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Wervik Werviq-Sud Bousbecque
Menen Wevelgem Rekkem Lauwe Bissegem Kortrijk Harelbeke
Zwevegem
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NOTE
Part of the original map and the information were obtained
at an information point on the banks of the Lys River in
Kortrijk. There is a notice with the following text:
‘This information point was financed by the
European Union, the
Tourist Office for Flanders,
the Province of
West Flanders and the City
of
Kortrijk within the
framework of the
Interreg II programme
promoting cross-border cooperation between West Flanders and
the North of France. The initiative was coordinated by the
West-Vlaamse Vereniging voor de Vrije Tijd vzw.’ |
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Wervik
eiland 'De Balokken' |
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Wervik
Voorwoord CATALOOG Tentoonstelling
1968 |
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Preface by Dr. Joseph De Geest (1908-1991), Mayor of
Wervik
"With God’s help we will make Wervik into the city
of tobacco, the city of industry, the risen city of
South West Flanders, of which every inhabitant of
Wervik will be proud and to which everyone will look
up." |
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Wervik
city hall with kiosk || Mayor Dr. Joseph De Geest (1901-1991) |
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'WERVIK OVER THE CENTURIES' Exhibition at "Mater
Amabilis" |
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Set up by the National Public Record Office in
collaboration with the Municipal Archaeological
Committee under the auspices of the City Council
5-14 July 1968
City of Wervik, "Mater Amabilis", Koestraat 26
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Wervik Instituut
"Mater Amabilis"
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History -
Introduction '2000th anniversary of Wervik' |
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In
1968 Wervik celebrated its 2000th anniversary. It is
not enough to simply boast about your 20 centuries
of history, you should also be able to provide some
evidence of this respectable age. So the Municipal
Archaeological Committee decided to organize a
historical exhibition proving that Wervik really was
established 2000 years ago, but also giving a
survey, though a very fragmentary survey, of its
history.
For the exhibition’s set-up the Committee appealed
to the National Public Record Office for help. The
Wervik City Council was also willing to provide the
necessary financial and material support.
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“WERVIK OVER
THE CENTURIES” is divided into two parts.
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Detail of the illustration below (XI 11) VIROVINO =
WERVIK
The first part (“VIROVIACUM”) is aimed at proving
that Wervik was really founded 2000 years ago by
displaying various Gallo-roman objects excavated in
Wervik, a reproduction of the famous map by
Castorius and a modern topographical plan of the old
city of Wervik.
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Tervanna = Terwaan =
Thérouanne |
Romeinse Reisgidsen |
Afbeelding Gallia Tabula
Peutingeriana ~250 (Virovino = Viroviacum = Wervik)
Kassel
( Castello Menapiorum),
Wervik (Virovino,
Viroviacum),
Tournai (Doornik, Turnaco,
Turnacum),
Bavay (Bavay, Bavai, Bagacum
Nerviorum of Baca Conervio),
Tongeren
(Atuatuca Tungrorum).
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Part Ib
Roads in Roman times |
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Heerbanen, Heerbaan,
Heirbanen, Heirbaan: Kaart
30B De wegen in de Romeinse tijd volgens R. De Keyser E. Van
Ermen en H. Leclerq 'Atlas van de wereldgeschiedenis Wolters
Leuven 1983.
|Aarlen,
Arlon, Orolaunum| |Antwerpen (Handwerpen)| |Asse, Assche| |Atrecht,
Arras, Atrebatum| |Bastenaken, Bastogne| |Baudecet,
(Gembloux)| |Bavay, Bagacum| |Blicquy|
|Braives| |Brugge| |Carignan (F)| |Dinant| |Doornik,
Tournai| |Elewijt,
Elewyt| |Etalle| |Gent| |Givry,
(7041 Hainnaut)| |Grobbendonk| |Hoei, Huy| |Kamerijk, Cambrai
(F)| |Kassel,Cassel (F)| |Kester| |Kortrijk, Cortoriacum| |Liberchies|
|Maastricht| |Martelange,
Martel, Martelingen| |Mouzon (Ardennes F-08210)| |Namen, Namur|
|Ophoven|
|Oudenburg| |Rumst| |Tienen| |Tongeren, Atuatuca Tungrorum| |Velzeke,
Felciaco (Velzeke-Ruddershove)| |Vervoz, Verviers| |Wenduine| |Wervik,
Wervicq, Wervy, Viroviacum Virovino (Keltisch)|
|Wyompont|
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Romeinse tijd heirbanen in
het
gebied van Aduatukers
(Atuatukers); Eburonen; Menapiërs; Morinen;
Nerviërs; Trevieren; Tungri |
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Nederzettingen: |Aarlen,
Arlon, Orolaunum| |Aken,
Aachen| |Amiens|
|Atrecht,
Arras, Atrebatum| |Bavai, Bavay, Bagacum| |Bergen,
Mons| |Boulogne (Bonen)|
|Doornik,
Tournai| |Gembloers, Baudecet, Gembloux|
|Kamerijk, Cambrai
(F)| |Kassel,Cassel (F)|
|Keulen,
Köln| |Maastricht|
|Namen, Namur|
|Nijmegen|
|Reims|
|Terwaan,
Terenburg, (Thérouanne)| |Tongeren, Atuatuca Tungrorum|
|Trier|
|Wervik,
Wervicq, Wervy, Viroviacon (Keltisch), Viroviacum
(Latijns)| gegevens van 'Wervik
Sint-Medarduskerk'. Rector van het
Sint-Janshospitaal Wervik Rene Defrancq (
De Francq) |
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Part II, “From
WERVI to WERVIK”, tries to give an idea of the city’s
evolution from 1090 till the end of the 19th century using
representative written documents illustrated and
complemented with old representations, maps and objects.
