Godewaersvelde (French pronunciation: [ɡɔdvaʁsvɛld]; French Flemish: Godsvelde) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France, near the Belgian border.[3]
Location
Godewaersvelde is in northern France along the Belgian border and is in the heart of Flanders, less than half an hour from Lille and Dunkirk. Godewaersvelde covers 1189 hectares or nearly 12 square kilometers and is crossed by several county roads: the R & D 948 which connects at the A25 interchange in Poperinge, 139 R & D that leads to Boeschèpe and Eecke, DR 18, which connects Route Méteren to Poperinge.
Population
| Year | Pop. | ±% p.a. |
|---|---|---|
| 1968 | 1,798 | — |
| 1975 | 1,665 | −1.09% |
| 1982 | 1,713 | +0.41% |
| 1990 | 1,738 | +0.18% |
| 1999 | 1,927 | +1.15% |
| 2007 | 1,964 | +0.24% |
| 2012 | 2,016 | +0.52% |
| 2017 | 2,051 | +0.34% |
| Source: INSEE[4] | ||
Heraldry
 |
The arms of Godewaersvelde are blazoned : Barry gules and vair.
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Etymology and evolution of name
The name of the commune originally meant either "Godafritha's Heath" or "Godefried Fields", in old Flemish/Dutch. In modern French Flemish (Frans-Vlaams) it is Godsvelde, or Godewaersvelde (in the Franse Westhoek area of Nord Department). The modern Dutch name is Godewaarsvelde.
The name has been recorded as:
- 1295-1296: Gaudefroit camp
- 1300: Godeverdesvelde
- 1318: Godefroichamp[5]
- 1918: Goedesversvelde
During the First World War, British soldiers nicknamed the town "Gerty Wears Velvet",[6] and "God". A false etymology, dismissed by linguists and historians, has claimed that Godewaersvelde meant "God bless our fields".
Famous people
- The painter Nicolas Ruyssen (born in Hazebrouck on 26 September 1757) founded the Mont des Cats abbey. He died in Godewaersvelde on 7 May 1826 and is buried in the abbey church.
See also
Gallery
-
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Chapel of Saint Bernard of the Abbaye du Mont des Cats -
"Henri le douanier", giant
References
- ^ "Répertoire national des élus: les maires" (in French). data.gouv.fr, Plateforme ouverte des données publiques françaises. 13 September 2022.
- ^ "Populations de référence 2022" (in French). The National Institute of Statistics and Economic Studies. 19 December 2024.
- ^ INSEE commune file
- ^ Population en historique depuis 1968, INSEE
- ^ Sources: Jozef van Overstraeten1 see also La Voix du Nord, News / Hazebrouck / Page 4 / Article 2 Edition Sunday, April 24, 2005
- ^ Daily Telegraph, Saturday 27 April 1918, reprinted in page 32, Daily Telegraph, Friday 27 April 2018; see English-language names given by WWI troops to places affected by WWI
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