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Sub-municipality of the city of Ghent, Belgium From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Oostakker (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈoːstˌɑkər] ; formerly spelled Oostacker) is a sub-municipality of the city of Ghent located in the province of East Flanders, Flemish Region, Belgium. It was a separate municipality until 1977. In 1872, Sint-Amandsberg was detached from Oostakker. In 1900, 1920 and 1927, parts of the original municipality were already annexed to Ghent.[1] On 1 January 1977, the municipality of Oostakker was merged into Ghent.[2]
Oostakker | |
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![]() Oostakker Basilica | |
![]() Location of Oostakker in Ghent | |
Coordinates: 51°06′01″N 3°45′48″E | |
Country | ![]() |
Community | ![]() |
Region | ![]() |
Province | ![]() |
Arrondissement | Ghent |
Municipality | Ghent |
Area | |
• Total | 10.47 km2 (4.04 sq mi) |
Population (2020-01-01) | |
• Total | 14,074 |
• Density | 1,300/km2 (3,500/sq mi) |
Postal codes | 9041 |
Area codes | 09 |
The hamlet is mainly known for the Shrine of Oostakker, a Roman Catholic shrine of the Virgin Mary. Residents of Oostakker are called Oostakkezen.
The miraculous shrine of the Blessed Virgin is a place of pilgrimage from Belgium, the Netherlands and Northern France. It is a comparatively recent, dating from 1873 dating from a statue in a grotto built by the local gentry family.[3] It was first opened to the local peasants on Sundays, but comparatively quickly it became very popular with a large Gothic church starting to be built in 1877. The shrine was entrusted to the Jesuits.