Editing Heuvelland

{{Infobox Belgium municipality
|name             = Heuvelland
|picture          = Heuvelland vanaf de Rodeberg.jpg
|picture-legend   =
|map              = Heuvelland West-Flanders Belgium Map.svg
|map-legend       = Location of Heuvelland in West Flanders
|arms             = Blason Heuvelland.svg
|flag             = Flag of Heuvelland.svg
|arrondissement   = [[Arrondissement of Ypres|Ypres]]
|nis              = 33039
|pyramid-date     =
|0-19=
|20-64=
|65=
|foreigners       =
|foreigners-date  =
|mayor            = Wieland De Meyer (GB)
|majority         = Gemeentebelangen (GB)
|postal-codes     = 8950-8954, 8956, 8958
|telephone-area   = 057
|web              = [http://www.heuvelland.be/ www.heuvelland.be]
|coordinates      = {{coord|50|46|N|02|49|E|region:BE|display=inline,title}}
}}
'''Heuvelland''' ({{IPA|nl|ˈɦøːvəlɑnt|-|Nl-heuvelland.ogg}}) is a [[Municipalities of Belgium|municipality]] located in the [[Belgium|Belgian]] province of [[West Flanders]]. The municipality comprises the villages of [[Dranouter]], [[Kemmel]], [[De Klijte]], [[Loker]], [[Nieuwkerke]], [[Westouter]], [[Wijtschate]] and [[Wulvergem]]. Heuvelland is a thinly populated rural municipality, located between the small urban centres of [[Ypres]] and [[Poperinge]] and the metropolitan area of [[Kortrijk]]-[[Lille]] along the [[European route 17|E17]]. On 1 January 2006 Heuvelland had a total population of 8,217. The total area is 94.24&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup> which gives a [[population density]] of 87 inhabitants per km<sup>2</sup>. The name ''heuvelland'' is [[Dutch language|Dutch]] meaning "hill country", as the municipality is characterized by the different hills on its territory.

==Geography==
===Landscape===
The municipality is located in an area known as the [[West-Flemish Hills]]. The highest hill in Heuvelland is the [[Kemmelberg]] (154 m); followed by the [[Vidaigneberg]] (136 m), the [[Rodeberg (West Flanders)|Rodeberg]] (129 m), the [[Scherpenberg]] (125 m) and a lower hill in [[Wijtschate]] (82 m). On the border with [[France]] is the [[Zwarteberg]].

<gallery>
File:Kemmelberg.JPG|Kemmelberg, seen from the west
Image:Heuvelland - Loker (Rodeberg).jpg|Landscape, with the village of Loker, as seen from the Rodeberg
Image:MapHeuvelland.svg|Heuvelland, "deelgemeenten" and neighbouring villages. The yellow areas are urban areas.
</gallery>

===Municipality parts ===
The municipality Heuvelland consists of eight small rural villages. The "[[deelgemeente]]s" of [[Dranouter]], [[Kemmel]], [[Loker]], [[Nieuwkerke]], [[Westouter]], [[Wijtschate]] and [[Wulvergem]] were independent municipalities before the merger in 1977. [[De Klijte]] wasn't independent, but was a part of [[Reningelst]] (then independent, now part of Poperinge).

Kemmel, Wijtschate, Nieuwkerke and Westouter are the largest centres, with more than 1000 inhabitants each. The town hall and municipal administration are located in Kemmel, as are the police office and post office. The rest home, municipal sports hall and main library are located in Wijtschate. The municipal container park is found in Nieuwkerke. The four other villages are smaller and accommodate less facilities.

Besides the village centres, a number of smaller residential areas are scattered on the territory. On top of the crest of the Rodeberg and Zwarteberg  small residential development, mixed with small shops, tourist businesses and restaurants are found. The city centre of [[Mesen]] also expands a little on the territory of Wijtschate in Heuvelland.

