Eeklo

Eeklo
Municipality
Eeklo town hall, church, and market square

Flag
Coat of arms
Eeklo
Location in Belgium
Location of Eeklo in East Flanders
Coordinates: 51°11′N 03°33′E / 51.183°N 3.550°E / 51.183; 3.550Coordinates: 51°11′N 03°33′E / 51.183°N 3.550°E / 51.183; 3.550
Country Belgium
Community Flemish Community
Region Flemish Region
Province East Flanders
Arrondissement Eeklo
Government
 • Mayor Koen Loete (CD&V)
 • Governing party/ies CD&V, sp.a, Groen, Open Vld
Area
 • Total 30.05 km2 (11.60 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2017)[1]
 • Total 20,708
 • Density 690/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Postal codes 9900
Area codes 09
Website www.eeklo.be

Eeklo (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈeːkloː]) is a Belgian municipality in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises only the town of Eeklo proper. The name Eeklo comes from the contraction of "eke" and "lo", two Old German words meaning oak and sparse woods (compare English Oakley).

History

Origins and Middle Ages

There are not many traces of early habitation in the Eeklo area. It is presumed that some oaks would have attracted the attention of travellers on the Roman road that ran along the local sandbar among the marshes. By 1240, a town had grown here and had already become important enough to warrant a civic charter by Jeanne of Constantinople, Countess of Flanders. Over the years, the marshes were drained to give place to fortified farms, some remnants of which can still be seen today (Groot Goed). Like most other cities in the County of Flanders, Eeklo's economy was based on the cloth industry, and commercial relations were established with the more powerful neighbouring cities, Ghent and Bruges.

16th century until now

Eeklo on the Ferraris map (around 1775)

During the second half of the 16th century, Eeklo was in the unfortunate position of being on the border between the Catholic south and the Protestant north, which resulted in so much destruction that the town was nearly abandoned by its inhabitants. At around that time the legend of "recooking" appeared, actually a rejuvenation recipe that involved drinking a youth elixir, cutting one's head off and baking it again. While the head was in the oven, a green cabbage took its place on the body, symbol of the empty head.

The 18th and 19th century were more favourable and the textile industry took off again. Most of the town's schools and neo-gothic buildings date from that period. Today, Eeklo is changing its vocation from an industrial town to one of services to the neighbouring communities.

Main sights

  • The town hall and belfry have been designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1999.
  • Eeklo has a few notable churches and chapels, such as the St Vincent Church (Sint-Vincentiuskerk) and the chapel of the clinic of the Holy Heart (Heilig Hartkliniek).
  • A nearby provincial park, “Het Leen”, includes an arboretum and museum.
  • A local park, the Heldenpark, offers concerts in summer, and houses a playground for children, bowling areas for seniors, and a soccer and baseball field.

Events

  • The Grote Prijs Stad Eeklo is a cyclo-cross race in Eeklo, Belgium.
  • Every last week-end of July, the Meetjeslandse Balloonmeeting gathers hot-air balloon enthusiasts from all over Belgium.
  • The summer is also the time for concerts in the park.
  • The largest flea market in Flanders, Kaaikeskermis, takes place in Eeklo during the first weekend of October.

Famous inhabitants

Twin cities

References

  1. ↑ Population per municipality as of 1 January 2017 (XLS; 397 KB)
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