This MedLibrary.org supplementary page on Geraardsbergen is provided directly from the open source Wikipedia as a service to our readers. Please see the note below on authorship of this content, as well as the Wikipedia usage guidelines. To search for other content from our encyclopedia supplement, please use the form below:
Related Sponsors
| Geraardsbergen | |||
|---|---|---|---|
|
|||
 |
|||
| Sovereign state | .svg){kind=small} Belgium |
||
| Region |  Flemish Region |
||
| Community | Flemish Community |
||
| Province |  East Flanders |
||
| Arrondissement | Aalst | ||
| Coordinates | Coordinates: | ||
| Area | 79.71 km² | ||
| Population – Males – Females - Density |
31,380 (January 1, 2006) 49.44% 50.56% 394 inhab./km² |
||
| Unemployment rate | 8.35% (January 1, 2006) | ||
| Mean annual income | 13,653 €/pers. (2003) | ||
| Mayor | Freddy De Chou (sp.a) | ||
| Governing parties | sp.a, VLD | ||
| Postal codes | 9500, 9506 | ||
| Area codes | 054 | ||
| Website | www.geraardsbergen.be | ||
Geraardsbergen (French: Grammont) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Geraardsbergen proper and the following towns:
- Goeferdinge, Grimminge, Idegem, Moerbeke, Nederboelare, Nieuwenhove, Onkerzele, Ophasselt, Overboelare, Schendelbeke, Smeerebbe-Vloerzegem, Viane, Waarbeke, Zandbergen and Zarlardinge.
On January 1, 2006 Geraardsbergen had a total population of 31,380. The total area is 79.71 km² which gives a population density of 394 inhabitants per km².
The current mayor of Geraardsbergen is Freddy De Chou, from the SP-A (Socialist) party.
Contents |
History
Geraardsbergen is one of the oldest cities in Belgium. In 1068, it was one of the first communities in Western Europe to be granted the city status.
Geraardsbergen was destroyed in 1381 by Walter IV of Enghien and his troops. The legend goes that during the siege the people of Geraardsbergen threw some of their food which was left over the city wall. By this they wanted to show that they had enough food to survive a siege for a long time. This bravado not withstanding, the city was still captured by Enghien's troops. This event lives further in the city. Every year during carnaval the city organizes on top of the Oudenberg (111m) the 'krakelingenworp' to celebrate this historical event.
On 29 May 1815, shortly before the battle of Waterloo, Wellington and Blücher reviewed the Allied cavalry here. Some 6,000 troops were paraded in meadows on the banks of the Dender between Geraardsbergen and Jedeghem.1
Places of interest
 |
 |
- Manneken Pis, the oldest such statue, older than the more famous one in Brussels.
- The wall, a steep street paved with cobblestones, climbed every year by cyclists during the Ronde van Vlaanderen.
References
- ^ Cavalié Mercer, Journal of the Waterloo Campaign Kept thoughout the Campaign of 1815, Da Capo Press, 1995
 |
This article does not cite any references or sources. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed. (March 2008) |
External links
|
||||||||||||||||||||
|
This East Flanders location article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 30 December 2008, at 08:46.
Wikipedia Authorship and Review
Wikipedia content provided here is not reviewed directly by MedLibrary.org. Wikipedia content is authored by an open community of volunteers and is not produced by or in any way affiliated with MedLibrary.org.
Wikipedia Usage Guidelines
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article on "Geraardsbergen".
The URL for this specific entry is:
All Wikipedia text is available under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License. (See Copyrights for details). Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc.