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20-656: Sint-Niklaas is the capital and major city of the Waasland region straddling the East Flanders and Antwerp provinces. The city is known for having the largest market square in Belgium. At one point this square also boasted the largest Christmas tree, and the largest easter egg in Europe. Although some traces of pre-Roman activity have been found on the territory of Sint-Niklaas, the regional centre during Roman times

40-667: A black lion with red tongue and claws, on a background of horizontal white and green stripes. This is a recent adaptation; formerly, East Flanders used the Flemish flag , a black lion on a yellow background, as in the current coat of arms. The old flag is still publicly used, e.g. for road signs. The province has several geographic or tourist regions: Important rivers are the Scheldt and the Leie which merge in Ghent . The Dender merges into

60-520: A population of almost 1.5 million. It had 734,000 inhabitants in 1830, when it was the most populated province of Belgium, and about a million in 1900. Population growth halted around the 1980s, but has increased again in the 21st century. Population figures in recent years is as follows: The capital and biggest city is Ghent , also the second largest city in the Flemish Region . Other smaller cities are Aalst , Sint-Niklaas and Dendermonde in

80-555: A shopping and services district. Because of its location on the vital axis from Ghent to Antwerp , Sint-Niklaas has excellent connections by train and car. The E17 , one of Belgium's busiest highways, passes the city; the N16 dual carriageway leads to Mechelen and Brussels . Trains depart every half-hour to Ghent and Antwerp and hourly to Brussels, Mechelen and Leuven from the new railway station. The city also has an extensive network of buslines, both regional and local. Throughout

100-516: Is a province of Belgium . It borders (clockwise from the North) the Dutch province of Zeeland and the Flemish province of Antwerp , Flemish Brabant , Hainaut and West Flanders . It has an area of 3,007 km (1,161 sq mi), divided into six administrative districts containing 60 municipalities, and a population of over 1.57 million as of January 2024. The capital is Ghent , home to

120-514: Is a historic region in northern Belgium. It is part of the Belgian provinces of East Flanders and Antwerp . The other borders are with the Scheldt and Durme rivers (east and south) and, to the north, the border with the Dutch region of Zeelandic Flanders . The (informal) capital and major city of the region is Sint-Niklaas . Waas most likely refers to the soggy soil of the region although

140-571: The 2018 elections . Previously it consisted of 72 members. The council currently consists of the following political parties: Four people chosen by and from the council form the daily government, called the deputation ( deputatie ). The deputation of East Flanders is a coalition of the N-VA , CD&V , and Groen . The daily government is led by the governor, who is appointed by the Flemish Government . Carina Van Cauter ( VLD ) has been

160-680: The Ghent University and the Port of Ghent . During the short-lived Napoleonic Empire , most of the area of the modern province was part of the Department of Escaut , named after the River Scheldt . Following the defeat of Napoleon , the entity was renamed after its geographical location in the eastern part of the historic County of Flanders (now in the western portion of the current Flemish Region ). The provincial flag has

180-618: The Scheldt in the city of Dendermonde . East Flanders is divided into 6 administrative arrondissements (districts), subdivided into a total of 60 municipalities. In addition, there are 3 judicial and 3 electoral arrondissements. HASC NUTS NIS Population Area BE.OV.GT BE234 44 553,961 944 km² BE.OV.OD BE235 45 123,330 419 km² BE.OV.EK BE233 43 84,113 334 km² BE.OV.AL BE231 41 286,741 469 km² BE.OV.DM BE232 42 199,553 343 km² BE.OV.SN BE236 46 248,489 475 km² The province has

200-483: The central market square today. The city was never walled, which made it an easy target for conquest. In 1381, it was engulfed by fire and plundered. However, the central location of Sint-Niklaas between Ghent and Antwerp , not far from the Scheldt , favoured further development. By 1513, Emperor Maximilian had granted the city the right to hold a weekly market. Around 1580, the church of Saint Nicholas suffered heavy damage from roving iconoclasts . The 17th century

