Kaprijke

Kaprijke is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Kaprijke proper and Lembeke. On January 1, 2006 Kaprijke had a total population of 6,128. The total area is 33.71 km² which gives a population density of 182 inhabitants per km².

The name Kaprijke comes from Gallo-Roman name "Capricum" which means "Land of Caprius". That it used to be the site of a Roman garrison can still be seen at the square in front of the old town hall.

During the 14th and 15th century, the cloth industry flourished in Kaprijke. However, during the period of religious strife during the 16th century, the merchants and cloth makers withdrew to safer locations. Following the resolution of the problems, the merchants and weavers did not return, leading up to the decline of the city of Kaprijke into a rural village during the 17th and 18th centuries.

Kaprijke is known for its beautiful castle built in 1550, Hof ter Kruisen. It was commissioned by Andries of Baviere and finished in 1628.

In 1976, Kaprijke merged with another town called Lembeke, for a total population of around 6200 people.

Kaprijke is the birthplace of poet and playwright, Dr. Hippoliet van Peene. Van Peene is best known for writing the poem "The Flemish Lion" which came to be the Flemish anthem.

Famous inhabitants

• Roger De Vlaeminck, cyclist, a.o. four times winner of Paris–Roubaix
• Hippoliet Van Peene (1811–1864), wrote the lyrics of the Flemish anthem De Vlaamse Leeuw.

References

External links

• Kaprijke (Official website)