Kluisbergen

Kluisbergen
Municipality
Landscape with the old coal power plant in Ruien
Coat of arms
Location of Kluisbergen
Kluisbergen Location in Belgium Location of Kluisbergen in East Flanders
Coordinates: 50°47′N 03°31′E
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish region
Province	East Flanders
Arrondissement	Oudenaarde
Government
• Mayor	Philippe Willequet
• Governing party/ies	Gemeentebelangen
Area
• Total	30.63 km2 (11.83 sq mi)
Population  (2018-01-01)
• Total	6,453
• Density	210/km2 (550/sq mi)
Postal codes	9690
NIS code	45060
Area codes	055
Website	www.kluisbergen.be

Kluisbergen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈklœy̯zbɛrɣə(n)]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders, along the Scheldt river. The municipality comprises the towns of Berchem (Kluisbergen), Kwaremont, Ruien and Zulzeke which fused in 1971. On January 1, 2006, Kluisbergen had a total population of 6,161. The total area is 30.38 km² which gives a population density of 203 inhabitants per km². The town of Ruien is the largest and has some outdoor facilities. Kluisbergen is also home to the "Kluisbos", a forest which has 2 ancient standing stones, dating back to Roman times.

Geography

Kluisbergen consists of four towns:

I	Berchem
II	Ruien
III	Kwaremont
IV	Zulzeke

Neighbouring towns/muncipalities:

a	Ronse
b	Nukerke (Maarkedal)
c	Melden (Oudenaarde)
d	Elsegem (Wortegem-Petegem)
e	Kerkhove (Avelgem)
f	Waarmaarde (Avelgem)
g	Avelgem (Avelgem)
h	Orroir (Mont-de-l'Enclus)
i	Amengies (Mont-de-l'Enclus)
j	Russeignies (Mont-de-l'Enclus)

Map

Map of Kluisbergen with its neighbouring towns/municipalities. The yellow markings resemble the most populated areas.

Landscape

The Scheldt makes up the northwestern border of Kluisbergen where the landscape is rather flat. Traveling south or southeast is met with an increasing moderately hilly landscape all the way to the southern border

There are three main hills in Kluisbergen. The Kluisberg is mainly located on the border of Ruien and Orroir, stretching all the way to Kwaremont. The Paterberg is located in the middle of Kwaremont. The Hotondberg is located on the border of Zulzeke and Ronse and is the highest point of East Flanders. The three hills are the westernmost hills of the Flemish Ardennes.

Tourism

Flemish Ardennes are known for their steep hills with several of them having forsts on their hillsides. Kluisbergen is no exception and is best known for these hills. Their important role in the Tour of Flanders make them popular among cyclists. The muncipality incorporates its many field trails in hiking routes with hiking tours are also being organized.

Kwaremont has the title of "Artist Village" because of its numerous painters and art galleries.

External links

• Media related to Kluisbergen at Wikimedia Commons
• Official website (in Dutch)