Everything about Oudenaarde totally explained
Oudenaarde (
French Audenarde,
English sometimes
Oudenarde) is a
Belgian municipality in the
Flemish province of
East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Oudenaarde proper and the towns of
Bevere,
Edelare,
Eine,
Ename,
Heurne,
Leupegem,
Mater,
Melden,
Mullem,
Nederename,
Volkegem, and
Welden.
From the
15th to the
18th century, but especially in the
16th century, Oudenaarde was a world-known centre of
tapestry production. The town's name, meaning “old field”, still lingers on in “outnal”, an obsolete
English term for a kind of brown linen thread. Today, Oudenaarde is known as the pearl of the
Flemish Ardennes.
History
The glory of Ename
The history of the current municipality of Oudenaarde starts in
974, when
Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor and
King of Germany, built one of its three fortifications on the
Scheldt at Ename to protect his kingdom against possible attacks from
France (the other two frontier posts were at
Valenciennes and
Antwerp). Ename grew very fast. By
1005, the town already had a couple of churches and had become the largest town in the duchy of
Lotharingia. In
1033,
Baldwin IV, Count of Flanders took the city as a frontier post against
Germany. In
1047,
Baldwin V consolidated his father’s victory by having his wife found a
Benedictine abbey there. By that time, the former merchants and guild artisans of Ename had fled across the Scheldt to the recently founded city of Oudenaarde.
Oudenaarde’s golden age
In the
11th century, Oudenaarde’s economy flourished, thanks to the proximity of the
Scheldt and to the burgeoning, but vibrant cloth and tapestry industry. Churches, cloisters and hospitals were built. Throughout the Middle Ages, the city was one of the staunchest supporters of the
Counts of Flanders, defending them against insurrections from the South, and even from
Ghent. The city became known as the
residence of the nobles. It built itself a flagship
town hall (built 1526–1537), which we can still admire today, and the St-Walburga church.
Charles V stayed here for a couple of months in
1522 and fathered an illegitimate daughter,
Margaret of Parma, who was to become Regent of the Netherlands.
Decline
During the
Reformation, the people of Oudenaarde chose
Protestantism and allied themselves with
Ghent against
Charles V. In
1582, after a prolonged siege by Margaret's son,
Alexander Farnese, the city finally gave in, causing most merchants, workers, and even nobles to flee. Oudenaarde belatedly embraced the
Counter-Reformation, which revived for a short while the commerce of tapestry. The glory days, however, never came back. The French attacked and took the city three times in less than a century. In
1708, one of the key battles in the
War of the Spanish Succession, known as the
Battle of Oudenaarde, was fought in the vicinity of the city. Oudenaarde slumbered as a provincial town under the
Austrian regime.
Like its neighbours, in the
1790s it suffered the religious curtailments imposed by the
French Revolution. The city suffered damages during
World War I, which is commemorated by several monuments scattered around town.
Sights
Events
Recurring events include a beer fest in June, an open-air musical festival in the summer, and an agricultural fair in February. The celebrated Ronde van Vlaanderen, the Ronde van Vlaanderen cycle race for women, starts every spring in Oudenaarde. The race for men passes through Oudenaarde several times.
Every ten years, one of Flander’s largest floral displays takes place on the market square (Grote Markt). The last one took place in 2005.
Famous inhabitants
Arnold of Soissons, saint (1040-1087)
Margaret of Parma, daughter of Charles V and Regent of the Netherlands (1522-1586)
Johannes van den Driesche, orientalist and exegete (1550-1616)
Charles Liedts, politician (1802-1878)
Gentil Theodoor Antheunis, poet, (1840-1907)
Reimond Stijns, writer (1850-1905)
Adriaen Brouwer, painter (1605-1638)
André Dierickx, road racing cyclist (b. 1946)
Jotie T'Hooft, poet (1956-1977)
Twin cities
: Arras
: Bergen op Zoom
: Buzău
: Castel Madama
: Coburg
: HastingsFurther Information
Get more info on 'Oudenaarde'.
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