Blandijnberg

Last updated
Blandijnberg
20091105 Belfort (0005).jpg
View of the Blandijnberg with the Saint Peter's Abbey's Church (left) and the Boekentoren (right)
Highest point
Elevation 29 m (95 ft)
Prominence 20 m (66 ft)
Coordinates 51°02′38″N03°43′31″E / 51.04389°N 3.72528°E / 51.04389; 3.72528
Geography
Belgium relief location map.jpg
Red triangle with thick white border.svg
Blandijnberg

The Blandijnberg is a 29m high hill in the city center of Ghent in East Flanders, Belgium.

Contents

History

The Blandijnberg was already inhabited in prehistoric times. In the 3rd century AD. there was a Gallo-Roman villa on the hill, owned by a person named Blandinus.

In the 7th century, Saint Amand founded the Benedictine Saint Peter's Abbey on top of the Blandijnberg. The area around the abbey was known as Sint-Pietersdorp (Saint Peter's Village). With the expansion of Ghent in the 13th century, the abbey was included in the walled city.

At the end of the Ancien Régime, the church possessions on the Blandijnberg were confiscated by the city. In the 19th century, the Blandijnberg area was completely urbanized and had become a laborers' neighborhood. In 1848, Sint-Pietersplein, the city's largest square, was laid out in order to redevelop the area. At the end of the 19th century, part of the hill was cleared to build new university buildings for Ghent University. In the 1930s, the Ghent University Library with its iconic Boekentoren , designed by Henry Van de Velde, was built on top of the Blandijnberg. In 1960, the new buildings of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy, known as the Blandijn, were opened. The Blandijn is directly adjacent to the Boekentoren.

Cycling

In recent years, the Flanders Classics cycle race Omloop Het Nieuwsblad has both started and finished on the Blandijnberg hill. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ghent</span> City in East Flanders, Belgium

Ghent is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded in size only by Brussels and Antwerp. It is a port and university city.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Waregem</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Waregem, sometimes known as Waereghem, is a municipality and city located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality lies in the valley of the river Leie, between Kortrijk and Ghent. It is part of the arrondissement of Kortrijk and comprises the towns of Beveren, Desselgem, Sint-Eloois-Vijve and Waregem proper. On January 1, 2019, Waregem had a total population of 38,260. The total area is 44.34 km² which gives a population density of 863 inhabitants per km².

<span class="mw-page-title-main">De Pinte</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

De Pinte is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. Before its existence as an independent municipality in 1868, De Pinte was a part of Nazareth. The municipality comprises the towns of De Pinte proper and Zevergem. In 2021, De Pinte had a total population of 10,990. The total area is 17.78 km².

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lokeren</span> City and municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Lokeren is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders, and belongs to the Waasland, also called Land van Waas, of which it is the second most important city after Sint-Niklaas. The city, located on the river Durme, the Lede, and the E17 motorway, has more than 42,100 inhabitants who are called Lokeraars or Rapenfretters. Because Lokeren is located on the Durme, Lokeren is often called "The Durme City". Horse sausages are officially recognized as a regional product.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sint-Niklaas</span> City and municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Sint-Niklaas is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Sint-Niklaas proper and the towns of Belsele, Nieuwkerken-Waas, and Sinaai.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dilbeek</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Dilbeek is a municipality in the province of Flemish Brabant, in the Flemish region of Belgium. The municipality comprises the villages of Dilbeek proper, Groot-Bijgaarden, Itterbeek, Schepdaal, Sint-Martens-Bodegem, and Sint-Ulriks-Kapelle. Dilbeek is located just outside the Brussels-Capital Region, in the Pajottenland, hence the local name Poort van het Pajottenland. Even though Dilbeek is located in the Dutch language area of Belgium, there is a French-speaking minority represented by 3 members on the 35-seat local council. It is a mostly residential community with some preserved rural areas and some industrial zones.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sint-Truiden</span> Municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium

Sint-Truiden is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium, and has over 41,500 inhabitants, which makes it one of the largest cities in Limburg. The municipality includes the former communes of Aalst, Brustem, Duras, Engelmanshoven, Gelinden, Gorsem, Groot-Gelmen, Halmaal, Kerkom-bij-Sint-Truiden, Melveren, Metsteren, Ordingen, Runkelen, Velm, Wilderen, and Zepperen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Heusden, Belgium</span> Sub-municipality in Destelbergen, Belgium

