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  Dendermonde
Location in Belgium
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| Sovereign state |  Belgium |
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| Region |  Flemish Region |
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| Community | Flemish Community |
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| Province |  East Flanders |
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| Arrondissement | Dendermonde | ||
| Coordinates | 51°02′0″N 04°06′0″E / 51.033333°N 4.1°ECoordinates: 51°02′0″N 04°06′0″E / 51.033333°N 4.1°E | ||
| Area | 55.67 km² | ||
| Population – Males – Females – Density |
43,347 (2006-01-01) 48.82% 51.18% 779 inhab./km² |
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| Age distribution 0–19 years 20–64 years 65+ years |
(01/01/2006) 21.07% 60.77% 18.16% |
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| Foreigners | 1.52% (01/07/2005) | ||
| Unemployment rate | 8.24% (1 January 2006) | ||
| Mean annual income | €13,324/pers. (2003) | ||
| Mayor | Piet Buyse (CD&V/N-VA) | ||
| Governing parties | CD&V/N-VA, SP.A-Spirit | ||
| Postal codes | 9200 | ||
| Area codes | 052 | ||
| Website | www.dendermonde.be | ||
Dendermonde (French: Termonde) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde proper and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, Mespelare, Oudegem, Schoonaarde, and Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde. As its name implies, Dendermonde is located at the mouth of the river Dender, where it flows into the Scheldt.
The current Mayor of Dendermonde is Piet Buyse (CD&V).
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History
Origins to the 15th century
Some interesting La-Tène artifacts were found in Appels, proof that this region of the Scheldt was inhabited in prehistory. Grave sites from the 2nd and 6th century also attest to dense settlement in Gallo-Roman and Merovingian times. In 843, the Treaty of Verdun placed Dendermonde in Lotharingia. After the Norman invasions of 883, however, Baldwin II took over the region and incorporated it into the German part of the newly founded County of Flanders.
Otto II built a fort here in the 10th century, encouraging further settlements in the area. The town received its city charter in 1233 and grew quickly after that thanks to a thriving cloth industry. Several cloisters, chapels and churches, and a fortified defensive wall were built as well. A cloth hall and belfry were erected on the market square in the mid 14th century. The town’s prosperity, however, gave rise to severe competition with cities such as Ghent and to occasional attacks and plunders by neighbours. In 1384, the whole area became came under the control of the Valois Dukes of Burgundy
16th century until today
The 16th century saw a decline in Dendermonde’s fortunes. In 1572, the Spanish troops under Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma, took over the city and mostly destroyed it. A decade later, the Spaniards built their own fortress between the Dender and the Scheldt. In 1667, it was France’s turn to advance on the city, but the allied troops of the Netherlands and England, under the Duke of Marlborough, caused the heaviest damage in 1706. The city was then fortified by the Austrians against further French ambitions. After a last siege by Louis XV, the city could finally breathe to the point that the fortifications were dismantled a few decades later.
The second half of the 18th century was generally prosperous, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution and a local cotton industry. After 1800, the port facilities were modernized and the first railways were laid down, allowing other industries (oil, shoe, leather…) to move in. The onset of World War I in September 1914 was disastrous for the city as more than half of its housing and the city archives were either bombed or burned down. Today, the city is an administrative, commercial, educational, and medical centre for the surrounding region.
Places of interest
- The béguinage is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1998.
- The city hall and belfry have also been designated a World Heritage Site since 1999. The belfry houses a carillon and was formerly part of the Cloth Hall.
- Dendemonde has a Benedictine abbey right in the centre of town.
- The Dendermonde-Puurs Steam Railway is a heritage railway, running 14 kilometres (8.7 mi) from Dendermonde to Puurs.
Events
Dendermonde likes to be known for its decennial procession, featuring the heroic horse, Ros Beiaard. Legend has this horse saving his master and his three brothers from capture by Charlemagne.
On August 19 2006, 28 prisoners managed to escape Dendermonde prison. 7 were captured within hours. A few have been found in Italy & Russia. They managed to escape because the lock was old & rusty. They simply walked away, tied all their sheets together, climbed over the wall, jumped on a phone booth and ran away.
On 23 January 2009, a 20 year old Flemish man named Kim de Gelder attacked a children's daycare centre in the village of Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde, stabbing three people to death and wounding as many as twenty. One of the school teachers and two babies, aged 8 and 9 months, died in the attack.[1]
Famous inhabitants
- Alwin de Prins, competitive swimmer (b. 1978)
- Pierre-Jean De Smet, missionary among the Native Americans (1801-1873)
- James Oliver Van de Velde, bishop of Chicago and, later, of Mississippi (1795-1855)
- Geert De Vlieger, Belgian international soccer player (b. 1971)
- Jan De Vos, mayor of Antwerp (1844-1923)
- Emmanuel Hiel, poet and prose writer (1834-1899)
- Fernand Khnopff, painter (1858-1921)
- Kim Kay (pseudonym of Kim Van Hee) (Dendermonde, 27 February 1978) is a Belgian singer.
- Caroline Maes, tennis player (b. 1982)
- Johannes Ockeghem, composer, was said to be born in Dendermonde (c. 1410-1497)
- Ivo Van Damme, middle distance runner (1954-1976)
- Pat Van Den Hauwe, Welsh international soccer player, former husband of Mandy Smith (b. 1960)
- former Belgian Prime Minister Guy Verhofstadt was born and raised in Dendermonde (b. 1953), as was his younger brother the political scientist Dirk Verhofstadt (b. 1955).
- Frans Courtens, painter, born in Dendermonde (1854-1943)
- Jaak Vanderperren, pilot in the Royal Air Force during WWII, was born in Dendermonde (1920-1944) but killed in action during a close air support mission against the German Army with his Supermarine Spitfire XIV
- Jan Verhas, painter (1834-1886).
- Franz Verhas, painter (born circa 1827-died circa 1897)
- Remi Vermeiren (b. Dendermonde, 23 February 1940), businessman.
- Vanessa Chinitor, singer, born in Dendermonde 13 October 1976.
Twin cities
External links
- Official website - Only available in Dutch
- Cultural website about Dendermonde - Only available in Dutch
- Youth community site for Dendermonde - Only available in Dutch
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