Lovendegem () is a town and former

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

Flanders Flanders ( or ; ) is the Dutch language, Dutch-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, la ...

, one of the three regions of

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 ...

, and in the 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 ...

. The municipality comprised the towns of Lovendegem proper and

Vinderhoute Vinderhoute is a village in the municipality of Lievegem in the province of East Flanders in Belgium. It is located in the Flemish Valley about north-west of Ghent. History Vinderhoute is located in the on the left bank of the and is surroun ...

. In 2018, Lovendegem had a total population of 9,574. The total area is 19.48 km².

History

The name of the town was first recorded as ''Lovendenghiem'' in 1150, but there are traces of human settlements back to the

Iron Age The Iron Age () is the final epoch of the three historical Metal Ages, after the Chalcolithic and Bronze Age. It has also been considered as the final age of the three-age division starting with prehistory (before recorded history) and progre ...

. The name means "settlement of the people of Lubantos (person)". Lovendegem used to be a complicated patchwork of ''

heerlijkheden A ''heerlijkheid'' (a Dutch word; pl. ''heerlijkheden''; also called ''heerschap''; Latin: ''Dominium'') was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking Low Countries before 1800. ...

'' (landed estates) and one barony. The religious wars of the late 16th century and the subsequent repression by the Iron Duke caused a near abandonment of Lovendegem. For most of its history, it was an agricultural community. From the 1960s onwards, Lovendegem developed into a residential town. and experienced a steady population growth. The Ghent-Bruges Canal crosses the municipality, with the town of Lovendegem to the north of the canal, and Vinderhoute to the south. Effective 1 January 2019,

Waarschoot Waarschoot () is a town and former municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders, in Belgium. The municipality comprised the towns of Waarschoot proper. In 2018, Waarschoot had a total population of 7,967. The total area is . Until ...

, Lovendegem and

Zomergem Zomergem () is a town and former municipality located in the Flanders and in the province of East Flanders, in Belgium. The municipality comprises the towns of Oostwinkel, Ronsele and Zomergem proper. On 1 January 2018, Zomergem had a total popul ...

were

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 the new municipality of

Lievegem Lievegem () is a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders that arose on 1 January 2019 from the merging of the municipalities of Waarschoot, Lovendegem and Zomergem. The merged municipality has an area of 80.78 km2 and is ho ...

Gallery

Image:Lovendegem, monumentaal pand positie3 foto2 2011-10-03 11.01.JPG, Lovendegem, townhall Image:Lovendegem, Sint Martinuskerk foto6 2010-10-08 16.19.JPG, Lovendegem, church: Sint Martinuskerk File:Lovendem 001.JPG, Industry File:Rode Poort Appensvoordestraat Lovendegem.jpg, Villa in Lovendegem

Famous inhabitants

Maurice De Waele Maurice De Waele (; 27 December 1896 – 14 February 1952) was a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. De Waele placed second in the 1927 Tour, an hour and fifty eight minutes behind Nicolas Frantz, and third in 1928, again won by ...

, cyclist, winner of the

Tour de France The Tour de France () is an annual men's multiple-stage cycle sport, bicycle race held primarily in France. It is the oldest and most prestigious of the three Grand Tour (cycling), Grand Tours, which include the Giro d'Italia and the Vuelta a ...

References

External links

*
Official website
{{Authority control Lievegem Former municipalities of East Flanders Populated places in East Flanders