Roeselare is a Belgian city and municipality in the Flemish province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Roeselare proper and the towns of Beveren, Oekene and Rumbeke.
The name of the city is derived from two Germanic words meaning “reed” and “open space”, i.e., a marsh in a forest glade. Roeselare’s minor seminary is famous for having hosted the famous Flemish poets Guido Gezelle, Albrecht Rodenbach and missionary Jesuit Constant Lievens. The city is also home to the Rodenbach brewery.
Sights
Churches and monasteries
- The St Michael’s Church is the deanery church. It is a late Gothic church from 1504.
- The Sint-Amandskerk is a neo -Romanesque church from 1869-1872, mainly built in brick.
- The Heilig Hartkerk is a church from 1933. It is a relatively modern church with Art Deco features, which was built when a separate Sacred Heart Parish was established as a southern city expansion.
- The Protestant church, also called ” The Geuzentempel “, is a small church from 1877.
- The Church of Our Lady of 1867.
- The Klein Seminarie is a complex of buildings with parts from the 17th to 20th century. It was originally a monastery . In 1806 the Klein Seminarie school was established , where Albrecht Rodenbach attended school and where Guido Gezelle and Hugo Verriest once taught. The accompanying church was built in the first half of the 18th century.
- The Monastery of the Sisters of the Poor Klaren was founded in 1867. Around 1871 a small church was also built.
- In 1868-1871 the Redemptorist fathers built a monastery , with a neo-Gothic church in 1872-1874 , dedicated to Our Lady of Perpetual Help.
- The Monastery of the Sisters of Divine Providence
- The Sint-Godelieve Church of 1981.
- The Saint Joseph’s Church from 1951.
Other construction works
- The Grote Markt .
- The town hall consists of two parts. The old part dates from 1770-71 and is partly built in rococo style. A modern section was added in 1924, with a belfry tower on the corner . Below the Grote Markt are the remains of the city halls and the original belfry (year of construction: approx. 1260). This collapsed on October 30, 1704 and was rediscovered only a decade ago during the reconstruction of the Grote Markt.
- The Rodenbach Brewery
- The German communication bunker in Sint-Hubrechtsstraat , in the middle of the houses.
- Just outside the city center, in the district of Rumbeke, is the castle of Rumbeke on the Domein Sterrebos .
- The old urban cemetery .
Statues and monuments
- The Statue of Albrecht Rodenbach , on the Pieter Coninckplein .
- Grace , on the Grote Markt .
- King Baudouin monument on Astridplein , in honor of King Baudouin .
- Memorial for sculptor Jules Lagae and sculpture group Playing Children , near Stationsplein .
- De Drie Blauwvoeten , near the Botermarkt , is a reminder of the Groote Stooringhe .
- Monument for Guido Gezelle and for Constant Lievens , in the Klein Seminarie.
- Bust of Hugo Verriest in the Hugo Verrieststraat .
- Fonteinen Power , Meditation and Welcome Greeting in the Noordstraat .
- Juul Plastiek , at the Vismarkt .
Museums
- KOERS Museum of Cycling is a city museum about the history of cycling. It is housed in the old fire brigade arsenal that reopened its doors in 2018 after a restoration.
- Housed in St. Michael’s Church, the Bell Tower Museum covers the local carillon and church tower.
- The Papal Zouave Museum
- The Galerie Alfons Blomme was previously the Museum Alfons Blomme, but is now only used as a gallery for temporary art exhibitions.
- There are also some private collections and museums that are only accessible by appointment, such as Michel’s Film Museum, the hairdresser’s museum and the police museum.
Nature
Roeselare is located in Zandlemig Flanders in the valley of the Mandel . The Roeselare-Leie Canal was also dug through this valley . The city is located at an altitude of 21 to 37 meters.
In the city center, the Grote Bassin , surrounded by the Sint-Sebastiaanspark and the Noordhof, forms a green lung. The annual park concerts are also held here. The basin is excavated in the bed of the Mandel. The Kleine Bassin has been dug in the bed of the Sint-Amandsbeek a little further east. De Ronde Kom is also located next door .
There are also parks such as the Rodenbachpark , the Collegepark , and the Heilig Hartpark .
