Last modified: 2008-03-29 by ivan sache
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![[Oosterzele]](../images/b/be-vovoo.gif)
Municipal flag of Oosterzele - Image by Ivan Sache, 6 October 2000
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The municipality of Oosterzele (13,194 inhabitants on 1 January 2007; 4,312 ha) is located south-east of Ghent. The municipality of Oosterzele is made since 1976 of the former municipalities of Oosterzele, Balegem, Gijzenzele, Landskouter, Moortsele and Scheldewindeke.
The six villages forming Oosterzele all belonged to a big feudal
state known as the Country of Rode (Land van Rode), with Schelderode as
its capital. Schelderode was known as Rodus (866), Rotah (1002), Roden
(1101), Roda (1105), Rodam (1107), Rothen (1108) and Scelderode (1220);
in Germanic, rode means "an uprooted wood", "a clearing". The Country
of Rode was made of seventeen parishes: Bottelare, Melsen, Munte and
Schelderode, today included in the municipality of Merelbeke; Balegem,
Gijzenzele, Landskouter, Moortsele, Oosterzele and Scheldewindeke,
forming today the municipality of Oosterzele; Bavegem, Letterhoutem and Vlierzele, today included in the municipality of Sint-Lievens-Houtem; Gentbrugge, today included in the municipality of Ghent; Melle and
Gontrode, forming today the municipality of Melle; and the exclave of
Beerlegem, today included in the municipality of Zwalm.
The lords of Rode emerged in the XIIth century, when their early
domain included only Balegem, Beerlegem, Moortsele and Schelderode. The
other parishes were obtained by swapping them for other possessions
with the Count of Flanders and the St. Peter abbey, in 1226 and 1232,
respectively. One of the most powerful lords in the
County of Flanders, the lord of Rode was made a Baron in 1565 and a Marquis
in 1682. The Rode family was succeeded as the lord of Rode by the families
of Kortrjik, Kassen, Bar, Luxembourg and Bourbon. King of France Henri
IV sold in 1602 the Country of Rode to Simeon (Simao) Rodriguez de Evora y
Vega, a merchant of Antwerp of Portuguese origin.
Source: Land van Rode Heemkundig Genootschaap website
Ivan Sache, 8 September 2007
The municipal flag of Oosterbeke is diagonally divided (per bend)
yellow-black-yellow-black-yellow-black.
According to Gemeentewapens in België - Vlaanderen en Brussel, the flag was adopted by the Municipal
Council on 18 June 1980, confirmed by Royal Decree on 1 December 1980
and published in the Belgian official gazette on 22 January 1981.
The colours are taken from the arms.
Oosterzele used until 1976 as its municipal arms the arms of Rode
supported by a black lion holding a banner of arms of Rode. The
municipal arms of Oosterzele were adopted by the Municipal Council on
18 April 1931, confirmed by Royal Decree on 15 June 1932 and published
in the Belgian official gazette on 20 August 1932, with the following
description:
In goud een leeuw van sabel, met uitgeschulpten boord van hetzelfde,
het schild geplaatst voor een zittende leeuw eveneens van sabel,
houdend in den rechterpoot een bannier van goud met omgewenden leeuw
van sabel, gewapend en getongd van keel.
These arms were retained by the new municipality of Oosterzele.
Source: Land van Rode Heemkundig Genootschaap website
Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 8 September 2007