Geraardsbergen (; ) is a city and municipality located in the Denderstreek and in the Flemish Ardennes, the hilly southern part of the Belgium province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Geraardsbergen proper and the following towns:
- , , , , , , , , , , , Viane, , and .
In 2021, Geraardsbergen had a total population of 33,970. The total area is 79.71 km2.
The current mayor of Geraardsbergen is Ann Panis, from the (liberal) party Open VLD.
History
Geraardsbergen is one of the oldest cities in Belgium. It came into existence close to the settlement of Hunnegem and in 1068 was one of the first communities in Western Europe to be granted city status.
The city was destroyed in 1381 by Walter IV of Enghien and his troops. According to legend, during the siege local people threw some of their left over food over the city wall to show that they had sufficient food to survive a long siege. This bravado notwithstanding, the city was still captured by Enghien's troops. Every year the city organizes the krakelingenworp carnival on top of the hill at Oudenberg () to celebrate this historical event.
On 29May 1815, shortly before the Battle of Waterloo, Wellington and Blücher reviewed the Allied cavalry here. Some 6,000 troops were paraded in meadows on the banks of the Dender between Geraardsbergen and Jedeghem.[Cavalié Mercer, ''Journal of the Waterloo Campaign Kept throughout the Campaign of 1815, Da Capo Press, 1995]
Places of interest
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Manneken Pis, the oldest such statue, older than the Manneken Pis.
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The wall, a steep street paved with cobblestones, climbed every year by cyclists during the Tour of Flanders.
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Boelare Castle, seat of the former feudal domain Land (Barony) of Boelare.
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Overboelare Airfield, small glider airfield with a Douglas C-54A Skymaster (DC-4) as gate guard.
Mattentaart
Geraardsbergen is known for the , a type of sweet pastry. This is made with
matten paste or cheese curd.
The mattentaart was granted Protected Geographical Indication status by the European Union in 2006, indicating they can only be made in Geraardsbergen or in the nearby municipality of Lierde.
Notable individuals
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(1116–1196)
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William of Moerbeke (1215–1286), first translator of Aristotle's works into Latin
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(1415–1460), scrivenist and scribe
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Gabriël Grupello (1644-1730), Flemish Baroque sculptor
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Frans Rens (1805-1874), Flemish scholar, active in the Flemish Movement
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Robert de Foy (1893–1960), Belgian magistrate, and head of the Belgian State Security Service
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Frans Van Coetsem (1919-2002), Belgian-born linguist and university teacher (Leuven, Leiden and Cornell )
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Cyriel Delannoit (1926-1998), boxer, European champion 1948
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Paul Van den Berghe (born 1933), Belgium Bishop in the Roman Catholic Church
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Ferdi Van Den Haute (born 1952), cyclist
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Guido De Padt (born 1954), politician
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Jan Callebaut (born 1955), communication and marketing advisor and entrepreneur
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Marie-Christine Deurbroeck (born 1957), long-distance runner
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Michaël Borremans (born 1963), painter and filmmaker
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Alain Van Den Bossche (born 1965), cyclist
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Dean Delannoit (born 1989), singer
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(1893–1949), painter
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Storm De Beul (2002–2024), Belgian YouTuber
External links
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