Belsele is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

and a

deelgemeente A (, literally ''sub-municipality''), or section (), is a subdivision of a municipality in Belgium and, until March 2014, in the Netherlands as well. Belgium Each municipality in Belgium that existed as a separate entity on 1 January 1961 bu ...

of the municipality of

Sint-Niklaas Sint-Niklaas (; , ) is a Belgium, Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality located in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Sin ...

, which is situated 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 ...

History

Around the 2nd or 3rd century CE there stood a

Roman villa A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house in the territory of the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions. Nevertheless, the term "Roman villa" generally covers buildings with the common ...

in Belsele, that was discovered in the 19th century. Other findings (like Roman coins) also suggest there was a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

presence in Belsele around the 3rd century. Belsele was first mentioned in 870. In 1217 Belsele became an autonomous parish. In that time Belsele and Sinaai were united in rule in a tribunal (under the Keure van Waas). In 1795, Belsele became canton Capitol of the Scheldt department, with Daknam, Eksaarde, Elversele, Kemzeke, Sinaai, Sint-Pauwels, Tielrode, and Waasmunster as subordinate municipalities. This statute was in force till the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was a conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. The ...

in 1830. Until the first half of the twentieth century, Belsele maintained its typical character of a farmers village in the Waas. Production was mainly focused on flax and wheat till 1850. This changed in the twentieth century when the emphasis was put on food, construction, and textile. Since the second world war, Belsele evolved to a green, residential area. Most of the people work in

and

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) 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 Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

(fewer). The hamlet Puivelde forms a separate entity.

Gallery

File:15268 pastorie.jpg, Clergy house File:Sporthal De Klavers - Belsele - België.jpg, Sport hall De Klavers File:Gemeentepomp, Belsele-Dorp - panoramio.jpg, Village pump File:Belsele, Cour Feodale - Castle 1.jpg, Belsele Castle

References

Sint-Niklaas Populated places in East Flanders {{EastFlanders-geo-stub