of the village of Hodstade can be traced back to a settlement that already existed two centuries before Christ, when the originally Celtic population was driven out by the Nervier crossing the Rhine or was partly mixed with them. At that time there was a small branch on the Vondelbach at the southern foot of the Steenberg near Sint-Kornelis-Horebeke. It was indeed about a few hooves, urn and cremation graves testify to their former existence.

In the Roman period there was a Roman settlement with a temple on the top of the Steenberg. The village already had a few shops and the temple op 'fanum' was visited not only by villagers but also by pilgrims. The sacrificial pits bear witness to this. The temple was destroyed by fire and in 150 AD a new one was built according to Celtic tradition. A luxurious villa of 9 by 20 meters with central heating also dates from this period.

When the Franconian conquest of the land, the deforested areas were taken into possession. A Franconian branch was located near the current location of von der Blekte. At the emperor "de Keizer" (the end of the Molenkouter) was the estate of the Hasso family, later the Essegem farm.

From the 12th century onwards, the forest was cleared and replaced by a cultural landscape. Hooves emerged. The royal court (disappeared in 1400), the Reutelhof, the Hof zu Gindesteder, the Hof zu Kokenen, zu Wachene, zum Walde (ten Bos) and the Bach (ter Beke), (het Gooiken, whose canals were only recently leveled) come from this time ). There were also two forts: Kasteel ten Bos op de Kamdries (in the second half of Zijpstraat) and Kastell te Wachene, which in 1468 was the property of Gelein vuter Swane, Hoogbaljuw von Aalst.

There were two medieval watermills on Molenbeek: The Middelmolen on the Molenkouter and the Overmolen op de Blekte, as well as another mill on the Dender, the Nedermolen or Kerkhofmolen. In 1384 a new windmill was built on the Weiveld, where one had already been located before. The place names with 'Kam' refer to the medieval breweries: The Kamdries, the Merenpraetkam and Kammeers, close to today's Kammenstraat.

The coat of arms was awarded on April 29, 1818 and adapted on September 1, 1932. The original did not specify a background color or a color for the reinforcement of the (Turtel?) Dove. The meaning of the dove on the coat of arms is unknown, as no historical seals of the community have survived. When asked for a coat of arms in 1813, the dove was probably chosen as a symbol of peace, after all, the dove also holds an olive branch with its beak.

The Liebfrauenkirche with its preserved and listed churchyard is well worth seeing. The Molenbeek-Ter Erpenbeek runs through Hofstade.

The Sportimonium has existed since 2004 .

Nieuwerkerken

Nieuwerkerken consists of the settlement areas Bremt, Dries, Edixvelde, Laar, Maal, Pijpenbeek, Restert en Zurendries. The name "Nieuwerkerken" has been used since 1480. The village used to be spelled "Nieukercke", from 1378 "Nuwerkerken" and in Latin it was called "Nova Ecclesia". The coat of arms with a church and three helmeted heads is the coat of arms of the Waepenaert family, whose representative Jan van Waepenaert was also mayor when the coat of arms was awarded by royal decision on October 9, 1844. Nieuwerkerken lies at the transition from the Dendertal to a slightly hilly area. This is particularly evident at the border in Jeruzalemstraat (Erpe-Mere). There is a greater gradient from west to east, the highest point is about 45 m above sea level in the Bergstraat, the lowest area with only 15 m above sea level is that around "t Sluisken", on the border with Aalst. Different streams run through, the Bremtbeek, Edixveldebeek, Zuidbeek, Laarbeek, Siesemgembeek and the Hoezebeek. It also denotes the name of the respective settlement core. This is how the Edixveldebeek rises in Edixvelde. The direction of the streams is basically from west to east, all of which flow more or less directly into the Dender. Some form the natural boundary of the sub-community. There used to be three schools in Nieuwerkerken: the boys 'community school (where the library is now), the mixed community school in Edixvelde and the girls' school in the monastery. This became the free primary school "de Linde" and there is now a preschool in Edixvelde. The KaHo University is now housed in the former bank building. The classicistic Church of Our Lady of the Assumption (1774) plus the Pastorei, St. Joseph's Church in Edixvelde (1960–62) and the castles of Regelsbrugge and von Maal are well worth seeing. The book De helaasheid der dingen (German title: Die Beschissenheit der Dinge) by Dimitri Verhulst (born in Aalst) takes place in the municipality of Reetveerdegem (pun: Fahr-weiter-gem), which is based on Nieuwerkerken. Singer Eva De Roovere lives in Nieuwerkerken.

