Editing Zele

{{Other uses}}
{{use dmy dates|date=May 2022}}
{{Infobox Belgium municipality
|name            = Zele
|picture         = Sint-Ludgeruskerk Zele.jpg
|picture-legend  = Sint-Ludgerus church
|map             = Zele East-Flanders Belgium Map.svg
|map-legend      = Location of Zele in [[East Flanders]]
|arms            = Blason ville be Zele.svg
|flag            = Flag of Zele.svg
|region          = {{BE-REG-FLE}}
|community       = {{BE-NL}}
|province        = {{BE-PROV-OV}}
|arrondissement  = [[Arrondissement of Dendermonde|Dendermonde]]
|nis             = 42028
|mayor           = Hans Knop ([[Christian Democratic and Flemish|CD&V]])
|majority        = [[Christian Democratic and Flemish|CD&V]], Leefbaarder Zele
|postal-codes    = 9240
|telephone-area  = 052
|web             = [http://www.zele.be/ www.zele.be]
|coordinates     = {{coord|51|04|N|04|02|E|region:BE|display=inline,title}}
}}
'''Zele''' ({{IPA|nl|ˈzeːlə}}) is a [[Municipalities of Belgium|municipality]] located in the Belgian province of [[East Flanders]], around 20 kilometers east of [[Ghent]]. The municipality only comprises the town of Zele proper. In 2023, Zele had a total population of 21,374. The total area is 33{{nbsp}}km<sup>2</sup> which gives a population density of 641.6 people per km<sup>2</sup>.<ref name="stat">{{cite web|url=https://statbel.fgov.be/nl/gemeente/zele#dashboard1 |title=Statbel Zele |website=Statistics Belgium |access-date=2 October 2023 }}</ref>
==Toponym==
The name of the municipality is derived from the [[Old Dutch]] or [[Old Saxon]] word "seli", which means "(main) building" or "settlement". Examples in the region with that toponym are [[City of Brussels|Brussels]], [[Herzele]] and [[Belsele]].<ref name="ivdnt">{{Cite web |url=https://gtb.ivdnt.org/iWDB/search?wdb=ONW&actie=article&uitvoer=HTML&id=ID3930 |title=Old dutch dictionary|access-date=2023-11-02 |website=gtb.ivdnt.org}}</ref>

==Notable inhabitants==
* [[Hans Christiaens]], footballer (b. 1964)
* [[Aloïs de Beule]], sculptor (1861–1935)
* [[Pierre de Decker]], former [[Prime Minister of Belgium]] (1855–1857) (1812–1891)
* [[Andreas De Leenheer]], academic and biologist (1941-2022)
* [[Basile De Loose]], painter (1809–1885)
* [[Filip De Wilde]], professional football player (b. 1964)
* [[Michel D'Hooghe (cyclist)|Michel D'Hooghe]], racing cyclist (1912-1940)
* [[Dirk Heirweg]], racing cyclist (b. 1955)
* [[Christophe Impens]], Belgian record holder 1500 m run, semi-finalist at Atlanta Olympics (b. 1969)
* [[Caroline Maes]], professional tennis player (b. 1982)
* [[Lieven Maesschalck]], physiotherapist (b. 1964)
* [[Joseph Julian Oste]], priest, missionary, and Bishop (1893-1971)
* [[Désiré Piryns]], painter (1889-1948)
* [[William Tackaert]], racing cyclist (b. 1956)
* [[Vanessa Van Cartier]], drag queen (b. 1979)
* [[Miranda Van Eetvelde]], politician (b. 1959)
* [[Sven Verdonck (darts player)|Sven Verdonck]], darts player (b. 1963)
* [[Frederik De Waele]], gymnast (1919-2001)

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{Commons category-inline}}
*[http://www.zele.be Official website] {{in lang|nl}}

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Zele
|Northeast = [[Waasmunster]]
|East      = [[Hamme, Belgium|Hamme]]
|Southeast = [[Dendermonde]]
|Southwest = [[Berlare]]
|Northwest = [[Lokeren]]
}}
{{Municipalities in East Flanders}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Municipalities of East Flanders]]
[[Category:Populated places in East Flanders]]
[[Category:Zele| ]]


{{EastFlanders-geo-stub}}