220-585: The city's main thoroughfares, buses drive in designated lanes. Sint-Niklaas was awarded the title of Most Pedestrian Friendly City in Flanders after the restoration of its central Market area. Mayors since the end of World War II : Sint-Niklaas is twinned with: [REDACTED] Media related to Sint-Niklaas at Wikimedia Commons Waasland The Waasland ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈʋaːslɑnt] , archaically "Waesland") or Land van Waas ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈlɑnt vɑn ˈʋaːs] )

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240-495: The city. Napoleon came to visit Sint-Niklaas in 1803 and officially promoted it to the rank of city. The 19th century witnessed a general decline in the textile industry. Several new buildings were erected, including the current city hall and the Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Church of Our-Lady). After World War II , the textile industry went through a crisis. Today, the historic centre of the city has become mostly

260-611: The city. During this period the famous Spanish noble family Sanchez de Castro y Toledo resided in Sint-Niklaas. In the 18th century, the Austrian regime was favourable to Sint-Niklaas. The flagship textile industry adapted well to mechanization and added cotton products to its portfolio in 1764. At the end of the century, the French Revolution brought its mixture of religious intolerance and modern administration to

280-533: The east of the province. The eastern part of the province, part of the Flemish Diamond , is more densely populated than the western part. The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the province was 56.4 billion € in 2018. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 33,000 € or 109% of the EU27 average in the same year. The provincial council ( provincieraad ) consists of 36 members which were last elected in

300-455: The exact etymology is unknown. One possibility is a connection to the English word "wasteland". The swamps that characterized it have long been drained although many fields are still noticeably convex; the result of many years of plowing the topsoil towards the center to improve drainage. Historically, on account of its waterlogged, poor soils the region was thinly populated in comparison to

320-404: The rest of Belgium and agriculture was by necessity based on holder farms using innovative techniques not usually applied elsewhere even if the farmers had ready markets nearby in the cities of Ghent and Antwerp . Charles Townshend (1674–1748), one of the proponents of the early agricultural revolution , was an explicit advocate of agricultural practices first developed here in Belgium, such as

340-778: The use of turnips in crop rotation , and the region for some time attracted study trips by early agriculturists in his wake. The epic tale of Reynard the Fox is set in the region. The surname "Waas" and variants thereof is quite common in Belgium and refers to this region. In the province of East-Flanders: In the province of Antwerp: 51°15′00″N 4°12′07″E  /  51.250°N 4.202°E  / 51.250; 4.202 East Flanders East Flanders ( Dutch : Oost-Vlaanderen [ˌoːst ˈflaːndərə(n)] ; French : Flandre-Orientale [flɑ̃dʁ ɔʁjɑ̃tal] ; German : Ostflandern [ˈɔstˌflandɐn] ; West Flemish : Ôost-Vloandern )

360-402: Was generally a period of prosperity that was marked by economic growth, mostly in the flax and wool industries. This was also the time when Sint-Niklaas was endowed with administrative buildings and three cloistered communities ( Oratorians , Franciscans , and Black Sisters ), which provided educational, religious, and medical services to the region. On 25 May 1690 another fire destroyed most of

380-476: Was neighbouring Waasmunster , better located on the river Durme. Belsele was already mentioned in a 9th-century document. The history of Sint-Niklaas proper, however, starts in 1217, when the bishop of Tournai , following advice from the local clergy, founded a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas here. The new parish was to depend on the See of Tournai until the middle of the 16th century. Politically, however, it

400-456: Was part of the County of Flanders . The power of Flanders at that time favoured the rapid economic development of the city, which became the administrative centre of the region in 1241. A document dated from 1248 records that Margaret II, Countess of Flanders , ceded additional territory to the parish of Sint-Niklaas with the proviso that it would remain bare, which explains the unusual size of

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