Zele () 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

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 ...

, around 20 kilometers east of

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

. The municipality only comprises the town of Zele proper. In 2023, Zele had a total population of 21,374. The total area is 33km² which gives a population density of 641.6 people per km².

Toponym

The name of the municipality is derived from the

Old Dutch In linguistics, Old Dutch ( Modern Dutch: ') or Old Low Franconian (Modern Dutch: ') is the set of dialects that evolved from Frankish spoken in the Low Countries during the Early Middle Ages, from around the 6th Page 55: "''Uit de zesde eeu ...

Old Saxon Old Saxon (), also known as Old Low German (), was a Germanic language and the earliest recorded form of Low German (spoken nowadays in Northern Germany, the northeastern Netherlands, southern Denmark, the Americas and parts of Eastern Eur ...

word "seli", which means "(main) building" or "settlement". Examples in the region with that toponym are

Brussels Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...

Herzele Herzele () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders 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, Hain ...

and

Belsele Belsele is a village and a deelgemeente of the municipality of Sint-Niklaas, which is situated in the Belgian province of East Flanders. History Around the 2nd or 3rd century CE there stood a Roman villa in Belsele, that was discovered in the ...

Notable inhabitants

* Hans Christiaens, footballer (b. 1964) *

Aloïs de Beule Aloïs De Beule (27 August 1861 in Zele – 15 December 1935 in Ghent) was a Belgian sculptor. Biography Aged ten he entered his father's shoemaking business. He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts (KASK), Royal Academy of Fine Arts and th ...

, sculptor (1861–1935) *

Pierre de Decker Pierre (Pieter) Jacques François de Decker (25 January 1812 – 4 January 1891) was a Belgian Roman Catholic politician, statesman and author who served as the Prime Minister of Belgium from 1855 to 1857. He was educated at a Jesuit school, st ...

, former

Prime Minister of Belgium The prime minister of Belgium (; ; ) or the premier of Belgium is the head of the federal government of Belgium, and the most powerful person in Belgian politics. The first head of government in Belgian history was Henri van der Noot in 179 ...

(1855–1857) (1812–1891) * Andreas De Leenheer, academic and biologist (1941-2022) *

Basile De Loose Basile De Loose (17 December 1809 – 24 December 1885) was a Belgian painter. He was born in Zele, East Flanders, First French Empire, on 17 December 1809, to Johannes Josephus de Loose. Also his father was a painter. Twelve paintings by his fat ...

, painter (1809–1885) * Filip De Wilde, professional football player (b. 1964) * Michel D'Hooghe, racing cyclist (1912-1940) *

Dirk Heirweg Dirk Heirweg (born 27 September 1955) is a Belgian former racing cyclist. He competed in the individual road race and team time trial events at the 1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI ...

, racing cyclist (b. 1955) *

Christophe Impens Christophe Impens (born 9 December 1969 in Ghent) is a retired Belgian athlete who competed in middle-distance events. He represented his country at the 1996 Summer Olympics, as well as two outdoor and two indoor World Championships. His biggest ...

, Belgian record holder 1500 m run, semi-finalist at Atlanta Olympics (b. 1969) *

Caroline Maes Caroline Maes (born 9 November 1982) is a former Belgian tennis player. Maes has been active in singles since 1997 and doubles since 1999. The highest place she ever achieved in the WTA rankings in singles is 151st on 28 May 2007. In doubles, s ...

, professional tennis player (b. 1982) *

Lieven Maesschalck Lieven Maesschalck (born 1964 in Zele) is a Belgian physiotherapist who worked among others with the Belgium national football team. As a physiotherapist he also treats multiple sportsmen. Biography In 1987 he took over the private practice of h ...

, physiotherapist (b. 1964) *

Joseph Julian Oste Joseph Julian Oste (; March 28, 1893 – January 19, 1971) was a Belgian Catholic priest, missionary, and Bishop of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Jehol between 1948 and 1971. Biography Joseph Julian Oste was born in Zele, Flemish Region, Belgium, ...

, priest, missionary, and Bishop (1893-1971) *

Désiré Piryns Désiré Piryns (1889, Zele – 23 April 1948, Anderlecht) was a Belgian painter. His work was part of the painting event in the art competition at the 1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XI ...

, painter (1889-1948) *

William Tackaert William Tackaert (born 9 August 1956) is a Belgian former racing cyclist. He rode in five editions of the Tour de France between 1979 and 1983. He most notably won the 1983 E3 Harelbeke and the 1985 Kuurne–Brussels–Kuurne. Major results ;1 ...

, racing cyclist (b. 1956) *

Vanessa Van Cartier Vanessa Crokaert (born 3 December 1979) better known by the stage name Vanessa Van Cartier is a Belgian-Dutch drag queen based in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She is best known for winning the second season of ''Drag Race Holland''. She became the ...

, drag queen (b. 1979) * Miranda Van Eetvelde, politician (b. 1959) *

Sven Verdonck Sven Verdonck (born 30 January 1988 in Herentals) is a Belgian football player who plays in the central defence. He currently plays for KFC De Kempen. Career In 2007, he went on loan to FC Brussels. In August 2010 Verdonck was fired by Fortun ...

, darts player (b. 1963) * Frederik De Waele, gymnast (1919-2001)

References

External links

*
Official website
Municipalities of East Flanders Populated places in East Flanders {{EastFlanders-geo-stub