Aalter railway station

Aalter (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈaːltər] ) is a municipality located between Bruges and Ghent in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Aalter, Bellem, Lotenhulle, Poeke, Knesselare and Ursel. It is bordered on the north by Maldegem, on the east by Zomergem and Nevele, on the south by Deinze, and on the west by the province of West Flanders. The mayor is Pieter De Crem.Effective 1 January 2019, the municipality of Knesselare was merged into Aalter. Aalter was home to 29,242 people in 2021.

Bellem is a village and deelgemeente (sub-municipality) in the municipality of Aalter in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The village was originally called Bethlehem. Bellem is located about 16 kilometres (9.9 mi) west of Ghent.

The Battle of Axspoele (sometimes Axpoele or Thielt) took place on 21 June 1128 on the landed estate of the lords of Axpoele in the County of Flanders between William Clito and Thierry of Alsace. The two men were rivals for the title of Count of Flanders. William had been appointed to the title by Louis VI of France following the 1127 murder of Charles the Good but Thierry, cousin of Charles, had the support of Henry I of England. In 1128, Thierry secured the support of a number of Flemish cities, although most of the nobility supported William. Thierry led a force of 300 mounted men-at-arms and 1,500 infantrymen to Axspoele on 19 June to lay siege to a castle held by one of William's supporters. William was aware of Thierry's movements and moved with a force of 450 men-at-arms to raise the siege. On arrival he recognized that most of Thierry's army was infantry and decided to give battle. He positioned two-thirds of his force on a hill in sight of Thierry's army and held the remainder in reserve, hidden on the reverse slope. Thierry ordered his cavalry to attack; after a brief engagement William ordered a feigned retreat and his reserves crushed Thierry's pursuing horsemen. This caused panic among Thierry's infantry who broke and fled, with William's men in close pursuit. However, William's victory was short-lived, as he died around a month later from a wound sustained in another action, and Thierry became Count of Flanders.

Poeke Castle (Dutch: Kasteel van Poeke, French: Château de Poucques) is a castle near Poeke, a small town in the municipality of Aalter in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The castle, standing in 56 hectares (140 acres) of park, is surrounded by water and is accessible through bridges at the front and rear of the building. Poeke Castle is situated at an elevation of 15 meters.

Knesselare (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈknɛsəlaːrə]) is a village and deelgemeente in the municipality of Aalter and a former municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprised the towns of Knesselare proper and Ursel. The municipality's name is derived from the Germanic words "klisse" (herb) and "laar", (a soggy brushwood terrain), and was first attested in 1128.Knesselare became an independent parish in 1171. It was originally a village heerlijkheid, but during the rule of Louis II, Count of Flanders (1330–1384), the area had been split into four different administrations. Until the 19th century, large parts of the municipality still contains forests and heaths.On 1 August 2015, Knesselare had a total population of 8,171. The total area was 37.27 km² which gives a population density of 219 inhabitants per km². Effective 1 January 2019, the municipality was merged into Aalter.

Ursel Air Base (ICAO: EBUL) is a joint public/military airport located 10.2 km southwest of Eeklo near Ursel, East Flanders, Belgium.

Sint-Joris is a village in the municipality of Beernem, in the province of West Flanders, Belgium.

Hansbeke is a village and deelgemeente (sub-municipality) in the municipality of Deinze in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The village is located about 13 kilometres (8.1 mi) west of Ghent.

Ruiselede (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈrœy̯səˌleːdə]; West Flemish: Ruuslee; historically Ruysselede) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. This town only comprises the town of Ruiselede proper. On January 1, 2006, Ruiselede had a total population of 5,113. The total area is 30.20 km2 which gives a population density of 169 inhabitants per km2. Ruiselede was the location of a coastal radio site. From 1923 to 1940 it had a VLF aerial. On 30 December 1933, the mast was demolished when an aircraft collided with it.

Kanegem is a Belgian locality, part of the municipality of Tielt, in the eastern part of the province of West Flanders. This rural locality is known as the "Green Village".

The Meetjesland is a historical region in the north-west of the province East Flanders in Belgium.

The Battle of Beverhoutsveld took place on 3 May 1382, on a field situated between the towns of Beernem, Oostkamp and Assebroek. It marked an important phase in the rebellion of Ghent (led by Philip van Artevelde) against Louis II, Count of Flanders.