Heuvelland () is a municipality located in the Belgium province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Dranouter, Kemmel, De Klijte, Loker, Nieuwkerke, Westouter, Wijtschate and Wulvergem. Heuvelland is a thinly populated rural municipality, located between the small urban centres of Ypres and Poperinge and the metropolitan area of Kortrijk-Lille 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 of 87 inhabitants per km2. The name heuvelland is Dutch language 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 (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 is the
Zwarteberg.
Municipality parts
The municipality Heuvelland consists of eight small rural villages. The "
" of
Dranouter,
Kemmel,
Loker,
Nieuwkerke,
Westouter,
Wijtschate and
Wulvergem were independent municipalities before the merger in 1977.
De Klijte wasn't independent, but was a part of
Reningelst (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 also expands a little on the territory of Wijtschate in Heuvelland.
|
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| 1.170 |
| 2.109 |
| 264 |
| 1.513 |
| 703 |
| 572 |
| 1.422 |
| 576 |
- 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:
History
World War I
The area experienced many major battles during World War I, as part of the
Ypres Salient 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
Kemmelberg 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. There are a number of war cemeteries in the municipality, including Godezonne Farm, RE Farm, Spanbroekmolen, Suffolk, Klein Vierstraat and Kemmel Number 1 French Cemetery.
Notable people
-
The cartographer and astronomer Petrus Plancius was born in Dranouter in 1552.
-
Singer Geike Arnaert of Hooverphonic was born and raised in Westouter.
-
Tiny Legs Tim (1978-2022) - musician and singer-songwriter
External links
