Mesen (; , historically used in English) is a

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' ...

and

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 ...

located in the Belgian province of

West Flanders West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...

. On 1 January 2006, Mesen had a total population of 988. The total area is 3.58 km² which gives a population density of 276 inhabitants per km². The municipality comprises only one main settlement, the town of Mesen proper. An

exclave An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...

to the west of the main territory is surrounded by the municipalities of

Heuvelland Heuvelland () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Dranouter, Kemmel, De Klijte, Loker, Nieuwkerke, Westouter, Wijtschate and Wulvergem. Heuvelland is a thinly popul ...

and

Comines-Warneton Comines-Warneton (; ; ; ; ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is contiguous with the identically named Comines on the other side of the border with France. On 1 January 2006 it had a total ...

Villages neighbouring the municipality: * a. Wijtschate (in the municipality of

) * b.

Warneton Warneton (; ) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France. It is part of the Métropole Européenne de Lille. Bounding communes and places *Warneton, Belgium (part of Comines-Warneton) * Comines, east * Quesnoy-sur-Deûle, southea ...

(in the municipality of

) * c.

Ploegsteert Ploegsteert (; ; ) is a village of Wallonia and a district of the municipality of Comines-Warneton, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. It is the most westerly settlement of Wallonia. It is approximately north of the French border. Cr ...

(in the municipality of

) Mesen is the smallest city in Belgium. It is a municipality with language facilities. Mesen is twinned with

Featherston Featherston is a surname of English origin, at least as old as the 12th century. The link with "Featherstone" is probably not traceable, but people researching both spellings (and others such as "de Fetherestanhalgh") contribute to the collection o ...

in New Zealand in part due to the location of the New Zealand World War I Memorial, which has annual

Anzac Day Anzac Day is a national day of remembrance in Australia, New Zealand and Tonga that broadly commemorates all Australians and New Zealanders "who served and died in all wars, conflicts, and peacekeeping operations" and "the contribution and ...

commemorations on 25 April.

History

In 1062, Adela, wife of Baldwin the Pius, count of

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 ...

, translated the bones of Saint Sidronius from Rome to Messines. Three battles were fought over the town during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

(1914–1918): *

Battle of Messines (1914) The Battle of Messines was fought in October 1914 between the armies of the German Empire against the British Empire and France, as part of what came to be called the Race to the Sea: reciprocal attempts by the German and Entente armies to attac ...

Battle of Messines (1917) The Battle of Messines (7–14 June 1917) was an attack by the British Second Army (General Sir Herbert Plumer), on the Western Front, near the village of Messines ( Dutch: Mesen) in West Flanders, Belgium, during the First World War. The ...

and Mines in the Battle of Messines *

Battle of the Lys (1918) The Battle of the Lys, also known as the Fourth Battle of Ypres, was fought from 7 to 29 April 1918 and was part of the German spring offensive in Flanders during the First World War. It was originally planned by General Erich Ludendorff as ...

Image:Kerktoren Mesen.JPG, Church tower from Mesen Image:Sint-Niklaaskerk.JPG, Sint-Niklaaskerk Image:MESSINES RIDGE BRITISH CEMETERY.JPG, Messines Ridge British Cemetery Image:Tower, Irish Peace Park, Mesen, Belgium.jpg, Tower, Irish Peace Park in Mesen Image:IR Lübeck 029 – Meesen-Befehl.jpg, German Order for Mesen 7 April 1918

References

External links

*
Official website
– in {{Authority control Municipalities of West Flanders