Brakel (Belgium)

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Brakel
Brakel (B) wapen.svg Flag of Brakel, Belgium.svg
Brakel (East Flanders Province)
Brakel
Brakel
State : BelgiumBelgium Belgium
Region : Flanders
Province : East Flanders
District : Oudenaarde
Coordinates : 50 ° 48 ′  N , 3 ° 45 ′  E Coordinates: 50 ° 48 ′  N , 3 ° 45 ′  E
Area : 56.46 km²
Residents: 14,801 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density: 262 inhabitants per km²
Post Code: 9660, 9661
Prefix: 055
Mayor: Alexander De Croo ( Open VLD )

Local government address : 		Marktplein 1
9660 Brakel
Website: www.brakel.be
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Brakel is a municipality in the Denderstreek in the province of East Flanders in Belgium.

geography

Geographically, Brakel adjoins the south Flemish hilly landscape, which is determined by the Kluisberg, Hotondberg, Muziekberg, Pottelberg and the Rodenberg. The northern part of Brakel runs out into the Zwalmvallei . Geologically, the hills are made up of tertiary sediments, mainly clay bottoms. Brakel forms part of the Flemish Ardennes .

history

Brakel borrowed its name from its two sub-communities Nederbrakel and Opbrakel. You yourself are descended from the Carolingian villa "Braglo", which was mentioned as early as 866 and was located at the place of today's village of Opbrakel.

Community structure

In 1970 the municipalities of Elst, Michelbeke, Nederbrakel, Opbrakel and Zegelsem were combined to form the municipality of Brakel. In 1975 Everbeek , Parike and part of Sint-Maria-Oudenhove were added.

Elst

Place at the Elster Church

Elst was an independent municipality until 1971, located on a ridge between the Perlinckbeek and the Zwalm river on the border of the Flemish Ardennes in the Zwalmstreek. Elst was first mentioned in 977. There are a few mills in the area near Elst, the Perlinckmolen not only being the oldest of these, but also one of the oldest in Belgium. The mill was mentioned even earlier than the place, namely in 868. It was a water mill that was in operation until October 15, 1974. The other remaining mill in the area is De Ooievaarsmolen, a stone windmill of which only the hull remains. Erected in 1841, it was dismantled after the fire in 1927. The village church is dedicated to the patroness of Elst, St. Apollonia. The essentially old medieval church stands at a height of 96 meters. Due to its age and location, it was spared in the iconoclasm of 1566. Between 1600 and 1621, restoration work was carried out on the then old church. The Strph roof, the nave and the tower were restored. The church was consecrated again in 1778 after a swift new construction or renovation was carried out. The tower is the oldest of the building itself. Only with the new consecration did it become the Church of St. Apollonia, before that it was a Church of Our Lady. The new name of the church attracted many pilgrims to Elst, as they invoked St. Apollonia against toothache. The villagers sold the pilgrims a light, soft form of pancakes, the Geutelingen . This pastry-like pancake was baked in many villages in the surrounding countryside until the 1940s, after which this local specialty almost completely disappeared, so it was headline-worthy when the young people of Elst baked a few hundred of them in 1972. In 1981, a Geutelingen committee was set up in Elst, and every year in February, Geutelingen is baked en masse. On the first Sunday after February 9th there is even a festival, the Geutelingenkermis or the Geutelingen Festival. Elst is therefore also called the "Geutelingendorf".

Everbeek

The church of Everbeek-Beneden

Everbeek ( French : Everbecq ) lies directly on the border with Wallonia. The old village center, called Everbeek-Beneden (Unter- or Niedereverbeek), is located in the south of the sub-municipality area. A younger part of Everbeek-Boven (Ober-Everbeek), which also forms its own parish, lies in the north. When the language border was officially established, the municipality was moved from the province of Hainaut to East Flanders in 1963 .

