Buggenhout is a municipality

Municipality

A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...

 in the Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 province of East Flanders

East Flanders

East Flanders is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Netherlands and in Belgium on the provinces of Antwerp, Flemish Brabant , of Hainaut and of West Flanders...

 in the Denderstreek

Denderstreek

The Denderstreek or Denderland is a region in the heart of Belgium. It is named after the river Dender. Though the river stretches over three provinces, Hainaut, East Flanders and Flemish Brabant, the region called after the river is situated in East-Flanders. The Dutch word streek means region....

. The municipality comprises the towns of Buggenhout proper, Briel

Briel (parish)

Briel or Den Briel is a parish in the Denderstreek in East Flanders, Belgium. A part of the parish is located in the municipality of Buggenhout, the other part is located in the sub-municipality Baasrode in the city Dendermonde....

, Opdorp

Opdorp

Opdorp is one of the three towns making up the municipality of Buggenhout in East Flanders, Belgium. Sometimes it's classified in the Denderstreek....

, and Opstal. On January 1, 2006 Buggenhout had a total population of 13,840. The total area is 25.25 square kilometres, which gives a population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 548 inhabitants per square kilometre. The current mayor of Buggenhout is Tom Van Herreweghe, from the (local) NCD party.

Buggenhout is the geometrical center of Flanders: If you take a cardboard cut-out of Flanders

Flanders

Flanders is the community of the Flemings but also one of the institutions in Belgium, and a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands. "Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp...

, and balance it on a needle where Buggenhout is, the whole cut-out would be in balance.

Buggenhout is also known for its forest, the "Buggenhout Bos", which is the largest forest of East Flanders.

Buggenhout has two breweries, Bosteels (known for the "Tripel Karmeliet", "Deus" (a champagne beer), "Kwak

Pauwel Kwak

Pauwel Kwak , or simply Kwak, is an amber, 8,4% abv Belgian beer, brewed by the family-owned Brewery Bosteels in Buggenhout, Belgium. It is named after an 18th century innkeeper and brewer, Pauwel Kwak....

") and De Landtsheer (known for "Malheur").

Etymology

The modern name "Buggenhout" stems from the Middle Dutch

Middle Dutch

Middle Dutch is a collective name for a number of closely related West Germanic dialects which were spoken and written between 1150 and 1500...

 "Bucghenhout" which on its turn stems from the Old Dutch

Old Dutch

In linguistics, Old Dutch denotes the forms of West Franconian spoken and written in the Netherlands and present-day northern Belgium during the Early Middle Ages. It is regarded as the primary stage in the development of a separate Dutch language...

 "Bukenholt". Buken comes from Proto-Germanic *bokjon (Modern Dutch: beuken, Old English: becen (beechs)), holt from *hulta (Modern Dutch: hout (bos), Old English: holt (forest)). Together, they would form "Beukenhout" or "Beech forest". Buggenhout is still known for its forest "Buggenhoutbos" (Buggenhout forest).