Koolkerke () is a

sub-municipality 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 Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in Belgium that existed as a separate ...

of the

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

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 ...

located in the province of West Flanders,

Flemish Region The Flemish Region (, ), usually simply referred to as Flanders ( ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—alongside the Wallonia, Walloon Region and the Brussels, Brussels-Capital Region. ...

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 ...

. It was a separate

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' ...

until 1971. On 1 January 1971, it was

merged Mergers and acquisitions (M&A) are business transactions in which the ownership of a company, business organization, or one of their operating units is transferred to or consolidated with another entity. They may happen through direct absorpt ...

into Bruges.

History

Although Roman remains have been found, the first written mention of the village Koolkerke dates from the 12th century. The name "Coolkercke" was first mentioned in 1243. The Old Zwin, a watercourse which connected Bruges to the Zwin in Knokke and the Nortsea, ran past the village. Old Zwin silted up, replaced by a canal constructed by the order of Napoleon and two forts were built in the 17th century: Fort Lapin south of Koolkerke and the 'Fort de Bavière' or Fort van Beieren, the remains of this can be seen today. It is believed that the name derives from Kool, a short version of the name Nicolas, hence from the church of St Nicholas. The church in Koolkerke was named by the settlement's founder, Nicolaas Gaillaerd. Other local attractions include the old windmill Ter Panne, and the Groene Poort castle, Dudzeelse steenweg 460 (now called Château Rougesse).
file:Koolkerke - Sint-Niklaaskerk 1.jpg, Sint-Niklaaskerk File:Pannemolen.JPG, Ter Pannemolen of Gailliaertmolen File:Koolkerke - Fort van Beieren 1.jpg, Fort van Beieren File: Hoeve Fort van Beieren.JPG, Hoeve Fort van Beieren

References

External links

Web.archive.org
Sub-municipalities of Bruges Former municipalities of West Flanders {{WestFlanders-geo-stub