Population development

Sources: NIS and City of Aalst
Notes: 1806 to 1970 = censuses; 1976, 2001 = population on December 31; 2007 = population on January 1st

Attractions

Significant structures

in the old town of Aalst:

The Beguinage Church

The late Gothic Martinskirche (1480–1566) was originally intended to be the cathedral church for the land of Aalst. The Amiens Cathedral was the model for the Aalster St. Martin's Church. The work was supposed to take 180 years to complete, but the lack of money never made the church what it should have been. Eventually the work was stopped completely, so that the church remained unfinished. On March 29, 1947, smoke suddenly rose from the roof of the church, the beginning of the great church fire. Since then the church is still being restored. The church used to have a large number of masterpieces, but these were looted during both Spanish, French and Dutch rule. What remained of the Aalstern, however, is a painting (“Saint Roch , patron saint of the plague sufferers”) created by Peter Paul Rubens around 1625–1630 on behalf of the city's brewery guild , which he supposedly painted in just eight days. A famous anecdote about this relates that an American once visited Aalst who wanted to buy the Rubens painting. In return, he would not only have bought the work, but also paid for the completion of St. Martin's Church. However, the city declined the offer. During the fire, some Aalsters rescued the plant from the burning building. The church also has an important tabernacle (1605) with sculptures by Hieronymus Duquesnoy the Elder .

The "Tettentoeren"

The former town hall or aldermen's house ( Schepenhuis ), the construction of which began at the beginning of the 13th century, is the oldest in Belgium. Manuscripts dating back to the 12th century are kept there. After it was destroyed by fire (1360), the town hall was soon renovated, as well as after another fire in 1879. It also includes the beautiful belfry (1466), which contains a carillon with 52 bells. In the Aalster dialect one speaks of Den Tettentoeren - the "Tittenturm". The original belfry dates back to the 13th century, the current belfry can largely be traced back to the 15th century. Together with the town hall, it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage "Belfries in Belgium and France" since 1999 .

The so-called Amsterdam Stock Exchange , built in 1630, stands on the large market .

The Aalster Beguinage

The town hall

The cottage

The Alt-Hospital (museum)

The St. Josefskolleg

The St. Joseph's Church

The other Aalst town churches: Heiligherzkirche (1928) and Liebfrauenbeistandskirche; Mijlbeek Church (1902).

The Terlinden fort

Nature and relaxation

The Aalster Stadtpark in the south merges directly into the Osbroek nature reserve .

The Denderufer, which is easy to follow by bike.

Culture

Cultural events

Carnival: Carnival Sunday, on which the parade also takes place, until Ash Wednesday;
Winter fair: opening on the Friday of the weekend before Carnival and ending on the Sunday after Carnival;
Carnival on Martin's Day (November 11th);
Park concerts every Monday evening in July and August;
Criterium: On the Monday after the end of the Tour de France;
Christmas market: From December 19 to 26 at the wood market.

Feud with Dendermonde

Aalst is best known as a carnival stronghold in Flanders and for its eternal and above all carnival-like feud with the neighboring town of Dendermonde . Recurring themes in this feud include the rights to the Dendermond Ross Bayard as well as those to the Black Man (from the left Zwarte Man ), meaning the statue of Dirk Martens on the large market in Aalst. Dirk Martens printed the first book using movable type in the southern Netherlands. He was friends with Erasmus von Rotterdam .

Anti-Semitism in carnival parades

As part of the 2019 carnival parade, larger-than-life dolls were put on display, which were supposed to depict Jews in a stereotypical and anti-Semitic manner.

