Godewaersvelde (French pronunciation: [ɡɔdvaʁsvɛld]; French Flemish: Godsvelde) is a commune in the Nord department in northern France, near the Belgian border.[3]
Godewaersvelde | |
|---|---|
 The old railway station and church | |
_Nord-France.svg) Coat of arms | |
Location of Godewaersvelde  | |
  Godewaersvelde  Godewaersvelde | |
| Coordinates: 50°47′41″N 2°38′39″E / 50.7947°N 2.6442°E | |
| Country | France |
| Region | Hauts-de-France |
| Department | Nord |
| Arrondissement | Dunkerque |
| Canton | Bailleul |
| Intercommunality | CC Flandre Intérieure |
| Government | |
| • Mayor (2020–2026) | Antoine Vermeulen[1] |
| Area 1 | 11.89 km2 (4.59 sq mi) |
| Population (2021)[2] | 2,053 |
| • Density | 170/km2 (450/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Godewaersveldois (es) |
| Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
| INSEE/Postal code | 59262 /59270 |
| Elevation | 27–163 m (89–535 ft) (avg. 41 m or 135 ft) |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. | |
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. |
Etymology
The name of the commune means "Godafritha's Heath" or "Godefried Fields".
British soldiers called it "God" during the First World War. A popular story claims that Godewaersvelde means "God bless our fields", but it appears to be unfounded, and is dismissed by linguists and historians.
Another WWI troop nickname was "Gerty Wears Velvet".[5]
- 1295-1296: Gaudefroit camp
- 1300: Godeverdesvelde
- 1318: Godefroichamp[6]
- 1918: Goedesversvelde (in WWI news in newspapers)
Dutch: Godewaarsvelde; Frans-Vlaams: Godsvelde; official French: Godewaersvelde is in Franse Westhoek, in the Nord Department, France. The community has 2000 dwellers. In the place where French Flemish dialect and in the Westhoek becoming known as Godsvelde is spoken.
See also
Gallery
Chapel of Saint Bernard of the Abbaye du Mont des Cats
"Henri le douanier", giant
References
