Laarne
Encyclopedia
Laarne is a municipality
located in the Belgian
province of East Flanders
. The municipality comprises the towns of Kalken and Laarne proper. On January 1, 2006 Laarne had a total population of 11,736. The total area is 32.07 km² which gives a population density
of 366 inhabitants per km². The current mayor of Laarne is Ignace De Baerdemaecker, from the VLD (Liberal) party.
, near a former course of the River Scheldt
and is notable for its castle. This dates from the twelfth and later centuries, notably, the seventeenth and has been sympathetically restored and re-furnished.
The name arises from the Germanic hlaeri which signifies terrain seen as wooded and marshy
. It is possible to speculate that the village originated in serving the castle, which in turn, guarded the river approach to Ghent from the sea. In the twelfth century, that was less remote from the city than it is today. In 1040, Laarne was mentioned as Laren.
The lordship passed by inheritance through the families of Schoutheete, van Vilsteren and others, finally to the counts of Ribaucourt. The castle is now owned by the Vereniging van Historische Woonsteden van België (the Union of Historic Homesteads of Belgium).
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...
located 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...
. The municipality comprises the towns of Kalken and Laarne proper. On January 1, 2006 Laarne had a total population of 11,736. The total area is 32.07 km² 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 366 inhabitants per km². The current mayor of Laarne is Ignace De Baerdemaecker, from the VLD (Liberal) party.
History
The village lies to the east of GhentGhent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
, near a former course of the River Scheldt
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...
and is notable for its castle. This dates from the twelfth and later centuries, notably, the seventeenth and has been sympathetically restored and re-furnished.
The name arises from the Germanic hlaeri which signifies terrain seen as wooded and marshy
Swamp
A swamp is a wetland with some flooding of large areas of land by shallow bodies of water. A swamp generally has a large number of hammocks, or dry-land protrusions, covered by aquatic vegetation, or vegetation that tolerates periodical inundation. The two main types of swamp are "true" or swamp...
. It is possible to speculate that the village originated in serving the castle, which in turn, guarded the river approach to Ghent from the sea. In the twelfth century, that was less remote from the city than it is today. In 1040, Laarne was mentioned as Laren.
The lordship passed by inheritance through the families of Schoutheete, van Vilsteren and others, finally to the counts of Ribaucourt. The castle is now owned by the Vereniging van Historische Woonsteden van België (the Union of Historic Homesteads of Belgium).
External links
- Official website - Only available in DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...