Diksmuide

Diksmuide
	Diksmuide
	Diksmuide
State :	Belgium
Region :	Flanders
Province :	West Flanders
District :	Diksmuide
Coordinates :	51 ° 2 ′ N , 2 ° 52 ′ E Coordinates: 51 ° 2 ′ N , 2 ° 52 ′ E
Area :	149.4 km²
Residents:	16,743 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density:	112 inhabitants per km²
Post Code:	8600
Prefix:	051
Mayor:	Read Laridon ( CD&V )
; Local government address :	Gemeente Blankenberge ; J.F. Kennedyplein 1 ; 8370 Blankenberge
Website:	www.diksmuide.be

Diksmuide ( French Dixmude ) is a city in West Flanders in Belgium . In the city on the Yser , 16,743 people live on an area of 149.4 km² (as of January 1, 2019) .

history

Since the 9th century there was a Frankish settlement under the name Dicasmutha on a small watercourse near the Yser. In the 10th century there was a chapel and a market place. In the 12th century the place received city rights, in 1270 a city wall was built. The residents lived from agriculture and linen weaving . From the 15th century until the French Revolution , the city was badly affected by the constant armed conflicts between the Netherlands, France, Austria and Spain. It was not until the 19th century that more peaceful times began for the residents, which also brought some prosperity.

During the First World War , the city was in the front area . When the German army reached Diksmuide while marching through Belgium in October 1914, the region was flooded by opening the locks of the Yser. This led to the battle of the Yser . The defense of the city was directed by the Belgian general Jules MA Jacques (1858-1928), who was later ennobled for it as Baron Jacques de Dixmude . In the course of the war, the city was then completely destroyed and rebuilt in the 1920s.

Because of the involvement of French marines in the defense of Diksmuide, several French ships were named after the city, including the airship "Dixmude" , which Germany had to hand over to France as a war reparation . The planned command ship of the Mistral class was last named “Dixmude” in 2009 .

Since 1924, the urban area has expanded through incorporations . This process was completed in 1977.

An outstanding event in Diksmuide is the IJzerbedevaart , the nationalist pilgrimage of the Flemish Movement to the Yser Tower, visited at times by many neo-Nazis from all over Europe .

City structure

Diksmuide has 15 districts, which were gradually incorporated from 1924 to 1977. They are listed here with their area and population:

View from the Yser to Diksmuide

#	Surname	Area (km²)	Inhabitants (01/01/2007)
I.	Diksmuide	2.12	5,180
II	Eat	17.53	1,854
III	Kaaskerke	8.73	458
IV	Beerst	11.66	1,127
V	Vladslo	17.33	1,239
VI	Leke	10.73	1,124
VII	No	12.92	1,298
VIII	Stuivekenskerke	7.34	160

#	Surname	Area (km²)	Inhabitants (01/01/2007)
IX	Pervijze	12.23	886
X	Lampernisse	13.62	198
XI	Oostkerke	3.77	285
XII	Oudekapelle	6.51	135
XIII	St. Jacob's Chapel	3.25	96
XIV	Nieuwkapelle	7.85	406
XV	Woumen	13.83	1,307

Source: www.westhoek.be

The neighborhoods of Diksmuide

Attractions

Town hall with belfry and Sint-Niklaas church

The town hall with belfry has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1999 . In 1428 the first aldermen's house had stood in the same place, which was replaced by a new building in 1567. In the 19th century the town hall was built, which was destroyed in the First World War and rebuilt in 1923 together with the town tower.

The Gothic Sint-Niklaas Church right behind the town hall has been rebuilt according to plans from the 14th century.

The dead passage , in Dutch dodengang , is about 1.5 km outside the center and preserves the trenches in which Belgian soldiers fought in 1918. The 84 m high Yser tower is a reminder of the trench warfare .