Eeklo | |
|---|---|
_-_Gezien_vanop_de_Markt.JPG) Eeklo city hall, church, and market square | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Eeklo  | |
  Eeklo Location in Belgium Location of Eeklo inEast Flanders  | |
| Coordinates:51°11′N03°33′E / 51.183°N 3.550°E /51.183; 3.550 | |
| Country |  Belgium |
| Community | Flemish Community |
| Region | Flemish Region |
| Province |  East Flanders |
| Arrondissement | Eeklo |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Luc Vandevelde (SMS Eeklo) |
| • Governing party/ies | SMS EEklo,Open VLD,Groen |
| Area | |
• Total | 30.45 km2 (11.76 sq mi) |
| Population (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 20,890 |
| • Density | 690/km2 (1,800/sq mi) |
| Postal codes | 9900 |
| NIS code | 43005 |
| Area codes | 09 |
| Website | www.eeklo.be |
Eeklo (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈeːkloː]ⓘ) is aBelgianmunicipality in theFlemishprovince ofEast Flanders. The municipality comprises only the city of Eeklo proper. The nameEeklo comes from the contraction ofeke andlo, twoOld German words meaning 'oak' and 'sparse woods' (compare EnglishOakley).
There are not many traces of early habitation in the Eeklo area. It is presumed that some oaks would have attracted the attention of travellers on theRoman road that ran along the local sandbar among the marshes. By 1240, a town had grown here and had already become important enough to warrant a civiccharter byJeanne of Constantinople, Countess of Flanders. Over the years, the marshes were drained to give place to fortified farms, some remnants of which can still be seen today (Groot Goed). Like most other cities in theCounty of Flanders, Eeklo's economy was based on the cloth industry, and commercial relations were established with the more powerful neighbouring cities,Ghent andBruges.
During the second half of the 16th century, Eeklo was in the unfortunate position of being on the border between theCatholic south and theProtestant north, which resulted in so much destruction that the town was nearly abandoned by its inhabitants. At around that time the legend of "recooking" appeared, actually a rejuvenation recipe that involved drinking a youth elixir, cutting one's head off and baking it again. While the head was in the oven, a green cabbage took its place on the body, symbol of the empty head.
The 18th and 19th century were more favourable and thetextile industry took off again. Most of the town's schools andneo-Gothic buildings date from that period. Today, Eeklo is changing its vocation from an industrial town to one of services to the neighbouring communities.
Newbury, England
Braunfels, Germany
Bagnols-sur-Cèze, France
Carcaixent, Spain
Feltre, Italy
Places adjacent to Eeklo | |
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| Aalst |  | |
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| Dendermonde | ||
| Eeklo | ||
| Ghent | ||
| Oudenaarde | ||
| Sint-Niklaas | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
