place

Heusden, Belgium

DestelbergenPopulated places in East Flanders
HeusdenDorp
HeusdenDorp

Heusden was a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. In 1977 it merged with the municipality of Destelbergen, of which it is now part. It was mentioned for the first time in the 11th century, by abbot Othejbold. Years after the invasion by the Norsemen, the municipality fell into the hands of the Lords of Heusden. Because of the marriage of Beatrix of Heusden with Zeger III (viscount of Ghent) in 1212, the seat of the viscountship of Ghent moved to Heusden. Until the end of the Ancien Régime Heusden stayed property of the viscounts of Ghent. In 1247 the Cistercian Abbey of Nieuwenbosch settled in Heusden. This cloister flourished until it was destroyed by the Iconoclasts in 1578. After this the sisters moved to Ghent. Because Heusden was a part of the belt of defence around Ghent, it was looted many times during the Middle Ages. This rich history has resulted in a number of castles dotting the area.

Excerpt from the Wikipedia article Heusden, Belgium (License: CC BY-SA 3.0, Authors, Images).

Heusden, Belgium
Heusdendorp, Destelbergen

Geographical coordinates (GPS) Address Nearby Places
placeShow on map

Wikipedia: Heusden, BelgiumContinue reading on Wikipedia

Geographical coordinates (GPS)

Latitude Longitude
N 51.028055555556 ° E 3.8 °
placeShow on map

Address

Heusdendorp 17
9070 Destelbergen
East Flanders, Belgium
mapOpen on Google Maps

HeusdenDorp
HeusdenDorp
Share experience

Nearby Places

Melle, Belgium
Melle, Belgium

Melle (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɛlə] ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Gontrode and Melle proper. On 1 January 2018 Melle had a total population of 11,574. The total area is 15.21 km² which gives a population density of 761 inhabitants per km². Melle was mentioned in documents in 830, although the archeological findings prove the region was inhabited long before that date. The name Melle has two possible derivations: the Celtic word melina means "brown water"; the prehistoric name Melinos means "honey yellow". The village of Melle consists of three regions: Melle-Centre, Melle-Vogelhoek and Gontrode (since the fusion in 1976). One of its famous products is the Delirium Tremens beer, bottled by the Huyghe brewery. This beer is exported worldwide and was voted "Best beer in the world" in 1998 at the World Beer Championships in Chicago, Illinois, USA. Miss Belgium 2000, Joke van de Velde grew up and went to high school in Melle. The College van de paters Jozefieten, founded in 1837 by canon Constant Van Crombrugghe is known all around the country. Several Belgian and international celebrities went to this school (e.g. Cédric Van Branteghem (runner), a brother of Princess Mathilde). It was the first school in Belgium where a commercial science and an industrial science course were offered. An Irish student brought along a football in 1863. This was the first football to reach the European continent. The village gained more national fame thanks to the TV show Schalkse Ruiters, which featured host Bart De Pauw playing a comedy character named The Man from Melle and who claimed to be from the (then non-existent) Koekoekstraat nr. 70 in Melle. At a certain point the city council decided to name one of their new streets Koekoekstraat and painted a door with house number 70 on the wall.