Sint-Denijs-Westrem

Sub-municipality of the city of Ghent, Belgium

Sub-municipality of Ghent in Flemish Community, Belgium

Coat of arms

Location of Sint-Denijs-Westrem

Location of Sint-Denijs-Westrem in Ghent

51°01′17″N 3°40′08″E / 51.02139°N 3.66889°E / 51.02139; 3.66889Country

BelgiumCommunity

Flemish CommunityRegion

Flemish RegionProvince

East FlandersArrondissementGhentMunicipalityGhentArea

• Total6.24 km² (2.41 sq mi)Population

(2020-01-01)

• Total5,545 • Density890/km² (2,300/sq mi)Postal codes

9051

Area codes09

Sint-Denijs-Westrem (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌsɪndəˈnɛi̯s ˈʋɛstrəm]; French: Saint-Denis-Westrem) is a sub-municipality of the city of Ghent located in the province of East Flanders, Flemish Region, Belgium. It was a separate municipality until 1977. On 1 January 1977, it was merged into Ghent.^[1]

History

Sint-Denijs-Westrem lies on the Roman road between Kortrijk and Ghent. Archeological digs on the Flanders Expo site have shown significant signs of settlement from prehistory through the Middle Ages.^[2]

During the late Middle Ages the castles of Idewalle, Borluut, Darupt, Hof ten Broecke, Maaltekasteel were built in and around the Sint-Denijs-Westrem area.

In 1858, architect, artisan and designer Jean-Baptiste Bethune moved his studio from Bruges to Sint-Denijs-Westrem.^[3]

The town square ("Gemeenteplein") was built between 1895 and 1899.

Until the 20th century the area was mainly agrarian and sparsely populated; from the second half of the 20th century on the village has been steadily more densely built up, with many castle grounds subdivided for housing development.