Assebroek
Encyclopedia
Assebroek is a suburb in the municipality and city of Bruges
, Belgium
. In 2004, Assebroek had 19,525 inhabitants. Since 1999, this number has hardly changed. Assebroek is home to 16.7% of Bruges’ population.
.
Aerial views of the Ver-Assebroekse meersen reveals an approximately 300 m-wide ring of ditches and rampart complex dating from the 5th century where the lords of Assebroek later built their castle.
Apparently around the 12th century, a lord called Boudewijn of Assebroek bought his domain – limited by Oostkamp
, Oedelem
, Michel van Hamme street, Astridlaan and Lorreinendreef - free from Sijsele
.
The Assebroek municipality only consisted of some scattered maisonnettes and a mill
along the old road to Ghent
. Instigated by the lords of Assebroek, a local church and Engelendale convent were established.
Nowadays Assebroek includes 6 parishes: Immaculata (Ver-Assebroek), Assumpta, Saint Lutgardis, Saint Catharina, Saint Christopher, and Sacred Heart (Steenbrugge).
.
Ars(e)brouc probably meant wetland with horses. The medieval Dutch Arse or Ors being horses and brouc meaning marsh. In medieval times, the Meersen area was surrounded by several inns all bearing horsenames of which only the ruin of The Flying Horse in Oedelem
is still standing. Some sources claim Arse stands for ashes so that Assebroek would mean marsh surrounded by ashes.
landscape, in winter an area called Assebroekse Meersen, characterised by small grass fields separated by willow
trees often gets flooded.
The Meersen area arose as prolongation within the so-called Flemish Valley. The slope contains sand
, lime
and peat
deposits from the Holocene
Epoch. Underneath the peat remains an approx. 30 cm marsh lime layer from the early Holocene. 10,000 years ago, this region was a real marsh
.
s honour the miraculous figurine of The Madonna at Ver-Assebroek. According to the legend
(represented by the stained-glass windows in the church) this marble figurine floated when the Geuzen
threw it into the sea. Some also consult the monk
s of Steenbrugge.
consumption. Hence so called outside drinkers found their way to Assebroek’s inns till the early morning when Bruges’ city gates were opened.
Many beers are named after this place (Steenbrugge Blonde, Steenbrugge Double Brown, Steenbrugge Triple and Steenbrugge White) or were locally brewed by the Regenboog Brewery
(now moved to Mater).
Bruges
Bruges is the capital and largest city of the province of West Flanders in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located in the northwest of the country....
, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
. In 2004, Assebroek had 19,525 inhabitants. Since 1999, this number has hardly changed. Assebroek is home to 16.7% of Bruges’ population.
History
Through artefacts retrieved near Saint-Lucas hospital (and stored at Gruuthuse Museum in Bruges) we assume that the Leitje region was already inhabited in the Stone AgeStone Age
The Stone Age is a broad prehistoric period, lasting about 2.5 million years , during which humans and their predecessor species in the genus Homo, as well as the earlier partly contemporary genera Australopithecus and Paranthropus, widely used exclusively stone as their hard material in the...
.
Aerial views of the Ver-Assebroekse meersen reveals an approximately 300 m-wide ring of ditches and rampart complex dating from the 5th century where the lords of Assebroek later built their castle.
Apparently around the 12th century, a lord called Boudewijn of Assebroek bought his domain – limited by Oostkamp
Oostkamp
Oostkamp is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Hertsberge, Oostkamp proper, Ruddervoorde and Waardamme. On January 1, 2006 Oostkamp had a total population of 21,796...
, Oedelem
Oedelem
-External links:*...
, Michel van Hamme street, Astridlaan and Lorreinendreef - free from Sijsele
Sijsele
-External links:**...
.
The Assebroek municipality only consisted of some scattered maisonnettes and a mill
Mill (grinding)
A grinding mill is a unit operation designed to break a solid material into smaller pieces. There are many different types of grinding mills and many types of materials processed in them. Historically mills were powered by hand , working animal , wind or water...
along the old road to Ghent
Ghent
Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...
. Instigated by the lords of Assebroek, a local church and Engelendale convent were established.
Nowadays Assebroek includes 6 parishes: Immaculata (Ver-Assebroek), Assumpta, Saint Lutgardis, Saint Catharina, Saint Christopher, and Sacred Heart (Steenbrugge).
Etymology
Before the 20th Century, the town's name was recorded as Ars(e)brouc, later becoming AssebroekBroek
- Places :In the Netherlands:* Broek op Langedijk* Broek in Waterland* Broek , in the municipality of De Marne, province of Groningen* Broek, Friesland, in the municipality of Skarsterlân, province of Friesland...
.
Ars(e)brouc probably meant wetland with horses. The medieval Dutch Arse or Ors being horses and brouc meaning marsh. In medieval times, the Meersen area was surrounded by several inns all bearing horsenames of which only the ruin of The Flying Horse in Oedelem
Oedelem
-External links:*...
is still standing. Some sources claim Arse stands for ashes so that Assebroek would mean marsh surrounded by ashes.
