Belgium city of Oudenaarde

Oudenaarde is a Flemish province of East Flanders. It has a population of just under 40, 000 people today and an area of approximately 68 sq KM. The history of Oudenarde started in 974 when Otto II, Holy Roman Emperor and King of Germany built a fortification on the Scheldt to protect his kingdom.

The castle was strategically built by the Scheldt river between the lands of the Count of Flanders and the Duke of Brabant. In the 11th century, the town’s economy flourished due to its position by the Scheldt. It had a vibrant cloth and tapestry industry, churches and hospitals were built in the Middle Ages . The city’s town hall with its openwork tower and decorative pinnacles, a masterpiece of flamboyant Gothic style architecture. It was designated by UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization) as a World Heritage site in 1999.

In the Aldermen’s Hall in Oudenaarde town hall are remaining pictures from the 17th and 18th century and a 16th century Flemish Renaissance style door from the Charles V Era. Passing through the town, Charles had an affair with a Bourgeois woman who bore him a daughter, Margaret of Parma, a key figure in the history of 16th century Flanders.

The Bishop’s house at the hospital of our Lady is in the shadow of St Walburg’s church is very Italian, with its Roman-inspired Renaissance style. Already wealthy in the Middle Ages from the cloth trade, Oudenaarde became famous for its fine tapestries, exported all across Europe until the 18th century. This industry employed up to 20, 000 people.

St. Wallburg’s church was surrounded by small houses. Two still stand out comically from the Gothic background. The main square, rebuilt after World War I in Flemish baroque style.

Oudenaarde grew up around a fort between two territories and has always suffered from wars. After the Battle of Bouvines in 1214, the ramparts had to be razed; the town was then subjected to raids from Ghent in the 14th and 15th centuries. Spanish rule in the 16th century brought particularly violent religious disturbances. Later, its proximity to France earned it incursions from the Sun King’s army rabble. Despite these difficult periods, this industrious little town was able to recover each time and keep its identity.

Today the city celebrates a beer festival and an open air music festival in the month of June. Since 2008 the village of Mater in Ouderaarde has been the home of Belgium’s smallest brewery called Smisje Brewery.