Heuvelland | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Heuvelland  | |
  Heuvelland Location in Belgium Location of Heuvelland in West Flanders  | |
| Coordinates:50°46′N02°49′E / 50.767°N 2.817°E /50.767; 2.817 | |
| Country |  Belgium |
| Community | Flemish Community |
| Region | Flemish Region |
| Province | West Flanders |
| Arrondissement | Ypres |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Wieland De Meyer (GB) |
| • Governing party/ies | Gemeentebelangen (GB) |
| Area | |
• Total | 94.79 km2 (36.60 sq mi) |
| Population (2018-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 7,862 |
| • Density | 83/km2 (210/sq mi) |
| Postal codes | 8950-8954, 8956, 8958 |
| NIS code | 33039 |
| Area codes | 057 |
| Website | www.heuvelland.be |
Heuvelland (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈɦøːvəlɑnt]ⓘ) is amunicipality located in theBelgian province ofWest Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages ofDranouter,Kemmel,De Klijte,Loker,Nieuwkerke,Westouter,Wijtschate andWulvergem. Heuvelland is a thinly populated rural municipality, located between the small urban centres ofYpres andPoperinge and the metropolitan area ofKortrijk-Lille along theE17. On 1 January 2006 Heuvelland had a total population of 8,217. The total area is 94.24 km2 which gives apopulation density of 87 inhabitants per km2. The nameheuvelland isDutch meaning "hill country", as the municipality is characterized by the different hills on its territory.
The municipality is located in an area known as theWest-Flemish Hills. The highest hill in Heuvelland is theKemmelberg (154 m); followed by theVidaigneberg (136 m), theRodeberg (129 m), theScherpenberg (125 m) and a lower hill inWijtschate (82 m). On the border withFrance is theZwarteberg.
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The municipality Heuvelland consists of eight small rural villages. The "deelgemeentes" ofDranouter,Kemmel,Loker,Nieuwkerke,Westouter,Wijtschate andWulvergem were independent municipalities before the merger in 1977.De Klijte wasn't independent, but was a part ofReningelst (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 ofMesen also expands a little on the territory of Wijtschate in Heuvelland.
| # | Name | Area (km2) | Population (2001) |
|---|---|---|---|
| I | Kemmel | 12,99 | 1.170 |
| II | Wijtschate | 26,24 | 2.109 |
| III | Wulvergem | 3,50 | 264 |
| IV | Nieuwkerke | 17,49 | 1.513 |
| V | Dranouter | 10,73 | 703 |
| VI | Loker | 6,80 | 572 |
| VII | Westouter | 11,64 | 1.422 |
| VIII | De Klijte | 4,93 | 576 |
Because of its relative extensiveness, the municipality of Heuvelland borders a large number of villages and towns:
The area experienced many major battles duringWorld War I, as part of theYpres 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 twoGerman gas attacks on British troops at Wulverghem. TheKemmelberg was important during theBattle of the Lys, and German units maintained a trench system (Bayernwald) within view of Ypres atCroonaert Wood. Nowadays, theBayernwald trenches can be visited as anopen-air museum. There are a number of war cemeteries in the municipality, includingGodezonne Farm,RE Farm,Spanbroekmolen,Suffolk,Klein Vierstraat andKemmel Number 1 French Cemetery.
Places adjacent to Heuvelland | |
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| Bruges |  | |
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| Diksmuide | ||
| Kortrijk | ||
| Ostend | ||
| Roeselare | ||
| Tielt | ||
| Veurne | ||
| Ypres | ||
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| International | |
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
