Gottem is a village 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 ...

and is a submunicipality of

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 ...

. It was an independent municipality until the municipal reorganization of 1977. The village is located on the Lys river, a few kilometers upstream from Deinze. The village had 632 inhabitants in 1981. In the 9th century, Gottem was mentioned in the ''Liber Traditionem'' (814-840) of the Saint Peter's Abbey 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 ...

as ''Gothemia'', derived from the Germanic Gauta haim (home of Gautians). Roman finds on the territory indicate a very old habitation of the village. Until the 16th century, the village

lordship A lordship is a territory held by a lord. It was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas. It originated as a unit under the feudal system during the Middle Ages. In a lordship, the functions of eco ...

was dependent on the lords of Nevele. In 1558, it was given in fief by F. de Montmorency to the Ghent alderman L. van Sicleers. After 1615 F. Lanchals was lord of Gottem, afterwards the de Kerchove family. Three lordships remained dependent on the Land of Nevele: ter Walle, ter Leien and Meulenwalle, together called the "Heerschip van Gottem". By straightening the Lys river in 1972, the eastern edge of the Lys was cut off from the municipality. Protests, including by painter

Roger Raveel Roger Henri Kamiel, Knight Raveel (15 July 1921 – 30 January 2013) was a Belgian painter, whose work is often associated with pop art because of its depiction of everyday objects. Raveel's style evolved throughout his career, from abstract to ...

, prevented the filling in of the old Lye bend.

References

Sub-municipalities of Deinze Populated places in East Flanders Former municipalities of East Flanders {{EastFlanders-geo-stub