Heuvelland () 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' ...

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 ...

. The municipality comprises the villages of Dranouter,

Kemmel 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 populat ...

De Klijte De Klijte ( French, La Clytte, West Flemish: ''De Klyte'', locally known as ''De Kliete'') is a village in the municipality of Heuvelland in West Flanders, Belgium. Before the 1977 Belgian municipal reforms, De Klijte was part of the municipality ...

, Loker,

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

, Westouter, Wijtschate and Wulvergem. Heuvelland is a thinly populated rural municipality, located between the small urban centres of

Ypres Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...

and

Poperinge Poperinge (; , ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Flanders, Flemish Region, and has a history going back to medieval times. The municipality comprises ...

and the metropolitan area of

Kortrijk Kortrijk ( , ; or ''Kortrik''; ), sometimes known in English as Courtrai or Courtray ( ), is a Belgian City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region, Flemish Provinces of Belgium, province of We ...

Lille Lille (, ; ; ; ; ) is a city in the northern part of France, within French Flanders. Positioned along the Deûle river, near France's border with Belgium, it is the capital of the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, region, the Prefectures in F ...

along the E17. On 1 January 2006 Heuvelland had a total population of 8,217. The total area is 94.24 km² which gives a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

of 87 inhabitants per km². The name ''heuvelland'' is

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

meaning "hill country", as the municipality is characterized by the different hills on its territory.

Geography

Landscape

The municipality is located in an area known as the West-Flemish Hills. The highest hill in Heuvelland is the

Kemmelberg The Kemmelberg (, ) is a hill formation in Flanders, Belgium. It is located less than a kilometre from the village of Kemmel, part of the municipality of Heuvelland in the province of West Flanders. The Kemmelberg is the highest point in the pro ...

(154 m); followed by the Vidaigneberg (136 m), the Rodeberg (129 m), the Scherpenberg (125 m) and a lower hill in Wijtschate (82 m). On the border with

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

is the Zwarteberg. File:Kemmelberg.JPG, Kemmelberg, seen from the west Image:Heuvelland - Loker (Rodeberg).jpg, Landscape, with the village of Loker, as seen from the Rodeberg Image:MapHeuvelland.svg, Heuvelland, "deelgemeenten" and neighbouring villages. The yellow areas are urban areas.

Municipality parts

The municipality Heuvelland consists of eight small rural villages. The "

deelgemeente 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 municipality in Belgium that existed as a separate entity on 1 January 1961 bu ...

s" of Dranouter,

, Loker,

, Westouter, Wijtschate and Wulvergem were independent municipalities before the merger in 1977.

wasn't independent, but was a part of

Reningelst Reningelst is a rural village in the Belgian province of West Flanders, and a "deelgemeente" of the municipality Poperinge. The village has about 1405 inhabitants. The deelgemeente of De Klijte used to be a part of Reningelst (then independent ...

(then independent, now part of Poperinge). Kemmel, Wijtschate, Nieuwkerke and Westouter are the largest centres, with more than 1000 inhabitants each. The town hall and municipal administration are located in Kemmel, as are the police office and post office. The rest home, municipal sports hall and main library are located in Wijtschate. The municipal container park is found in Nieuwkerke. The four other villages are smaller and accommodate less facilities. Besides the village centres, a number of smaller residential areas are scattered on the territory. On top of the crest of the Rodeberg and Zwarteberg small residential development, mixed with small shops, tourist businesses and restaurants are found. The city centre of

Mesen Mesen (; , historically used in English) is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality and City status in Belgium, city located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. On 1 January 2006, Mesen had a total population of 988. The total area is ...

also expands a little on the territory of Wijtschate in Heuvelland. :Source: Ruimtelijk structuurplan Heuvelland

Neighbouring villages and towns

Because of its relative extensiveness, the municipality of Heuvelland borders a large number of villages and towns: *a.

(city of Poperinge) *b.

(city of Poperinge) *c.

Dikkebus Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...

(city of Ypres) *d.

Vlamertinge Vlamertinge is a village in the Belgium, Belgian province of West Flanders and a borough of the city of Ypres. The village center of Vlamertinge lies just outside the city center of Ypres, along the main road N38 to the nearby town of Poperinge. ...