For the 2020 Carnival parade, the same group that was responsible for the dolls from the previous year designed anti-Semitic caricatures. Christoph D'Haese ( Nieuw-Vlaamse Alliantie ), the mayor of Aalst, did not want to condemn the dolls and the caricatures and said that the freedom of satire must be preserved. He doesn't want to be a “censorship mayor”. In December 2019, UNESCO removed the street carnival from the list of intangible cultural heritage at the request of the city . The reason given was that in recent years, floats with racist and anti-Semitic depictions had repeatedly taken part in the street carnival in the Belgian city. This is not compatible with the basic principles of the Convention for the Conservation of Intangible Cultural Heritage or with the values set out in its Charter.

Despite the Israeli protests, the 2020 street carnival took place again with anti-Semitic representations. Among other things, there were caricatures of Orthodox Jews with gold bars between them, as well as participants disguised as Orthodox Jews. The two particularly criticized figures from the previous year, who, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, looked like caricatures from the striker , were this time to be seen without rats on their shoulders. A city council member had distributed 2,000 buttons that showed an unambiguous Star of David , but claimed that they had only "played a little with the Aalster city logo". This year's Aalst Carnival was "a shame," said Joël Rubinfeld , President of the Belgian League Against Anti-Semitism, who was there himself. He saw hooked noses there and the representation of the Western Wall as if it had been built with gold bars. The EU Commission was asked to initiate criminal proceedings against the country under Article 7 of the EU treaties .

The Aalster mock name

Eelsters are often called onions mockingly (Dutch Ajuin , in Aalsterian Ajoin ), which is known throughout Flanders. Actually, you can hardly speak of a mock name yourself, because the word has meanwhile become the ubiquitous (self) designation for residents of Aalst. The fact that the Aalsters themselves were never very bothered by the Dendermond's ridicule shows that they can laugh a lot at themselves and that they not only regard their ridiculous name as an ornament, but are also proud of it. Already in a move in 1890 the Aalsters proudly depicted their city as an onion. The origin of the term onion can be found in the 19th century, when onion cultivation flourished enormously in Aalst and the immediate vicinity. In addition to the large hop market, there used to be a well-known onion market.

Sports

Aalst has two sports clubs that played or play in the first division: The basketball club Okapi Aalstar (now first class of the Ethias League) and the football club Eendracht Aalst (Eintracht Aalst), currently in the second class of 2011/12 . Okapi Aalstar plays in the Generali Forum, while Eendracht Aalst competes in the Pierre Cornelis Stadium. There is also the VK Aalst volleyball club, which was founded in the 1960s and played in the first division in 2010.

Demographics

Sources: NIS and City of Aalst
Notes: 1806–1970 censuses; from 1977 population on January 1,
1971: territory
swapped with Erembodegem 1977: incorporation of Baardegem, Erembodegem, Gijzegem, Herdersem, Hofstade, Meldert, Moorsel and Nieuwerkerken

Economy and Transport

The most important economic factor in the city is the textile industry. It is also the center of Belgian cut flower growing and a hop market with breweries.

In 1962, Honda Belgium SA established a production facility in Aalst, which at the time was Honda's first production unit outside of Japan.

Around 240 trains run daily from Aalst station. There are intercity connections to Brussels and Ghent as well as regional traffic to Geraardsbergen and Zottegem .

education

Aalst has a technical school and a Jesuit seminar .

politics

mayor

Term of office	Surname	Political Direction
1830-1833	Jozef De Wolf	Catholic
1833-1848	Frederik Van Der Noot	Catholic
1848-1867	Guillaume De Geest	Liberal
1867-1871	Alexander Van Langenhove	Liberal
1871-1896	Victor van Wambeke	Catholic party
1896-1914	Michel Gheeraerdts	Catholic party
1914-1918	Jaak Van Den Bergh	Catholic party
1919	Michel Geeraerdts	Catholic party
1919-1925	Felix De Hert	Catholic party
1925	Eugeen Bosteels	Catholic party
1925	Karel Leopold Van Opdenbosch (acting)	Daensist
1925-1932	Romain Moyersoen	Catholic party
1933-1940	Alfred Nichels	BWP
1940-1944	Victor Bocque	Flemish nationalist
1944-1947	Alfred Nichels	BWP
1947-1952	Jozef Borremans	Catholic (CVP)
1952-1956	Oscar Debunne	Socialist (BSP)
1956-1971	Frans Blanckaert	E.G
1971-1976	Marcel De Bisschop	Catholic (CVP)
1976-1982	Louis D'Haeseleer	Liberal ( PVV )
1982-1987	Raymond Uyttersprot	Catholic (CVP)
1987-1988	Maurice De Kerpel	Catholic (CVP)
1988-2006	Annie De Maght	Liberal (VLD)
2007–2012	Use Uyttersprot	CD&V
2013–	Christophe D'Haese	N-VA ( New Flemish Alliance )

