{{Infobox settlement , name = Bellegem , other_name = , native_name = , nickname = , settlement_type = , motto = , image_skyline = Bellegem - Sint-Amanduskerk 3.jpg , imagesize = , image_caption = , image_flag = , flag_size = , image_seal = , seal_size = , image_shield = , shield_size = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = , mapsize1 = , pushpin_map = Belgium , pushpin_label_position = bottom , pushpin_mapsize = , pushpin_map_caption = Location in Belgium , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = {{flag, Belgium , subdivision_type1 = Province , subdivision_name1 =

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 ...

, subdivision_type2 = Municipality , subdivision_name2 =

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...

, government_footnotes = , government_type = , leader_title = , leader_name = , established_title = , established_date = , area_magnitude = , unit_pref = , area_footnotes = , area_total_km2 = 13.98 , area_land_km2 = , area_metro_km2 = , population_as_of = 2024 , population_footnotes = , population_note = , population_total = 3860 , population_density_km2 = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST = CEST , utc_offset_DST = +2 , coordinates = {{coord, 50, 46, N, 3, 16, E, region:BE, display=inline,title , elevation_footnotes = , elevation_m = , elevation_ft = , postal_code_type = 8510 , postal_code = 8510 , area_code = 056 , blank_name = , blank_info = , blank1_name = , blank1_info = , website = www.kortrijk.be , footnotes = Bellegem is a part of the Belgian city

situated in

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. Bellegem was an independent municipality until the municipal reorganization of 1977. In 2024, it had a estimated population o
3,860

History

The higher parts of the area were already inhabited during the

Neolithic The Neolithic or New Stone Age (from Ancient Greek, Greek 'new' and 'stone') is an archaeological period, the final division of the Stone Age in Mesopotamia, Asia, Europe and Africa (c. 10,000 BCE to c. 2,000 BCE). It saw the Neolithic Revo ...

period, as evidenced by finds such as end scrapers, mining blades, and axes. In the middle of the 1st century, Roman influences were introduced, as evidenced by the remains of Roman villas. In 1111, Bellegem was first mentioned in writing, referencing a certain ''Morantus de Bellgim''. In addition to numerous smaller lordships, there was the village lordship known as ''Ter Kercke''. From 1624 until the French period, this was in the possession of the ''Petitpas family''. There must have been an independent parish before 1195, as there was also a Romanesque church building. The 16th century brought famine, a plague epidemic (1555-1556), and then religious strife, in which the Calvinists were replaced by gangs of malcontents. The Nine Years' War (1688-1697) followed, during which French troops regularly plundered the village. From February 27 to March 7, 1814, Bellegem was the focus of a battle between Prussian and French troops. In 1827, the congregation ''Sisters of Mary'', also called ''Sisters of Saint Joseph, was founded in Bellegem.'' ''The monastery was closed in 1967.'' From 1865 onwards, industrialization began with the establishment of the chicory factory ''Delberghe''. In 1874 and 1892, breweries were established, and in 1928, the ''NV Zijdemaatschappij of Victor Cambien and Jozef Van de Maele'' was founded. In 1927, Maurice Dierick started a furniture factory that grew significantly.

History of Bockor Brewery (Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste)

Bockor Brewery, now known as Brouwerij Omer Vander Ghinste, was founded in 1892 by Remi Vander Ghinste for his son Omer Vander Ghinste. Initially, the brewery produced a brown ale typical of the

region. Over the years, it expanded its offerings and became known for its Bockor Pils and Omer beers. The brewery is currently in its fourth generation of family ownership and continues to produce a variety of traditional and spontaneously fermented beers.

Trivia

* On July 4, 1989, an unmanned Soviet-Russian MiG-23 fighter jet crashed into a house in the Bellegem plane crash, killing a young resident. * According to the 2008 census, there were 170 people living in Belgium who bore the surname ''Van Bellegem''. Most of them lived in

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 ...

and the surrounding area. Another 1098 bore the name ''Van Belleghem''. * Amandus of Maastricht is the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of Bellegem.

External links

kortrijk.be

bellegem.net

Inventaris Onroerend Erfgoed

References

This Wikipedia page about Bellegem has been compiled using information from several reliable sources. Key references include the State Archives of Belgium, which provides detailed historical documents and records, and the local historical documents archived by the Gemeente Bellegem Oud Archief. The Dutch Wikipedia page for Bellegem was also instrumental in gathering comprehensive historical data. Sub-municipalities of Kortrijk Populated places in West Flanders