Ingelmunster
Ingelmunster | ||
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![]() St-Amandus church besides the castle of Ingelmunster | ||
Location in Belgium
Location of Ingelmunster in West Flanders Region Flemish Region | | |
Province | West Flanders | |
Arrondissement | Roeselare | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Kurt Windels (De Brug) | |
• Governing party/ies | De Brug/N-VA/Open VLD | |
Area | ||
• Total | 16.43 km2 (6.34 sq mi) | |
Population (2018-01-01)[1] | ||
• Total | 10,928 | |
• Density | 670/km2 (1,700/sq mi) | |
Postal codes | 8770 | |
NIS code | 36007 | |
Area codes | 051 | |
Website | www.ingelmunster.be |
Ingelmunster (Dutch pronunciation:
History
The Middle Ages
The famous Flemish historian
It is said that
In the
The most famous royal resident of the village was Philip the Fair, King of France, who resided in the castle in 1297, five years before the Battle of the Golden Spurs. At that time, Philip was on his way to punish Bruges. The people of Bruges met him halfway with an offer of submission to his rule, on the condition that they be allowed to keep the relic of the Holy Blood. The French king accepted.
Religious conflict
During the religious wars of the 16th century, Ingelmunster became the victim of both warring parties. In August 1566, the Beeldenstormers passed by the village and pillaged and destroyed the church. The church was rebuilt with a tower in its center. In 1739, that tower would be torn down and a new one rebuilt in front of the church. The new tower remains standing to this day.
In 1580, Ingelmunster became the battlefield of a clash between the French
The extensive fighting in France and the Southern Netherlands exhausted the French crown's money. Paris was barely able to pay its German colonels. The fiefdom of Ingelmunster-Vijve-Dendermonde was given as pay to the colonels. Otto von Plotho, a German colonel serving in the French army, purchased the fiefdom in 1583. In doing so, he satisfied the needs of his superiors and also accumulated significant wealth for himself.
Otto von Plotho assigned to his bailiff, François de Cabootere, the mission to organize his Flemish regions and to create legislative order. Ingelmunster became the center of the region and the administration there had absolute power. Even the executions in the region were carried out in Ingelmunster. In 1789, the last execution was carried out and the body was put on display in the field behind the café called "'t Leestje".
Fifteen generations of lords owned the fiefdom and ruled it, with variable luck. However, after 400 years, the wealth was exhausted and the last remnants of the old fiefdom, the park and castle, were sold in 1986 to the two brothers Vanhonsebrouck.
The 17th century was a troublesome time for the region. Many skirmishes and conflicts between the English, French, and Spanish soldiers made life in the village of Ingelmunster trying. In 1695, the castle and the village were again completely razed. Only 1050 inhabitants survived to the turn of the century. In that time, France had extended its control to the village border with Emelgem.
Habsburg rule
The
Under the rule of
Pastor Jacobus Dufort felt that something had to be done about the education of the local children. Paying from his own pocket, he constructed the Dufort Institute (later called "Marullenschool"), a school for the poor employing seven nuns. From this school, the local monastery was founded in 1881. This monastery is still a part of Ingelmunster.
The French Revolution
The French Revolution in 1789 marked a major turning point in European history. Even the enlightened Austrians were startled, and not even Ingelmunster escaped the radical changes to society. The castle lost a significant amount of power and was forced to pay taxes. The local authorities were reformed and a municipal council with a mayor was created for the 4705 "citoyens." The rebellion against the regime led to an uprising, the Boerenkrijg, but subsequent to the Brigandszondag on October 28, 1798, all resistance was gone. Ingelmunster acquired its nickname "Brigandsgemeente" from this historical event.
The rural village continued to exist and changes were made, but life returned to normal for the villagers. The locals were happy they could celebrate Mass on Sunday again. Indeed, when Napoleon was defeated at the Battle of Waterloo in 1815, there were no festivities in Ingelmunster.
The 19th century
William I of the Netherlands granted Ingelmunster a market day in 1825 in order to allow the villagers access to supplies without having to leave their town, and this initiative was lauded by the Orangists. Around 1830, dozens of windmills were erected throughout in the municipality.
The Belgian Revolution in 1830 first reached Ingelmunster on November 11, when a new council was to be elected. Of the 5585 inhabitants, only 114 upper-class citizens had suffrage. The Orangists lost and a local farmer, Jacobus Coussens, was elected the new mayor with 66 votes. At this time, the Catholics formed a political party. It was immediately popular and thenceforth no other political party has controlled the council or mayorship.
Between the years of 1845 and 1850, potato harvests failed. Meanwhile, the Industrial Revolution was devastating local weaving businesses. Additionally, the region was impacted by widespread cholera and typhus.
In 1847, the village saw some development with the laying of a railroad through the village. In the future, this improved access to transportation would reap both bounties and consequences for Ingelmunster. For example, during World War I, the castle was commandeered by the Germans as a headquarters, and during the war, thieves frequently robbed local businesses.
A second city planning project met with less success the construction of the railroad. Plans to connect the city of
The 20th Century
Ingelmunster has been spared from heavy industry and strong pollution up until the present day and still possesses a castle park and nature reserve in the center of the village.
In 1976, the town was preserved from fusions with the neighboring towns of Meulebeke and Oostrozebeke. The mayor at the time, Vankeirsbilck, succeeded in safeguarding Meulebeke and Oostrozebeke from fusion as well.
References
- ^ "Wettelijke Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2018". Statbel. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
External links
![](http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/30px-Commons-logo.svg.png)
- Official website - Available only in Dutch