Aalster politician

Personalities

sons and daughters of the town

Dirk Martens

Dirk Martens (approx. 1446–1534), the first book printer in the southern Netherlands
Pieter Coecke van Aelst (1502–1550), painter, tapestry designer
Arnoldus Mermannus (approx. 1520–1578) (also Alostanus), taught in Löwen , theologian,
Adolf Daens (1839–1907), priest, politician
Valerius De Saedeleer (1867–1941), painter
Franz Cumont (1868–1947), archaeologist, historian
Edward E. De Beer (1911-1994), civil engineer
Louis Paul Boon (1912–1979), Flemish writer and journalist
Elvire De Bruyn (also Willem Debruyne) (1914–1989), racing cyclist
Herman Le Compte (1929-2008), medical doctor, gerontologist
Karel Vinck (* 1938), businessman
Jan De Wilde (* 1944) singer, musician
Luc Van den Bossche (* 1947), politician
Wilfried Wesemael (* 1950), racing cyclist
Luc Luycx (* 1958), designer of coins
Ronny Van Holen (* 1959), racing cyclist
Kris Goessens (1967-2013), jazz pianist
Patrick Van Goethem (* 1969), countertenor
Geert De Vlieger (* 1971), football goalkeeper
Dimitri Verhulst (* 1972), writer
Sabine Appelmans (* 1972), tennis star
Peter Van der Heyden (* 1976), football player
Kevin Van Impe (* 1981), racing cyclist
Diederick Schelfout (* 1985), cyclist
Tom Van Asbroeck (* 1990), cyclist
Aimé De Gendt (* 1994), cyclist
Laurens De Plus (* 1995), cyclist
Rune Herregodts (* 1998), cyclist

People connected to the place

Pedro Brugada (* 1952), cardiologist, works as professor of cardiology at the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwziekenhuis in Aalst.
Rudy Dhaenens (1961–1998), racing cyclist, had a fatal accident while broadcasting a bike race.
Rinus Michels (1928–2005), Dutch football player and coach, died in Aalst in 2005.
Johan Vandewalle (* 1960), orientalist, heads an association for oriental studies, advice on foreign cultures and language teaching in Aalst.

Honorary citizen

Valerius De Saedeleer (1867–1941), painter; Honorary citizen since 1933
Captain Bill Fairbairn (1908), Allied officer who first came into contact with the city council when Aalst was liberated; Honorary citizen since April 17, 1945
Alfred Kelders (1874–1956), former festival director of the festival committee; Honorary citizen since April 17, 1950
ZEH Kanunnik Michaël Ghijs (1933–2008), choirmaster of the Schola Cantorum Cantate Domino of the St. Martinsinstitut in Aalst, honorary citizen since January 26, 2004
Louis Paul Boon (1912–1979), writer and painter; In 1971 he wrote a pamphlet about Pieter Dans, who was also made an honorary citizen: Pieter Daens of hoe in de 19e eeuw de arbeiders van Aalst vochen tegen armoede en onrecht (Pieter Daens or how the workers of Aalst fought against poverty and injustice in the 19th century) , in which the turn of the century is characterized; at that time Aalst was also writing some of Belgian political history; Honorary citizen since April 27, 2004
Adolf Daens (1837–1907), priest and figurehead of Daensism ; he embodies the social history of the city, the environment, the people and the time; Honorary citizen since June 29, 2004
Oscar Van Malder, initiator and honorary chairman of the royal art group Alkuone; Honorary citizen since November 27, 2007
Kamiel Sergant (1935), 40 years of the Imperial Carnival and initiator of: “People help people” (canteens help canteens); Honorary citizen since February 2009