Heusden was a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. In 1977 it merged with the municipality of Destelbergen, of which it is now part.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Omloop Het Nieuwsblad</span> Recurring sporting event

Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, previously Omloop Het Volk, is a one-day road cycling race in Belgium, held annually in late February. It is the opening event of the Belgian cycling season, as well as the first race of the year in Northwestern Europe, and holds significant prestige because of it. Since 2017, the race is part of the UCI World Tour, cycling's top-tier professional events.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Boekentoren</span>

The Boekentoren is a famous building located in Ghent, Belgium, designed by the Belgian architect Henry van de Velde. It is part of the Ghent University Library and currently houses 3 million books. The Boekentoren is directly adjacent to the Blandijn, the buildings of the Faculty of Arts and Philosophy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sint-Barbaracollege</span> School in Ghent, Belgium

Sint-Barbaracollege in Ghent, Belgium, is a private Jesuit school, founded in 1833. It currently includes primary and secondary education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Blandijn</span>

The Blandijn, short for Blandijnberg, is a building complex of Ghent University in the Belgian city Ghent and directly adjacent to Boekentoren, the tower of the Ghent University Library. The Blandijn, named after the Blandijnberg hill it stands on, houses the Faculty of Arts & Philosophy. The first part of the Blandijn buildings was officially opened in 1960. The Blandijn complex is located centrally in Ghent's student neighborhood. There are several other university buildings within walking distance of the Blandijn.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bruges</span> City in the Flemish part of Belgium

Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium, in the northwest of the country. It is the sixth most populous city in the country.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saint Peter's Abbey, Ghent</span> Building in Ghent, Belgium

Saint Peter's Abbey is a former Benedictine abbey in Ghent, Belgium, now a museum and exhibition centre.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ename Abbey</span>

Ename Abbey (1063–1795) was a Benedictine monastery in the village of Ename, now a suburb of Oudenaarde. It was founded by Adele of France, wife of Baldwin V, Count of Flanders, and was confiscated during the French Revolutionary Wars. It was then sold and dismantled.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">St. Trudo's Abbey, Bruges</span> Abbey in West Flanders, Belgium

Male Castle, Bruges. A community of the Canonesses Regular of the Holy Sepulchre. It originated in Bruges in the 11th century, and between 1954 and 2013 was settled in Male Castle in Male, Sint-Kruis, Bruges, West Flanders, Belgium.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2016 Omloop Het Nieuwsblad</span> Cycling race

The 71st edition of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad was held on 27 February 2016. It was won by Belgian Greg Van Avermaet in a five-man sprint before Peter Sagan and Tiesj Benoot.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ename</span> Place in Flemish Region, Belgium

Ename is a Belgian village in the Flemish province of East Flanders. It stands on the right side of the river Scheldt and it is part of the municipality of Oudenaarde. The territory was inhabited during Prehistoric and Roman times, and became a trade settlement during the 10th century. From the 11th century it was part of the domain of the Benedictine abbey of Saint Salvator, until its 1795 dissolution in the aftermath of the French Revolution. The remains of the Saint Salvator abbey are today part of a major heritage project in Flanders, established by the Province of East-Flanders. The Provincial Archaeological Museum of Ename displays the major finds that have been excavated on the abbey site. Today the village of Ename hosts the Museumnacht in July and the Feeste t' Ename with the traditional horse market that has been held for centuries during the celebrations of the patron hallow Saint Laurentius, on the 10th of August.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sint-Pietersplein, Ghent</span> Square in Ghent, Belgium

The Sint-Pietersplein is a city square located in the south of the historic centre of Ghent, East Flanders, Belgium. The square is named after St. Peter's Abbey, which is located along its east side. It is Ghent's largest public square and a regular venue for cultural and sporting events, such as the annual Mid-Lent Fair in March. The square and its surrounding buildings are a protected cityscape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bornem Abbey</span>

Bornem Abbey is the only Cistercian abbey of Common Observance in the Archdiocese of Mechelen-Brussels. The current abbey is the successor of the former St. Bernard's Abbey, Hemiksem, destroyed in the French Revolution. Both are built in honour of Saint Bernard of Clairvaux.

References

  1. Herregodts, Dieter. "Tom Boonen mag spurten op Sint-Pietersplein" (in Dutch). Het Nieuwsblad. Archived from the original on January 22, 2010. Retrieved January 10, 2012.

See also