138 BELGIUM AND LUXEMBOURG REGION BY REGION
For hotels and restaurants in this region see pp264–6 and pp288–91
The Flamboyant Gothic façade of Oudenaarde’s elegant Stadhuis
Oudenaarde a
30 km (19 miles) S of Ghent.
Road Map B2. * 28,000. £ @
n Stadhuis, Markt 1; (055) 317251.
http://www.oudenaarde.be
Founded as a fortress on
the River Scheldt in the 11th
century, Oudenaarde (Old
Landing Place) has had a long
and troubled history, scrapping
with the rival city of Ghent in
the Middle Ages, and often
besieged. Developing as a
cloth town, it became cele-
brated for its tapestries in
the 15th century, but fell into
decline thereafter.
Oudenaarde has preserved
many of its great monuments,
chief among which is the out-
standing 16th-century Stadhuis
built in Flamboyant Gothic
style. Its interior has carved
wood furnishings, a notable
silverware collection and work
by Adriaen Brouwer (1605–
38), who was born in the town
and is famed for his rumbus-
tious paintings of peasants.
The nearby Lakenhalle (Cloth
Hall) contains an exceptional
collection of tapestries.
Overlooking the River
Scheldt is the grand 16th- to
18th-century mansion Huis de
Lalaing, now a municipal tap-
estry workshop where visitors
are welcome. A little way
River Dender. The nearby hill
of Oudenberg rises above the
town to a height of 110 m
(360 ft), and the steep, cob-
bled road up it is known to
all cycle-race enthusiasts as
the Mur de Grammont, a
gruelling feature of the Tour of
Flanders (see p32). The summit,
with its Baroque chapel dat-
ing from 1648, is where 8,000
ring-shaped pastries are
thrown into the crowd after
a costumed parade known
as the Krakenlingenstoet (see
p35). However, bakers from
Geraardsbergen pride them-
selves more on a sweet cheese
tartlet called mattentaart.
The Grote Markt, at the
centre of the town, has an
impressive Stadhuis. The
version of the Manneken-Pis
found outside the Stadhuis
was originally installed in
1459, so it predates the one in
Brussels by nearly 200 years.
The statue’s 235 costumes can
be admired in a small museum
by the tourist office. The 15th-
century stone fountain and
cross in the square is a town
emblem known as the Marbol.up-river, the 13th-century
Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk van
Pamele is a classic example
of Scheldt Gothic (see p28);
Pamele was the name of the
twin town that developed on
the south bank of the Scheldt.
The undulating countryside
around Oudenaarde is known
as the Vlaamse Ardennen, or
the Flemish Ardennes.P Stadhuis
Grote Markt. Tel (055) 317251.
# Apr–Oct: 11am & 3pm Tue–Sun
(guided tours only). & 8
E Lakenhalle
Behind Stadhuis. # Apr–Oct: 9am–
5:30pm Mon–Fri, 10am–5:30pm
Sat–Sun and public holidays; Nov–
Mar: 9:30am–noon and 1:30–4pm
Mon–Fri, 2–5pm Sat. &
P Huis de Lalaing
Bourgondiestraat 9. # 1:30–4pm
Tue–Fri. &Dendermonde’s picturesque
begijnhof overlooking the greenGeraardsbergen s
41 km (25 miles) S of Ghent.
Road Map B2. * 31,000. £ @
n Stadhuis, Grote Markt; (054)- _ Krakelingenfeest (Feb).
http://www.geraardsbergen.be
The agreeable town of
Geraardsbergen (Grammont
in French) is situated in the
Vlaamse Ardennen, on theDendermonde d
30 km (19 miles) E of Ghent.
Road Map C2. * 43,000. £ @
n Stadhuis, Grote Markt; (052)- ( Mon. http://www.
dendermonde.be
Its position at the confluence
of the Scheldt and Dender has
made Dendermonde (literally,
Mouth of the River Dender)
a strategically important