Dendermonde

Dendermonde (French: Termonde) is a Belgian ceety an municipality locatit in the Flemish province o East Flanders in the Denderstreek. The municipality comprises the ceety o Dendermonde proper an the touns o Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, Mespelare, Oudegem, Schoonaarde, an Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde. As its name implies, Dendermonde is locatit at the mooth o the river Dender, whaur it flows intae the Scheldt.

The current Mayor o Dendermonde is Piet Buyse (CD&V).

 History 
 Oreegins tae the 15t century 
Some interestin La-Tène airtifacts wur foond in Appels, proof that this region o the Scheldt wis inhabitit in prehistory. Grave steids frae the 2nt an 6t century an aa attest tae dense settlement in Gallo-Roman an Merovingian times. In 843, the Treaty o Verdun placed Dendermonde in Lotharingie. Efter the Norman invasions o 883, housomeivver, Baldwin II teuk ower the region an incorporatit it intae the German pairt o the newly foondit Coonty o Flanders.

Otto II biggit a fort here in the 10t century, encouragin further settlements in the aurie. The toun received its ceety chairter in 1233 an grew quickly efter that thanks tae a thrivin cloth industry. Several cloisters, chapels an kirks, an a fortifee'd defensive waw wur biggit as well. A cloth haw an belfry wur erectit on the mercat square in the mid 14t century. The toun’s prosperity, housomeivver, gave rise tae severe competition wi ceeties such as Ghent an tae occasional attacks an plunders bi neighbours. In 1384, the whole aurie came unner the control o the Valois Dukes o Burgundy

 16th century an onwards 
The 16t century saw a decline in Dendermonde’s fortunes. In 1572, the Spainyie troops unner Alexander Farnese, Duke o Parma, teuk ower the ceety an maistly destroyed it. A decade later, the Spaniards biggit their awn fortress atween the Dender an the Scheldt. In 1667, it wis Fraunce’s turn tae advance on the ceety, but the allee'd troops o the Netherlands an Ingland, unner the Duke o Marlborough, caused the hiviest damage in 1706. The ceety wis then fortifee'd bi the Austrians against further French ambitions. Efter a last siege bi Louis XV, the ceety coud finally braithe tae the point that the fortifications wur dismantled a few decades later.

The seicont hauf o the 18t century wis generally prosperous, wi the advent o the Industrial Revolution an a local cotton industry. Efter 1800, the port facilities wur modrenized an the first railways wur laid doun, allouin ither industries (ile, shae, leather…) tae muive in.
The onset o Warld War I in September 1914 wis disastrous for the ceety as mair nor hauf o its hoosin an the ceety archives wur either bombed or burned doun. The day, the ceety is an admeenistrative, commercial, educational, an medical centre for the surroondin region.

 Places o interest 
 The béguinage is a UNESCO Warld Heritage Steid syne 1998.
 The ceety haw an belfry hae an aa been designatit a Warld Heritage Steid syne 1999. The belfry hooses a carillon an wis umwhile pairt o the Cloth Haw.
 Dendemonde haes a Benedictine abbey right in the centre o toun.
 The Dendermonde-Puurs Steam Railway is a heritage railway, runnin 14 km frae Dendermonde tae Puurs.

Gallery: de Grote Markt

 Twin ceeties 

 : Geldrop
 : Nienburg, Lower Saxony
 : Blagoevgrad

 References 

 Freemit airtins 
 Offeecial wabsteid - Anerlie available in Dutch
 Cultural wabsteid aboot Dendermonde  - Anerlie available in Dutch
 Youth community steid for Dendermonde  - Anerlie available in Dutch

Category:Dendermonde
Category:Municipalities o East Flanders
Category:Populatit places in Belgium
Category:Warld Heritage Steids in Belgium