Ninove

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Ninove is a city in the Denderstreek in the Belgian province of East Flanders. It lies on the river Dender. The community is adjacent to the town of the districts Appel -Eichem, Aspelare, Denderwindeke, Lieferinge, Meerbeke, Nederhasselt, Neigem, Okegem, Outer, Pollare and Voorde.

History

Archaeological finds attest to a settlement in the area since the Neolithic period. Ninove goes back to a small settlement that grew in the 5th century with the arrival of the Franks in a farming village. Until the 12th century Ninove had become the basis of trade and a fortified castle to a fairly major city. Also, a Premonstratensian abbey was founded in Ninove. In the 15th to 17th centuries, it was the decline of the city that grew slowly until the mid- 18th century. In the second half of the 19th century the first factories settled in Ninove; Ninove was in the time of the first World War, a center of the Flemish matchstick industry. The city's population grew from 4,400 in 1834 to 12,000 in 1970.

Freeman

Sons and daughters of the town

• Jean Dufaux, comic book writer
• Kevin van der Perren, figure skaters
• Wesley Sonck, football player
• Emile Thollembeek, cyclist