Geography
Assebroek is situated on a lower sand plain south west of Bruges. Forming a typical polderPolder
A polder is a low-lying tract of land enclosed by embankments known as dikes, that forms an artificial hydrological entity, meaning it has no connection with outside water other than through manually-operated devices...
landscape, in winter an area called Assebroekse Meersen, characterised by small grass fields separated by willow
Willow
Willows, sallows, and osiers form the genus Salix, around 400 species of deciduous trees and shrubs, found primarily on moist soils in cold and temperate regions of the Northern Hemisphere...
trees often gets flooded.
The Meersen area arose as prolongation within the so-called Flemish Valley. The slope contains sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
, lime
Lime (mineral)
Lime is a general term for calcium-containing inorganic materials, in which carbonates, oxides and hydroxides predominate. Strictly speaking, lime is calcium oxide or calcium hydroxide. It is also the name for a single mineral of the CaO composition, occurring very rarely...
and peat
Peat
Peat is an accumulation of partially decayed vegetation matter or histosol. Peat forms in wetland bogs, moors, muskegs, pocosins, mires, and peat swamp forests. Peat is harvested as an important source of fuel in certain parts of the world...
deposits from the Holocene
Holocene
The Holocene is a geological epoch which began at the end of the Pleistocene and continues to the present. The Holocene is part of the Quaternary period. Its name comes from the Greek words and , meaning "entirely recent"...
Epoch. Underneath the peat remains an approx. 30 cm marsh lime layer from the early Holocene. 10,000 years ago, this region was a real marsh
Marsh
In geography, a marsh, or morass, is a type of wetland that is subject to frequent or continuous flood. Typically the water is shallow and features grasses, rushes, reeds, typhas, sedges, other herbaceous plants, and moss....
.
19th century
Census results of December 31| Year | 1806 | 1816 | 1830 | 1846 | 1856 | [1866 | 1876 | 1880 | 1890 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of inhabitants | 543 | 614 | 845 | 1,186 | 1,171 | 1,259 | 1,493 | 1,599 | 1,915 |
20th century till rearrangement of municipalities
Census results of December 31| Year | 1900 | 1910 | 1920 | 1930 | 1947 | 1961 | 1970 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Number of inhabitants | 2,733 | 4,705 | 5,456 | 6,936 | 11,337 | 14,422 | 15,572 |
Curiosities
- Local church of Ver-Assebroek with organ (Pastoor Verhaegheplein)
- Reserve 4.2 km² "Assebroekse Meersen" with concentric rings (Kerkdreef)
- 19th century village centre (Generaal Lemanlaan)
- Cemetery of Bruges – a.o. tomb of Guido GezelleGuido GezelleGuido Pieter Theodorus Josephus Gezelle was an influential Flemish language writer and poet and a Roman Catholic priest from Belgium.- Life :...
(Kerkhofblommenstraat) - Bergjesbos (Olmendreef)
- Former inn "The Lily" (Weidestraat)
- Children’s farm "The Seven Turrets" (Canadaring)
- Old barn "Het Leenhof" (Kerklaan)
- Convent domain "Engelendale" (Astridlaan)
- Abbey farm "Saint-Trudo" (Sint-Trudostraat)
- Reserve 400,000 m² "Gemene Weidebeek" (Gemene Weideweg)
- Kasteel Zevecote (Bossuytlaan)
Assebroek - a sacred place
Each year thousands of pilgrimPilgrim
A pilgrim is a traveler who is on a journey to a holy place. Typically, this is a physical journeying to some place of special significance to the adherent of a particular religious belief system...
s honour the miraculous figurine of The Madonna at Ver-Assebroek. According to the legend
Legend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
(represented by the stained-glass windows in the church) this marble figurine floated when the Geuzen
Geuzen
Geuzen was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles and other malcontents, who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The most successful group of them operated at sea, and so were called Watergeuzen...
threw it into the sea. Some also consult the monk
Monk
A monk is a person who practices religious asceticism, living either alone or with any number of monks, while always maintaining some degree of physical separation from those not sharing the same purpose...
s of Steenbrugge.
Assebroek beer community
In medieval times, the inner city of Bruges imposed significant taxes on beerBeer
Beer is the world's most widely consumed andprobably oldest alcoholic beverage; it is the third most popular drink overall, after water and tea. It is produced by the brewing and fermentation of sugars, mainly derived from malted cereal grains, most commonly malted barley and malted wheat...
consumption. Hence so called outside drinkers found their way to Assebroek’s inns till the early morning when Bruges’ city gates were opened.
Many beers are named after this place (Steenbrugge Blonde, Steenbrugge Double Brown, Steenbrugge Triple and Steenbrugge White) or were locally brewed by the Regenboog Brewery
Regenboog Brewery
The Smisje Brewery , with a tiny production of only 200 hectoliters per year, is the smallest existing Belgian craft brewery. Begun in 1995 by former printer and homebrewer Johan Brandt, it was originally titled "De Regenboog" , the same name as his earlier printing business...
(now moved to Mater).