(city of Ypres) *e.

Voormezele Ypres ( ; ; ; ; ) is a Belgian city and municipality in the province of West Flanders. Though the Dutch name is the official one, the city's French name is most commonly used in English. The municipality comprises the city of Ypres/Ieper ...

(city of Ypres) *f.

Hollebeke Hollebeke is a Flemish village in the Belgian province of West Flanders, now part of Ypres. History In World War I, it was the site of Allied heroism (like other neighbouring parts of Ypres, such as Klein Zillebeke) that won Khudadad Khan th ...

(city of Ypres) *g. Houthem (city of

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 ...

) *h. Bas-Warneton (city of Comines-Warneton) *i.

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 ...

(city of Comines-Warneton) *j.

(city of Mesen) *k.

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 ...

(city of Comines-Warneton) *l.

Nieppe Nieppe (; ) is a Communes of France, commune in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department in northern France. It is in the Lys Plain and a portion of it is in the Leie, Lys Valley (Leiedal in Dutch). Population Geogra ...

(France) *m. Bailleul (France) *n. Saint-Jans-Cappel (France) *o.

Boeschepe Boeschepe () is a commune in the Nord department in northern France, next to the Belgian border. Population Heraldry See also *Communes of the Nord department The following is a list of the 647 communes of the Nord department of th ...

(France)

History

World War I

The area experienced many major battles 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 ...

, as part of the

Ypres Salient The Ypres Salient, around Ypres, in Belgium, was the scene of several battles and a major part of the Western Front during World War I. Location Ypres lies at the junction of the Ypres–Comines Canal and the Ieperlee. The city is overlooked b ...

area. The front-line ran through the area of Wytschaete, which was captured and held several times by both sides during the course of the war. Spanbroekmolen was an important German stronghold, and on 30 April and 17 June 1916, the area was the site of two German gas attacks on British troops at Wulverghem. The

was important during the Battle of the Lys, and German units maintained a trench system (''Bayernwald'') within view of Ypres at Croonaert Wood. Nowadays, the ''Bayernwald'' trenches can be visited as an

open-air museum An open-air museum is a museum that exhibits collections of buildings and artifacts outdoors. It is also frequently known as a museum of buildings or a folk museum. Definition Open air is "the unconfined atmosphere ... outside buildings" ...

. There are a number of war cemeteries in the municipality, including Godezonne Farm, RE Farm, Spanbroekmolen,

Suffolk Suffolk ( ) is a ceremonial county in the East of England and East Anglia. It is bordered by Norfolk to the north, the North Sea to the east, Essex to the south, and Cambridgeshire to the west. Ipswich is the largest settlement and the county ...

, Klein Vierstraat and Kemmel Number 1 French Cemetery.

Notable people

*The cartographer and astronomer

Petrus Plancius Petrus Plancius (; born Pieter Platevoet ; 1552 – 15 May 1622) was a Dutch- Flemish astronomer, cartographer and clergyman. Born, in Dranouter, now in Heuvelland, West Flanders, he studied theology in Germany and England. At the age of 24 ...

was born in Dranouter in 1552. *Singer

Geike Arnaert Geike Arnaert (; born 13 September 1979) is a Belgian singer, best known for being the lead vocalist of the band Hooverphonic from 1997 until 2008 and again since 2020. Geike was born in Poperinge and grew up in Westouter, a town that is close t ...

Hooverphonic Hooverphonic is a Belgian electronic band that was formed in October 1995. Though originally categorized as a trip hop group, they quickly expanded their sound to the point where it could no longer be described as a belonging to a single genre, ...

was born and raised in Westouter. *

Tiny Legs Tim Tim De Graeve (28 November 1978 – 25 May 2022), known professionally as Tiny Legs Tim, was a Belgium, Belgian blues guitarist and singer-songwriter. De Graeve also played the harmonica, was the inspirer of the Flanders, Flemish blues and Roots ...

(1978-2022) - musician and singer-songwriter

References

External links

Official website
{{Authority control Municipalities of West Flanders