Kruibeke

Kruibeke (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkrœy̯beːkə]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Bazel, Kruibeke proper and Rupelmonde. On 1 January 2018, Kruibeke had a total population of 16,657. The total area is 33.42 km².[2]

Kruibeke
Municipality
Kruibeke town hall
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Kruibeke
Kruibeke Location in Belgium Location of Kruibeke in East Flanders
Coordinates: 51°10′N 04°18′E
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	East Flanders
Arrondissement	Sint-Niklaas
Government
• Mayor	Dimitri Van Laere (N-VA)
• Governing party/ies	N-VA, CD&V
Area
• Total	33.53 km2 (12.95 sq mi)
Population  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	16,657
• Density	500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Postal codes	9150
NIS code	46013
Area codes	03
Website	www.kruibeke.be

The oldest secular centre of the area is the feudal castle of Wissekerke at Bazel, which was inhabited by the ancient family Vilain until 1989.

In March 2003, the mayor at that time Antoine Denert set up the Department of Tenderness to encourage residents to be nicer to each other. Denert worried that "people don't cuddle anymore and that's the reason why there are so many conflicts." and announced: "I will set an example and start in my own village by caressing, cuddling and kissing as many people as possible." He officially added Tenderness to his alderman portfolio of duties, until then Work, Environment and Budget. As of 26 August 2004, no other civic governments have adopted this idea.

Jos Stassen has been the active mayor since the 2013 elections. He leads a majority composed of SamenVoorKruibeke (sp.a, Groen! and Open VLD) and CD&V. Their combined efforts gave them a majority over the largest party, N-VA, led by former mayor Antoine Denert.

Bazel town, Wissekerke Castle