Izegem (; vls, Yzegem) is a
city
A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...
and
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 in the
Belgian province of
West Flanders
)
, settlement_type = Province of Belgium
, image_flag = Flag of West Flanders.svg
, flag_size =
, image_shield = Wapen van West-Vlaanderen.svg
, shield_size =
, image_map ...
. The municipality comprises the city of Izegem proper and the towns of
Emelgem and
Kachtem. Emelgem was added to Izegem in 1965, Kachtem in 1977. Izegem itself lies on the southern banks of the Mandel, Emelgem and Kachtem on the north. Along the shores of the canal a large industrial zone has developed, which made the three municipalities one urban area. On January 1, 2006, Izegem had a total population of 26,544. The total area is which gives a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...
of 1,042 inhabitants per km².
Izegem is also known as the ''pekkerstad'', ''borstelstad'' or ''schoenenstad''. The river
Mandel
Mandel is a surname (and occasional given name) that occurs in multiple cultures and languages. It is a Dutch, German and Jewish surname, meaning " almond", from the Middle High German and Middle Dutch ''mandel''.''Dictionary of American Family ...
and the
canal Roeselare–Leie run throughout the city. Izegem used to be famous for its shoe- and brush-making. Today there are only a few factories left, but the city houses a shoe- and brush museum. Until the 1920s, Izegem was often spelled Iseghem, which can be found on old passport applications, birth records, and gazetteers. The Van Iseghem surname originally referred to this city.
Izegem shares borders with the following villages and towns:
*a.
Ingelmunster
Ingelmunster (; vls, Iengelmunstr) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises only the town of Ingelmunster proper and the village of Kriek. As of January 1, 2006, Ingelmunster had a total po ...
(town Ingelmunster)
*b.
Lendelede
Lendelede (; vls, Lendlee) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises only the town of Lendelede proper. On January 1, 2006, Lendelede had a total population of 5,399. The total area is 13.15& ...
(town Lendelede)
*c.
Sint-Eloois-Winkel
Sint-Eloois-Winkel is a village in the Belgian province of West Flanders. It is a ''deelgemeente
A deelgemeente (, literally ''part-municipality'') or section ( French) is a subdivision of a municipality in Belgium and, until March 2014, in t ...
(town Ledegem)
*d.
Rumbeke (city Roeselare)
*e.
Roeselare
Roeselare (; french: Roulers, ; West Flemish: ''Roeseloare'') is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke.
...
(city Roeselare)
*f.
Ardooie (town Ardooie)
*g.
Meulebeke
Meulebeke (; vls, Mullebeke) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises only the town of Meulebeke proper. On January 1, 2006, Meulebeke had a total population of 10,980. The total area is 29.35 ...
(town Meulebeke)
Notable people
* Ancestral town of famed British actor
Dirk Bogarde
Sir Dirk Bogarde (born Derek Jules Gaspard Ulric Niven van den Bogaerde; 28 March 1921 – 8 May 1999) was an English actor, novelist and screenwriter. Initially a matinée idol in films such as ''Doctor in the House'' (1954) for the Rank Orga ...
through paternal grandfather Aimé Van Den Bogaerde.
[De Forche, Christian ''De Izegemse roots van Dirk Bogarde (1921-1999)''. Ten Mandere, 2001/1, p. 20-26.]
*
Johan Bruyneel
Johan Bruyneel (born 23 August 1964) is a Belgian former professional road bicycle racer and a former directeur sportif for UCI ProTour team , and (later known as Discovery Channel), a US-based UCI ProTour cycling team. On 25 October 2018, the W ...
, former professional cyclist and director of
Team RadioShack
Team RadioShack was a professional road bicycle racing team, with RadioShack as the title sponsor, the creation of which was announced on July 23, 2009. Lance Armstrong co-owned and led the team, which raced in the Grand Tours and the UCI ProTour ...
who led
Lance Armstrong
Lance Edward Armstrong ('' né'' Gunderson; born September 18, 1971) is an American former professional road racing cyclist. Regarded as a sports icon for winning the Tour de France seven consecutive times from 1999 to 2005 after recovering ...
during the
Tour de France
The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage bicycle race primarily held in France, while also occasionally passing through nearby countries. Like the other Grand Tours (the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a España), it consist ...
was born here.
* The band members of
't Hof van Commerce, including singer–songwriter
Flip Kowlier, are from Izegem.
*
Bart Staes, member of the European Parliament, was born in Izegem.
*
Yves Lampaert, professional cyclist, was born here in 1991.
*
Ulla Werbrouck, judoka, Olympic gold winner at the 1996 Atlanta Games.
*
Martijn Wydaeghe, rally co-driver competing alongside
Thierry Neuville at the
World Rally Championship
The World Rally Championship (abbreviated as WRC) is the highest level of global competition in the motorsport discipline of rallying, owned and governed by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile, FIA. There are separate championships ...
.
References
External links
*
Official website- Mostly in
Dutch
{{Authority control
Municipalities of West Flanders