Geraardsbergen

History

Geraardsbergen is one of the oldest cities in Belgium. It came into existence close to the settlement of Hunnegem and in 1068 was one of the first communities in Western Europe to be granted city status. The city was destroyed in 1381 by Walter IV of Enghien and his troops. According to legend, during the siege local people threw some of their left over food over the city wall to show that they had sufficient food to survive a long siege. This bravado notwithstanding, the city was still captured by Enghien's troops. Every year the city organizes the krakelingenworp carnival on top of the hill at Oudenberg () to celebrate this historical event. On 29May 1815, shortly before the Battle of Waterloo, Wellington and Blücher reviewed the Allied cavalry here. Some 6,000 troops were paraded in meadows on the banks of the Dender between Geraardsbergen and Jedeghem.

Most-observed species

• Yellow-legged hornet

  Vespa velutina Lepeletier, 1836 · Insecta
  14,518
• Ring-necked Pheasant

  Phasianus colchicus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  10,612
• brown rat

  Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769) · Mammalia
  8,004
• Common Wood-Pigeon

  Columba palumbus Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  7,354
• muskrat

  Ondatra zibethicus (Linnaeus, 1766) · Mammalia
  6,079
• Carrion Crow

  Corvus corone Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  5,519
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,370
• Canada Goose (canadensis Group)

  Branta canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  5,297

Most recent

• M 2.8 — 2008-12-20
  1 km WSW of Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium
• M 3.3 — 2008-09-13
  3 km SSE of Florennes, Belgium
• M 2.8 — 2008-09-12
  1 km NNW of Court-Saint-Étienne, Belgium
• M 2.7 — 2008-08-09
  1 km SW of Ottignies, Belgium
• M 2.6 — 2008-08-09
  0 km NW of Ottignies, Belgium
• M 2.5 — 2008-08-08
  1 km SSW of Ottignies, Belgium