Laymen will probably wonder why the exhibition does not
contain any relics from the period between the fall of the
Roman Empire and approximately 1100 AD. As for most towns in
our country there are no historic sources for those six
“dark ages” or at least they have not been excavated yet.
This does not mean however that Wervik was not inhabited in
that period. Quite the contrary! When Wervik reappears in
the historic sources, shortly before 1100, the city has
evolved greatly and its lay-out looks more or less the same
as it is today. The old residential centre around the
pre-Roman and Roman Steenakkerplein has extended toward the
Lys River via the Sint-Maartensplein, where the oldest
church stood. New buildings have been erected: Saint
Médard’s church on the left riverbank and the castle on the
right riverbank. A first chapter of this second part
provides the visitors with information on Wervik’s territory
and administration over the centuries. A general picture of
the situation is painted by maps supplemented with documents
about the former seigniories of Wervik, Oosthove and others.
This first chapter ends with several 19th century
administrative documents.
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Wervik Coat
of Arms, ... |
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OUD Wapenschild STAD
Wervik
Werveke (van) Flandre (An.,1662)
D'arg à la bande gu., acc. de six roses du mème, rangées en
orle. (Rietstap's Armorial) |
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Subsequently, chapter II describes the evolution of
the Wervik coat of arms, which is based on the
blazon of the 13th century lords of Wervik. Chapter
III throws light on Wervik’s population, treating
both their evolution in numbers and their way of
life from cradle to grave.
* The municipal finances and related problems are
treated in chapter IV, followed by an aspect of
society which also former inhabitants of Wervik had
to deal with: taxes of all kinds (chapter V).
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Viroviacum
vulgo Wervik Oppidum naar Joan Blaeu, 1649
(ingekleurde kaart familiearchief
JM) zie ook Anthoni
Sanderus Verheerlykt Vlaandre Deel II fig N°.6
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Part IIc Churches and Economic Activities |
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The very well
documented sixth chapter is dedicated to church life. Here
the visitors learn about Saint Peter’s Chapel in Lille that
had the right of collation in the parish of Wervik since
1090. Extensive documentation about Saint Médard’s, Saint
Martin’s and Saint Madeleine’s church forms the main part of
this chapter, which ends with a few documents with regard to
the convent of the Poor Clares and the various chapels in
Wervik.
Chapter VII covers public charity, charitable institutions
and the old Saint John’s Hospital.
Military affairs, the vigilante patrol, the police and fire
brigade are discussed in chapter VIII, public works and
traffic in chapter IX.
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Wervik
on the banks of the Lys River: Saint Médard’s
church, Brabant High Gothic with 86-meter high tower
(Deanship of Menen) |
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A lot of
attention was also dedicated to the economic activities
(chapter X) and primarily to the former Wervik linen
industry, which used to export its products as far as the
Mediterranean. In later centuries this industry more or less
disappeared in favour of the flax industry and the famous
Wervik tobacco industry. |
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Sint-Medarduskerk
Wervik */(JM)\*
Wervicq-Sud Eglise
de l' Immaculée-Conception |
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Mills
and breweries are also discussed in this chapter.
Education and culture are at the centre of chapter
XI. The people of Wervik have performed quite well
in both these areas over the centuries.
Chapter XII, justice and police, concludes this
exhibition and focuses on voluntary jurisdiction,
proper jurisdiction and the exercise of police
powers.
