Oudenburg

Oudenburg
Oudenburg
State :	Belgium
Region :	Flanders
Province :	West Flanders
District :	East End
Coordinates :	51 ° 11 ′  N , 3 ° 0 ′  E Coordinates: 51 ° 11 ′  N , 3 ° 0 ′  E
Area :	35.38 km²
Residents:	9381 (Jan 1, 2019)
Population density:	265 inhabitants per km²
Post Code:	8460
Prefix:	059
Mayor:	Ignace Dereeper ( CD&V )
Local government address :	Stadhuis Oudenburg Weststraat 24 8460 Oudenburg
Website:	www.oudenburg.be

Oudenburg is a city in Belgium , in the province of West Flanders , about 5 km southeast of Ostend .

General

Oudenburg is a large-area municipality and is mainly structured on an agricultural basis .

The language is Dutch and the second language is French .

history

Like Tongeren , Oudenburg also developed from a Roman settlement. A fort was built here between 180 and 250 AD and the civil settlement was transformed into a military base. The camp stood on a headland in the swampy coastal region. The fort was part of a chain of fortresses along the North Sea and Channel coasts in Belgium, France and England, the so-called Saxon coast ( Litus saxonicum ). It served to ward off Saxon and Frisian pirates. In the early 5th century it lost its military importance and the garrison was withdrawn to Italy to defend the heartland of the Western Roman Empire against Germanic invasions. The fortress fell into disrepair in the centuries that followed. It is unclear whether it played a role in the defense against raids by the Vikings. The fort later served as a quarry for new buildings in the region. Count Baldwin V of Flanders negotiated the stones as far as Bruges. They were there u. a. used to build the castle there. The stones from the fort walls were also used in the church of St. Peter (1056-1070). The monastery was destroyed during the French Revolution.

Attractions

Landmarks of the city are the Church of Our Lady, which can be seen from afar, an old abbey courtyard from 1671 and the ruins of the Sint-Pietersabdij , which houses the Romeins Archeological Museum .

Town twinning

Oudenburg town hall

The city of Oudenburg has been sisterly to the German Limburg an der Lahn since 1970 . The first contacts came through the formerly independent community Dietkirchen , now a district of Limburg. In 1972 the partnership certificate was signed in Limburg town hall.

Web links

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

Wikisource: Aldenburg in the Topographia Circuli Burgundici (Mathäus Merian)  - sources and full texts

• Official website