Geraardsbergen
Geraardsbergen (; , ) is a city and municipality located in the Denderstreek and in the Flemish Ardennes, the hilly southern part of the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Geraardsbergen proper and the following towns: On January 1, 2006 Geraardsbergen had a total population of 31,380. The total area is 79.71 km² which gives a population density of 394 inhabitants per km². The current mayor of Geraardsbergen is Guido De Padt, from the (liberal) party Open VLD. History. Geraardsbergen is one of the oldest cities in Belgium. It came into existence close to the settlement of  Hunnegem and in 1068 was one of the first communities in Western Europe to be granted city status. The city was destroyed in 1381 by Walter IV of Enghien and his troops. According to legend, during the siege local people threw some of their left over food over the city wall to show that they had sufficient food to survive a long siege. This bravado notwithstanding, the city was still captured by Enghien's troops. Every year the city organizes the "krakelingenworp" carnival on top of the hill at Oudenberg () to celebrate this historical event. On 29May 1815, shortly before  the Battle of Waterloo, Wellington and Blücher reviewed the Allied cavalry here. Some 6,000 troops were paraded in meadows on the banks of the Dender between Geraardsbergen and Jedeghem. Mattentaart. Geraardsbergen is known for the , a type of sweet pastry. This is made with "matten" paste or cheese curd. The "mattentaart" was granted Protected Geographical Indication status by the European Union in 2006, indicating they can only be made in Geraardsbergen or in the nearby municipality of Lierde.