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'Balokkenbrug',
red bridge for cyclists and pedestrians. |
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Part
IId Mills |
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The ‘Briekemolen’,
a Wervik brick tower mill built in 1800. |
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‘Kruisekemolen’ (Ma Campagnemolen), post-mill built
in 1735. |
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Wervik
Sint-Jozefskerk |
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H. Hart
Kruiseke-Wervik (Dekenaat
Menen) |
Wervik
'De Balokken' (36ha) with a small marina. |
Lime
tree, tree chapel of Our Lady of Peace. The old
stone chapel built in 1850 was destroyed during the
First World War. |
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This survey of
the well-documented exhibition “WERVIK OVER THE CENTURIES”
shows that the organization has mainly aimed at showing as
many aspects as possible of Wervik’s 2000 year history. They
do however not claim to be exhaustive. This exhibition only
wants to show the inhabitants of Wervik and the visitors
from outside Wervik, records and other relics from the past
justifying this 2000th anniversary of Wervik. |
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Wervicq-Sud */(JM)\*
Wervik (Foto's JM
Kortrijk) |
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It is crystal
clear that this cultural event could not have been organized
without mutual cooperation. Already in 1967 the Honorary
Head of the National Public Record Office, Prof. Dr. E.
Sabbe, still working at the time, decided to support the
initiative of the Wervik Municipal Archaeological Committee.
The actual support was provided by the acting heads of the
National Public Record Office, Senator Dr. M. Van
Haegendoren and Ms Van Meerbeeck. Documents were borrowed
from the National Public Record Office in Brussels and from
the Public Record Offices in Ghent, Bruges, Kortrijk and
Tournai. Exhibition material was also provided by the Public
Record Depots of Beveren-Waas and Kortrijk. With the help of
the Public Record Office it was also possible to borrow
documents and objects from the Episcopal Seminary in Bruges,
the City Hall, the Municipal Library and the National Flax
Museum in Kortrijk and to obtain photographic reproductions
of documents from the Archives Départementales du Nord in
Lille (F).
The Municipal Archaeological Committee of Wervik was not
only the initiator of the exhibition, valuable help was also
provided by its chairman, architect L. Lannoy, vice
chairmen, the Rev. R. Defrancq and Mr M. Robaeys, committee
member Mr P. Decorte and especially by its secretary, Mr R.V.
Verbeke, to whom we owe special thanks.
This exhibition could not have been organized without the
indispensable and willingly granted financial and material
support of the Wervik City Council. The organization wishes
to thank the Mayor Dr. J. De Geest, the aldermen Mr N. De
Meerschman, Mr P. Desmadryl (pharmacist) and Mr J.P. Dermaux,
the town secretary Me J. Christiaen and the city’s Technical
Service under the direction of Mr D. Boussemaere.
We also extend our thanks to Mr D. Masschelein, temporary
record keeper at the Kortrijk Public Record Office, who took
the responsibility of setting up the exhibition. |
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The
late historian Dr. Ernest Warlop |
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5 July 1968.
Historian Dr. Ernest Warlop (° 1935 Wervik, + Heule 2003).
Dr. E. Warlop first worked for several years at the Public
Record Office in Brussels and Bruges, before being employed
as an archivist-custodian at the Kortrijk Public Record
Office (1964-1999).
For his book "De Vlaamse Adel vóór 1300" (EN: The Flemish
Nobility before 1300) which was published in 1968 and also
translated into English, he was awarded a prize by the Royal
Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts (KVAB).
He also wrote “Het wapenboek van Vlaanderen” (EN: Book of
Flemish Coats of Arms) (1972). He was also chairman of the
Flemish Heraldic Council (VHR). |
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Wijlen
Dr. Ernest Warlop (Foto a-Hol.
Krant van West-Vlaanderen 19.12.2003) |
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Link
to the website of G. Catteau Indices to the marriage
registers |
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Water
sports: island 36ha 'De Balokken' |
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Wervik
Waterrecreatie: eiland 36ha 'De Balokken' rechts boven de 'Balokkenbrug'.
Aanmeren Wervik.
(JM)
http://www.geoportail.fr
Le Géocatalogue, moteur de recherche du
Géoportail de
l'information géographique publique.
Geografische
kaart van Wervik ‘De balokken
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FESTIVITIES IN WERVIK: ZOTTE MAANDAG (EN:
crazy Monday). |
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Wervik
telt vijf reuzen. |
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Boat
excursions – Summer fair in Wervik - Zotte Maandag
Wervik has five giants. The giants’ guild with
Sossen the smuggler,
Mance, Pee, Jan Buuc and Marie Spillaert
WERVIK RECREATIE
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Wervik
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Wervicq-Sud, French
customs officers at the Lys River, an ambush in
Busbeke-Bousbecque (F) on the other bank of the Lys
River lies Laag-Vlaanderen, popularly called 'Basse-Flandre'
(B). |
Wervikse Reus Sos den
Blauwer |
Reuzen CIAG |
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