{| border="0" style="border: 1px solid #999; background-color:#FFFFFF"
|- align="center" bgcolor="#CCCCCC"
! # !! Name !! Area (km<sup>2</sup>) !! Population (2001)
|- align="right" bgcolor="#efefef"
|I || align="left" | [[Kemmel]]|| 12,99 || 1.170
|- align="right"
|II || align="left" | [[Wijtschate]] || 26,24 || 2.109
|- align="right" bgcolor="#efefef"
|III || align="left" | [[Wulvergem]] || 3,50 || 264
|- align="right"
|IV || align="left" | [[Nieuwkerke]] || 17,49  || 1.513
|- align="right" bgcolor="#efefef"
|V || align="left" |  [[Dranouter]] || 10,73  || 703
|- align="right"
|VI || align="left" | [[Loker]] || 6,80 || 572
|- align="right" bgcolor="#efefef"
|VII || align="left" | [[Westouter]] || 11,64 || 1.422
|- align="right"
|VIII || align="left" | [[De Klijte]] || 4,93 || 576
|}
:<small>Source: Ruimtelijk structuurplan Heuvelland</small>

===Neighbouring villages and towns===
Because of its relative extensiveness, the municipality of Heuvelland borders a large number of villages and towns:
{{colbegin}}
*a. [[Poperinge]] (city of Poperinge)
*b. [[Reningelst]]  (city of Poperinge)
*c. [[Dikkebus]] (city of Ypres)
*d. [[Vlamertinge]] (city of Ypres)
*e. [[Voormezele]] (city of Ypres)
*f. [[Hollebeke]] (city of Ypres)
*g. [[Houthem (Belgium)|Houthem]] (city of [[Comines-Warneton]])
*h. [[Bas-Warneton]] (city of Comines-Warneton)
*i. [[Warneton]] (city of Comines-Warneton)
*j. [[Mesen]] (city of Mesen)
*k. [[Ploegsteert]] (city of Comines-Warneton)
*l. [[Nieppe]] (France)
*m. [[Bailleul, Nord|Bailleul]] (France)
*n. [[Saint-Jans-Cappel]] (France)
*o. [[Boeschepe]] (France)
{{colend}}

==History==
===World War I===
[[File:Bayernwald 14.JPG|thumb|German concrete bunker at the Bayernwald Trenches in [[Croonaert Wood]]]]
[[Image:IR Lübeck 031 – Wytschaete.jpg|thumb|11 April 1918 during the ''Fight of the [[Kemmelberg|Kemmel]]'' as part of the [[German spring offensive]]]]
The area experienced many major battles during [[World War I]], as part of the [[Ypres Salient]] area. The front-line ran through the area of Wytschaete, which was captured and held several times by both sides during the course of the war. [[Spanbroekmolen]] was an important German stronghold, and on 30 April and 17 June 1916, the area was the site of two [[Gas attacks at Wulverghem|German gas attacks on British troops at Wulverghem]]. The [[Kemmelberg]] was important during the [[Battle of the Lys (1918)|Battle of the Lys]], and German units maintained a trench system (''Bayernwald'') within view of Ypres at [[Croonaert Wood]]. Nowadays, the ''Bayernwald'' trenches can be visited as an [[open-air museum]]. There are a number of war cemeteries in the municipality, including [[Godezonne Farm Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery|Godezonne Farm]], [[RE Farm Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery|RE Farm]], [[Spanbroekmolen British Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery|Spanbroekmolen]], [[Suffolk Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery|Suffolk]], [[Klein Vierstraat British Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery|Klein Vierstraat]] and [[Kemmel Number 1 French Commonwealth War Graves Commission Cemetery|Kemmel Number 1 French Cemetery]].

==Notable people==
*The cartographer and astronomer [[Petrus Plancius]] was born in Dranouter in 1552.
*Singer [[Geike Arnaert]] of [[Hooverphonic]] was born and raised in Westouter.
*[[Tiny Legs Tim]] (1978-2022) - musician and singer-songwriter

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*[http://www.heuvelland.be Official website]

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Heuvelland
|North     = [[Ypres]]
|East      = [[Comines-Warneton]] ([[Hainaut (province)|WHT]])
|Southeast = [[Mesen]]
|South     = [[Nieppe]] ([[France|FR]]-[[Nord (French department)|59]]), [[Comines-Warneton]] ([[Hainaut (province)|WHT]])
|West      = [[Boeschepe]] ([[France|FR]]-[[Nord (French department)|59]])<br>[[Saint-Jans-Cappel]] ([[France|FR]]-[[Nord (French department)|59]])<br>[[Bailleul, Nord|Bailleul]] ([[France|FR]]-[[Nord (French department)|59]])
|Northwest = [[Poperinge]]
}}
{{Municipalities in West Flanders}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Heuvelland| ]]
[[Category:Municipalities of West Flanders]]