Nederbrakel is a town in the municipality of

Brakel Brakel may refer to: ;Places * Brakel, Belgium, East Flanders, Belgium * Brakel, Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany * Brakel (Gelderland), Gelderland, Netherlands * Brakel (North Brabant), North Brabant, Netherlands ;Other uses * Wilhelmus � ...

. It is located in the

Denderstreek The Denderstreek or Denderland is a region in Belgium. It is named after the river Dender. Though the river stretches over three provinces, Hainaut (province), Hainaut, East Flanders and Flemish Brabant, the region called after the river is situa ...

and the

Flemish Ardennes The Flemish Ardennes (Dutch language, Dutch: ''Vlaamse Ardennen'') is an informal name given to a hilly region in the south of the province of East Flanders, Belgium. Highest summit is the Hotondberg (151 m). Main characteristics of the region ar ...

, the hilly southern part of 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 ...

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 ...

. With 5,972 residents as of 2000, it forms the largest individual part of the municipality. Nederbrakel is located near the

language border A language border or language boundary is the line separating two language areas. The term is generally meant to imply a lack of mutual intelligibility between the two languages. If two adjacent languages or dialects are mutually intelligible, n ...

Overview

Ceramics have been discovered dating from 450 B.C. The town was first mentioned as Brakele Inferius in the 13th century. In the 19th century, the economy was mainly based on

flax Flax, also known as common flax or linseed, is a flowering plant, ''Linum usitatissimum'', in the family Linaceae. It is cultivated as a food and fiber crop in regions of the world with temperate climates. In 2022, France produced 75% of t ...

cultivation. The Railway line Aalst-Zottegem-Ronse opened in 1885 with a train station at Nederbrakel which closed in 1963. The Sint-Pietersbanden Church was built in the 14th century, and reconstructed in 1828. The tower was built next to the church between 1515 and 1521. The spire burnt down in 1750 and was replaced with a simple spire. The tower was classified as a monument in 1936. Nederbrakel - Toepkapel 1

In 1917,

Dean Dean may refer to: People * Dean (given name) * Dean (surname), a surname of Anglo-Saxon English origin * Dean (South Korean singer), a stage name for singer Kwon Hyuk * Dean Delannoit, a Belgian singer most known by the mononym Dean * Dean Sw ...

August Vael prayed that the town would be spared in

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 ...

. In 1924, the Toep Chapel was erected to commemorate the sparing of Nederbakel. The Toep Hill is one of the two hills next to the village. The Toep Park is located on top of the hill. This privately owned park contains the source of

mineral water Mineral water is water from a mineral spring that contains various minerals, such as salts and sulfur compounds. It is usually still, but may be sparkling ( carbonated/ effervescent). Traditionally, mineral waters were used or consumed at t ...

which has been bottled since 1898. On the edge of the park is the Castle of the Toep Sources, a neoclassic castle built in 1873. During the 20th century, the town became a residential and commuter town. In 1971, the municipality of Nederbrakel merged with Michelbeke and Opbrakel. The new municipality was named Brakel.

Notable people

Jean Henri De Coene Jean Henri De Coene (1798–1866) was a Belgian painter of genre and historical subjects. De Coene was born at Nederbrakel. He was a pupil of Jacques-Louis David, David and of Joseph Paelinck, Paelinck, and became professor in the Académie Royale ...

(1798–1866), painter *

Albert De Vleeschauwer Albert De Vleeschauwer, later Baron Albert De Vleeschauwer van Braekel, (1 January 1897 in Nederbrakel – 24 February 1971 in Kortenberg) was a Belgian politician of the Catholic Party. De Vleeschauwer served as Catholic deputy for the Leuve ...

(1897–1971), politician

References

External links

Webpage at Internet Archive
{{Authority control Brakel, Belgium Former municipalities of East Flanders Populated places in East Flanders