Aalter () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

located between

Bruges Bruges ( , ; ; ) is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is in the northwest of the country, and is the sixth most populous city in the country. The area of the whole city amoun ...

and

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

in the Belgian province of

East Flanders East Flanders ( ; ; ; ) is a Provinces of Belgium, province of Belgium. It borders (clockwise from the North) the Netherlands, Dutch province of Zeeland and the Belgian provinces of Antwerp (province), Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, Hainaut (provinc ...

. The municipality comprises the towns of Aalter,

Bellem 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 west of Ghent. History The parish Be ...

, , Poeke, Knesselare and . It is bordered on the north by

Maldegem Maldegem (), earlier spelled Maldeghem, is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Maldegem, Adegem and Middelburg. and have always been separate hamlets of Maldegem. On 1 Jan ...

, on the east by Zomergem and

Nevele Nevele () is a village and former Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Hansbeke, Landegem, Merendree, Nevele proper, Poesele and Vosselare. In 2 ...

, on the south by

Deinze Deinze () is a city and a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders. It comprises the city of Deinze, and the towns of Astene, Bachte-Maria-Leerne, Gottem, Grammene, Hansbeke, Landegem, Meigem, Merendree, Nevele, Petegem-aan-de-Lei ...

, and on the west by the province of

West Flanders West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...

. 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.

History

Aalter is located on the border of the

Meetjesland The Meetjesland () is a historical region in the north-west of the province East Flanders in Belgium. Etymology There are many legends surrounding the origin of the name. The most known is the one of Emperor Charles V (Charles V) who was known for ...

with the forest of Flanders. The area was inhabited since prehistory. Artefacts have been recovered from 3,000 to 2,000 BC. The village was first mentioned in 974 as "Villa Haleftra". The etymology is unclear. The current name started to emerge around 1700. Aalter was home to several small ''

heerlijkheden A ''heerlijkheid'' (a Dutch word; pl. ''heerlijkheden''; also called ''heerschap''; Latin: ''Dominium'') was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking Low Countries before 1800. ...

'' (landed estates), some of which had

motte-and-bailey castle A motte-and-bailey castle is a European fortification with a wooden or stone keep situated on a raised area of ground called a motte, accompanied by a walled courtyard, or bailey, surrounded by a protective ditch and palisade. Relatively easy ...

s. Between 1613 and 1623, the was dug, and several fortifications were built by Spanish against the Dutch. In 1838, a railway station opened and Aalter started to develop into a town which nowadays has many commuters.

Gallery

File:Poeke Kasteel R02.jpg, Poeke Castle File:Duiventoren Bellem (1).JPG, Pigeon-tower in

Kasteel Mariahove, Bellem (DSCF0109).jpg, Mariahove castle in Bellem File:Aalter Markt Kiosk - 116780 - onroerenderfgoed.jpg, Bandstand in the square

References

External links

* * - Only available in

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

Municipalities of East Flanders {{EastFlanders-geo-stub

History

Gallery

See also

References

External links