Gistel

Gistel
Municipality

Flag
Coat of arms
Gistel
Location in Belgium
location within arrondissement Ostend
and in the province West Flanders
Coordinates: 51°09′N 02°58′E / 51.150°N 2.967°E / 51.150; 2.967Coordinates: 51°09′N 02°58′E / 51.150°N 2.967°E / 51.150; 2.967
Country Belgium
Community Flemish Community
Region Flemish Region
Province West Flanders
Arrondissement Ostend
Government
 • Mayor Bart Halewyck (CD&V)
 • Governing party/ies CD&V, N-VA, sp-a
Area
 • Total 42.25 km2 (16.31 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2017)[1]
 • Total 12,021
 • Density 280/km2 (740/sq mi)
Postal codes 8470
Area codes 059
Website www.gistel.be

Gistel is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders.

Following local government boundary reforms in 1971 and 1977, the municipality has comprised not only Gistel, but also the towns of Moere, Snaaskerke and Zevekote.

On January 1, 2006 the Gistel municipality had a total registered population of 11,125, of whom more than 8,000 were in Gistel itself. The total area is 42.25 km² which gives a population density of 263 inhabitants per km². The German town of Büdingen is its twin town.

Celebrity connections

The most famous inhabitant of Gistel was Sylvère Maes, winner of the Tour de France in 1936 and 1939.

Another former resident of Gistel is Johan Museeuw, also famous cyclist, but now retired. He won Paris–Roubaix three times.

In 2011, a museum opened in Gistel, in honor of Maes and Museeuw.[2]

The present mayor, Bart Halewyck, was the first hacker ever convicted in Belgium after the 'Bistel Trial' in 1990. He was already alderman and had to resign after his conviction.[3]

Images

References

  1. ↑ Population per municipality as of 1 January 2017 (XLS; 397 KB)
  2. ↑ "Museum Gistelse Flandriens" (in Dutch). De Standaard. 8 April 2011. Retrieved 17 January 2012.
  3. ↑ (in French) Joëlle Meskens, "Les pirates du Bistel s'en tirent bien: la farce n'était pas très méchante...", Le Soir, 9 November 1990


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