Aalter

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Aalter
Municipality
Stationsstraat - Aalter - België.jpg
Flag of Aalter
Flag
Coat of arms of Aalter
Coat of arms
Country Belgium
Community Flemish Community
Region Flemish Region
Province East Flanders
Arrondissement Ghent
Government
 • Mayor Pieter De Crem (CD&V)
 • Governing party/ies CD&V/N-VA
Area
 • Total 119.85 km2 (46.27 sq mi)
Population (2018-01-01)Lua error in Module:Wd at line 405: invalid escape sequence near '"^'.
 • Total Lua error in Module:Wd at line 405: invalid escape sequence near '"^'.
Postal codes 9880, 9881, 9910
Area codes 09
Website www.aalter.be

Aalter (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈaːltər]) is a municipality located between Bruges and Ghent in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Aalter, Bellem, Lotenhulle (nl), Poeke (nl), Knesselare and Ursel (nl). It is bordered on the north by Maldegem, on the east by Zomergem and Nevele, on the south by Deinze, and on the west by the province of West Flanders. The mayor is Pieter De Crem.[1]

Effective 1 January 2019, the municipality of Knesselare was merged into Aalter.[2] Aalter was home to 29,242 people in 2021.[3]

History

Aalter is located on the border of the Meetjesland with the forest of Flanders. The area was inhabited since prehistory. Artefacts have been recovered from 3,000 to 2,000 BC. The village was first mentioned in 1974 as "Villa Haleftra". The etymology is unclear. The current name started to emerge around 1700. Aalter was home to several small heerlijkheden (landed estates), some of which had motte-and-bailey castles.[4][5]

Between 1613 and 1623, the Ghent-Bruges Canal (nl) was dug, and several fortifications were built by Spanish against the Dutch. In 1838, a railway station opened and Aalter started to develop into a town which nowadays has many commuters.[4][5]

Gallery

See also

References

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External links

  • Media related to Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. at Wikimedia Commons
  • Official website - Only available in Dutch


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