Dendermonde


Dendermonde is a city in the Flemish province of East Flanders in Belgium. The municipality comprises the city of Dendermonde and the towns of Appels, Baasrode, Grembergen, Mespelare, Oudegem, Schoonaarde, and Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde. Dendermonde is located at the mouth of the river Dender, where it flows into the Scheldt. The town has a long-standing folkloric feud with Aalst, south along the same river, which dates back to the Middle Ages.
The city is an administrative, commercial, educational, and medical centre for the surrounding region. The current mayor of Dendermonde is Leen Dierick.

History

Origins to the 15th century

The region of the Scheldt was inhabited in prehistory, as proven by some La Tène artifacts found in Appels. Grave sites from the 2nd and 6th century also attest to dense settlement in Gallo-Roman and Merovingian times. In 843, the Treaty of Verdun placed Dendermonde in Lotharingia. After the Norman invasions of 883, however, Baldwin II took over the region and incorporated it into the German part of the newly founded County of Flanders.
Otto II built a fort here in the 10th century, encouraging further settlements in the area. The town received its city charter in 1233 and grew quickly after that, thanks to a thriving cloth industry. Several cloisters, chapels and churches, and a fortified defensive wall were built as well. A cloth hall and belfry were erected on the market square in the mid 14th century. The town's prosperity, however, gave rise to severe competition with cities such as Ghent and to occasional attacks and plunders by neighbours. In 1384, the whole area came under the control of the Valois dukes of Burgundy.

16th to 20th century

The 16th century saw a decline in Dendermonde's fortunes. In 1572, the city was conquered by William the Silent. The same year, however, Spanish troops under Duke Alexander Farnese of Parma, took over the city, looted and mostly destroyed it. A decade later, the Spaniards built their own fortress between the Dender and the Scheldt. In 1667, it was France's turn, under Louis XIV, to advance on the city, but they were turned back when the defenders opened the dikes and flooded the countryside. The allied troops of the Netherlands and England, under the Duke of Marlborough, caused the heaviest damage in 1706. The city was then fortified by the Austrians against further French ambitions. After a last siege by Louis XV, the city could finally breathe to the point that the fortifications were dismantled a few decades later.
The second half of the 18th century was generally prosperous, with the advent of the Industrial Revolution and a local cotton industry. After 1800, the port facilities were modernized and the first railways laid down, allowing other industries to move in.
The onset of World War I in September 1914 was disastrous for the city as more than half of its housing and the city archives were either bombed or burned down.

21st century

On 19 August 2006, 28 prisoners managed to escape Dendermonde prison. Seven of them were captured within hours. A few were later found in Italy and Russia. They managed to escape because the lock was old and rusty. They simply walked away, tied all their sheets together, climbed over the wall, jumped on a phone booth and ran away.
On 23 January 2009, a 20-year-old Flemish man named Kim De Gelder attacked a children's daycare centre in the village of Sint-Gillis-bij-Dendermonde, stabbing three people to death and wounding as many as twenty. One of the school teachers and two babies, aged 8 and 9 months, died in the attack.

Main sights

Dendermonde likes to be known for its decennial procession, featuring the heroic horse: Ros Beiaard. Legend has this horse saving his master and his three brothers from capture by Charlemagne. The annual Parade of the three Giants of the Guilds Indian, Mars and Goliath, have the title of Masterpieces of the Oral and Intangible Heritage of Humanity by UNESCO. This parade takes place on the last Thursday of August.

Sport

Dendermonde is home to Rugby Union club Dendermondse RC, champions of the Belgian Elite League in 2012, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Notable people