Sint-Denijs-Westrem

Sint-Denijs-Westrem (Dutch: [ˌsɪn dəˈnɛis 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]

Sint-Denijs-Westrem
Sub-municipality of Ghent
St Denis Church
Coat of arms
Location of Sint-Denijs-Westrem
Location of Sint-Denijs-Westrem in Ghent
Sint-Denijs-Westrem Show map of Belgium Sint-Denijs-Westrem Show map of East Flanders
Coordinates: 51°01′17″N 3°40′08″E
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	East Flanders
Arrondissement	Ghent
Municipality	Ghent
Area
• Total	6.24 km2 (2.41 sq mi)
Population  (2020-01-01)
• Total	5,545
• Density	890/km2 (2,300/sq mi)
Postal codes	9051
Area codes	09

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.