Michelbeke

The church of Michelbeke

The rural village had 902 inhabitants on January 1, 2001 . It was first mentioned around 1150. In the Germanic languages ​​the name refers to a modder stream. In the Middle Ages Michelbeke belonged to the barony of Zottegem. In the middle of the 17th century Micelbeke was sold to Pieter Blondel, lord of the castle / castellan of Sint-Maria-Oudenhove, who established the lordship (Heerlijkheid) and, from 1675, the barony of Sint-Maria-Oudenhove. When the communities were formed in 1795 , the two places were separated from each other and became independent communities. On January 1, 1971 , Michelbeke became part of the Brakel merged community. The classicistic St. Sebastian's Church from the years 1792–1794 and the Boembekemolen mills on Zwalmbeek are well worth seeing. In the village is the Instituut Stella Matitutina ( Institut Morgenstern ), a secondary school that has existed since 1837 and also offers training in the field of hotel and tourism. In addition to the former Michelbeker and now Brakel mayor Herman De Croo, Panamarenko (Henri Van Herwegen), a visual artist, has also lived in Michelbeke since he married Eveline Hoorens in 2003 .

Population development

  • Source: NIS - Note: 1806 to 1970 = censuses as of December 31; 2001 = population on January 1st

Nederbrakel

View of Nederbrakel

Nederbrakel has about 6500 inhabitants and is the largest of the Brakels sub-municipalities. The Sint-Pietersbandenkerk is well worth seeing. The church itself is young (complete restoration and new construction in 1852 ), however, comes the Gothic tower from the years 1515 - 1571 . In it hangs a chime 49 klokken. There is also the Toepkapel , a pilgrims chapel on a hill with a view of the village center.

Opbrakel

Verrebeekmolen in Opbrakel

Opbrakel has around 1700 inhabitants and is now almost structurally connected to the larger Nederbrakel. The stone windmill (Verrebeekmolen) and the listed St. Martin's Church, whose tower dates from the 13th century, are worth seeing. There is also a well-known old Roman military road, the "Brunehildeweg", which connected the French city of Bavay with Ghent and which is one of the oldest routes between Flanders and Hainaut. From 1907 bis 1921 was Jozef Bal pastor in Opbrakel he created from 1893 the first known Dutch-speaking encyclopaedic dictionary. In the 1970s, the broadcasts for the radio station Radio Mi Amigo were illegally recorded in Brakel . The largest rural recreation home in East Flanders, the St. Franziskushaus, has been built here since 1988. (Sint Franciscustehuis). It is known not only for the quality of its care, but also for its pioneering role in introducing pets to care institutions.

Parike

St. Lambert Church in the Parike sub-community

The oldest mention dates back to the year 866. In 1453 the village was burned down by the Ghent people in the wake of the revolt against the Duke of Burgundy. Parike owes the name “The burnt village” to this. This is why the "Walmke Brand" event takes place here on the last Sunday in February. The St. Lambert Church is a listed building. It is in the Louis XIV style because of its furnishings. and the Louis XIII-style pulpit. In 2005 the church was completely restored.

Sint-Maria-Oudenhove

Sint-Maria-Oudenhove only partially belongs to the municipality of Brakel, the rest belongs to Zottegem .

Zegelsem

General view of Zegelsem

Zegelsem has about 1050 inhabitants and an area of ​​about 900 hectares. The local church has St. Ursmarus as its patron saint. Zegelsem is also called the “kasseidorp” (cobblestone village) because there are so many of these in and around the place. The Haaghoek , a 1.9 km long path to Horebeke , was officially placed under protection in 1995 and Zegelsem is home to an annual cobblestone festival , the box office festivals . They consist of a hype, a walking tour, a cobblestone throw, and all sorts of other activities. Well-known residents of Zegelsem are Marijn Devalck (1951), as well as the writer Isidoor Teirlinck (born here on January 2, 1951) and his son Herman Teirlinck, who grew up here as a child with his grandparents.

politics

The current (2008) mayor of Brakel is Herman De Croo , who was the mayor of Michelbeke before it was incorporated.

Famous pepole

Born in Brakel

Lives in Brakel

Web links

Commons : Brakel  - collection of images, videos and audio files