Wondelgem is a borough of the Belgian city Ghent. The urbanized Wondelgem is located north of the center of Ghent, south of the neighboring municipality of Evergem and north-east of the Ghent sub-municipality of Mariakerke. Wondelgem has 12,407 inhabitants.
In Wondelgem there are two churches, there is the small Sint-Godelievekerk in the Nieuwe Wijk and the larger Sint-Catharinakerk on the Vroonstalledries, in the center of Wondelgem.
Info
History
The names "Wondelgem" and "Vroonstalle" are Germanic and go back to Merovingian times. They are first mentioned in a charter dated 5 May 966. In this charter the Saint Bavo's Abbey of Ghent is confirmed in its possessions by Lotharius.
These possessions included the old village of Wondelgem, which was called "villa Gundinglehem" and which means nothing more than "the domain where the residence of the people of Gundilo used to be", as well as the "curtis dominicalis Fronestalla" which means the "Stede, erf of the lord of the domain".
The settlement “Wondelgem” started in the current Bloemekenswijk, at the northern end of the Maïsstraat. Following the religious wars in the 17th century, many admirers left the village and fled to Ghent, leaving Wondelgem virtually deserted.
Later in the 18th century, Wondelgem became a place where wealthier residents of Ghent built a country estate or summer residence with a park. But until well into the 19th century, Wondelgem was distinctly rural with many swampy areas.
Wondelgem subsequently changed drastically due to the rise of industry, the digging of the Ghent-Terneuzen canal and later the Ringvaart and the construction of the Gent-Eeklo and Gent-Zelzate railway lines.
This gave Wondelgem on the one hand an industrial character along the ring canal and a distinctly residential character characterized by a network of new allotments.
In 1976 there is the merger with Ghent. Since then, Wondelgem has been a part of the city of Ghent. The toponym "Wondelgem" appears for the first time in a charter dated 5 May 966 in which King Lotharius confirms that the village of Wondelgem, then still Gundinglehem, belonged to St Bavo's Abbey. . This old name, "Gundinglehem", meant "the domain where the former residence of the people of the Gundilo stood".
Over time, the spelling evolved from Gundinglehem to Wondelgem.
name
- 966: Gundinglehem
- 1130: Gundlehem
- 1153: Gundelgem
- 1169: Gundelghem
- 1210: Gondola Ghem
- 1223: Wondelgem
Arrive
Wondelgem is easily accessible by car via the R4 (large ring road around Ghent) that runs through Wondelgem. Some other important traffic axes and streets are Morekstraat and Wiedauwkaai (towards Ghent centre), Botestraat (towards Mariakerke) and Evergemsesteenweg (towards Evergem and R4).
Wondelgem has a train station on the rail connection between Ghent-Sint-Pieters and Eeklo.
In addition to the train, the De Lijn tram also serves Wondelgem. Via tram line 1 that runs through Wondelgem, you have a direct connection with the final stop in Evergem on the one hand, and the center of Ghent, the Gent-Sint-Pieters station and the final stop at the Flanders Expo event complex on the other.
The following bus lines of De Lijn serve Wondelgem: City line 6 runs from Mariakerke via Wondelgem and the center of Ghent to the sports complexes at the Gentse Watersportbaan. The regional buses 52 (Ghent-Boekhoute), 53 (Ghent-Bassevelde), 54 (Ghent-Doornzele), 55 (Gent-Zelzate) 57 (Ghent-Watervliet) and 58 (Ghent-Bruges) also call at Wondelgem. With the bus line 5 in Wondelgem you can also get to the Jan-Palfijn hospital.
Wondelgem can also be reached by boat via the Ringvaart and Sassevaart.
Travel around
To look at
- The Saint Catherine's Church op de Vroonstalledries - The church, the nearby rectory and the Dries are protected as a monument and village view.
- Hoeve Lootens - Located on the Dries and owned by the neighborhood committee, open to the public during certain festivities (such as the May Fair).
- the small Saint Godelieve Church, St. Godelievestraat.
To do
Go for a swim in the outdoor swimming pool Neptune (in July and August the swimming pool is open every day from 12 noon to 7 pm), the associated cafeteria is open all year round. There is a large pool (30 m x 12 m with a depth variation from 1 m to 1.6 m) and a small pool (7 m x 12 m) with a depth variation from 0 m to 0.9 m). There is also a small playground on the sunbathing lawn. The swimmers can change in 18 individual and 4 group cabins.
To buy
Food
- Poco Loco[1] (email: [email protected]), Morekstraat 457, 9032 Wondelgem. Open from Wednesday to Saturday (evening only) and on Sunday also open at noon and in the evening. Peruvian cuisine.
- Hof Ten Dries[2], Botestraat 129, 9032 Wondelgem - This restaurant is located in a stylish villa with a large garden. Classic cuisine.
- Silver City[3], Evergemsesteenweg 229, 9032 Wondelgem, Tel.: 09 253 24 74 - A Chinese restaurant.
- McDonald's, Waalbrugstraat 3, 9032 Wondelgem (located on the ring road around Ghent) - Those in the mood for fast food can visit the well-known American hamburger chain.
Going out
- Giovanni's, Morekstraat 382, 9032 Wondelgem, Tel.: 09 253 03 91. A trendy lounge café that mainly attracts a young audience.
stay overnight
- Oasis[4], Botestraat 84, 9032 Wondelgem - The guest house of restaurant Oase is ideal for those who like a stay in Bed & Breakfast style (currently not available due to renovations (February 2012 - see website)).
Nearby destinations
