Melsen is a village in the province of
East Flanders
, native_name_lang =
, settlement_type = Province of Belgium
, image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg
, flag_size =
, image_shield = Wapen van O ...
, Belgium, and is a part of the municipality of
Merelbeke. It covers an area of roughly 3 square kilometers. Its terrain is largely made up of one great hill. The northern and southern slopes of the hill, which are fairly steep for the surrounding area (about 20 meters), form the natural boundaries with the bordering villages of
Vurste
Gavere () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of , Baaigem, , Gavere, and . In 2021, Gavere had a total population of 13,007. The total area ...
and
Schelderode
Merelbeke () is a municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders, in Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by ...
. The eastern slopes of the hill evolve into agricultural land and farther east into the forest of Makkegem. The western slope descends into a marsh that is connected to the
Schelde
The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...
(
Scheldt
The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...
) river.
Most of the land used to be for agricultural purposes, or covered with forests and marshes, but now most of the western and northern part of the village is almost fully covered by a network of streets and houses. Only some fields on the borders of the village remain.
History
From the documents of the medieval abbey of
Ename
Ename is a Belgian village in the Flemish province of East Flanders. It stands on the right side of the river Scheldt and it is part of the municipality of Oudenaarde.
The territory was inhabited during Prehistoric and Roman times, and became a ...
, it can be concluded that Melsen was in existence in the 9th century AD, and probably before that time as well. Its name, which roots back to
proto-Germanic
Proto-Germanic (abbreviated PGmc; also called Common Germanic) is the reconstructed proto-language of the Germanic branch of the Indo-European languages.
Proto-Germanic eventually developed from pre-Proto-Germanic into three Germanic bran ...
and could either mean 'pig stable' or 'marsh', seems to hint at an earlier origin, although there is no evidence to support this. There have also been archeological findings that have shown human presence in the area of the village dating back to
Prehistory
Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use ...
, but these were not permanent settlements.
Despite its long history, documents from the
Middle Ages
In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire ...
suggest that it has always been a small village without an important role. During the civil war that raged in the Low Countries in the 16th century, one of the feudal lords of Melsen, Filips III van der Gracht, was decapitated in
Ghent
Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest i ...
along with others for his rebellion against the Spanish occupiers. His tombstone, although heavily eroded, can still be seen at the church of Melsen.
Incidentally, this church is probably one of the oldest buildings in the village, its foundations dating back to the 9th or 10th century, although most of its present-day form was built in the 17th century and rebuilt after World War II destroyed part of its walls and glass windows. Locally it is known for its long, slender and sharp bell tower. Although Melsen was ruled by aristocrats until 1977, not many of them have been buried at its cemetery. The 'castle' of Melsen is another old building in the village, dating back from the 16th or 17th century. Other houses or buildings in the village also date back 300 years or more.
Another famous building in the village is the 'Stone Mill'. In 1940, the retreating Belgian army put the mill on fire to prevent it from being used as a watchtower by the German occupiers, because geographically, the 'Stone Mill' was the highest architectural point in a circle of about 10 kilometers. The mill was never rebuilt and is still an impressive ruin, with only the bricks left (hence its current name). Although successive generations since World War II have claimed it could collapse at any time, it still hasn't happened. It is currently a big nesting place for birds.
In 1977, Melsen merged with Schelderode, Bottelare, Lemberge, Munte and Merelbeke to form the municipality of greater Merelbeke, although most original plans had provided for Melsen to become the centerpiece of this new town. Its old town hall is currently a bank office. In the mid and late nineties the village saw an explosive growth due to the influx of newcomers, making its population nowadays almost 2000 people.
Language and dialect
The local
dialect
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety of a language that ...
belongs to the group of central East-Flemish dialects but, like almost all dialects in this area, is strongly recessive because of its low prestige, greater mobility of people and the pervasive influence of both surrounding dialects,
Standard Dutch
Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language, after its close relatives German and English. ''Afrikaans ...
and the so-called 'Verkavelingsvlaams', a mixture of Standard Dutch and Flemish sounds and words. The future of the dialect is uncertain.
The current form of the dialect contains over 16
vowels
A vowel is a syllabic speech sound pronounced without any stricture in the vocal tract. Vowels are one of the two principal classes of speech sounds, the other being the consonant. Vowels vary in quality, in loudness and also in quantity (l ...
and 5
diphthongs
A diphthong ( ; , ), also known as a gliding vowel, is a combination of two adjacent vowel sounds within the same syllable. Technically, a diphthong is a vowel with two different targets: that is, the tongue (and/or other parts of the speech ...
and differs especially in this respect from Standard Dutch. Its
consonant
In articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are and pronounced with the lips; and pronounced with the front of the tongue; and pronounced ...
system is more like Standard Dutch, although some
phonemes
In phonology and linguistics, a phoneme () is a unit of sound that can distinguish one word from another in a particular language.
For example, in most dialects of English, with the notable exception of the West Midlands and the north-wes ...
are missing entirely. Its vocabulary and grammar seem to be both a simplified and archaic version of many typical Dutch and Germanic root-words, with many French words intermixed. To German ears, it has been described as sounding a bit like
Swedish
Swedish or ' may refer to:
Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically:
* Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland
** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...
, while speakers of English have sometimes interpreted it as a very deviant form of
Scots
Scots usually refers to something of, from, or related to Scotland, including:
* Scots language, a language of the West Germanic language family native to Scotland
* Scots people, a nation and ethnic group native to Scotland
* Scoti, a Latin na ...
. The dialect will usually be understood by most Flemings, except those in
Limburg.
Gallery
File:Melsen - Merelbeke - former town hall.jpg, Former town hall
File:Scheldevallei - Melsen - 2017.jpg, Scheldt valley
File:Voormalig klooster in Melsen in 2016.jpg, Former monastery
File:Sociale woningen - kort na WO II - Melsen (1).jpg, Street view
References
{{Commons category, position=left
Populated places in East Flanders
Merelbeke