Aaigem
Aaigem is a village belonging to the municipality of Erpe-Mere. It is located in the province of East Flanders, Belgium. The village has some 2000 inhabitants. Aaigem was an independent municipality with an area of 7.32 square kilometers till 1976.
Geography
Aaigem is located north of the Flemish Ardennes, a hilly region, and is also a part of the Denderstreek. The village is situated on the north of the valley of Molenbeek-Ter Erpenbeek, a brook passing south of the village centre. Since the valley is characterized by low wet land, construction development is rather limited there.The village centre of Aaigem is situated about 53 meters above sea level, with the Molenbeek brook being about 30 meters above sea level. The highest point within Aaigem is 77.8 meters above sea level, and is located in Opaaigem. It is also the highest point of the municipality of Erpe-Mere. The lowest point is 27 meters, and is located at the bottom of the Gotegemberg Hill. As such, the maximum height interval is 50 meters.
There is a 205 hectare nature reserve called Den Dotter in the sub-municipalities of Aaigem and Heldergem.
Name
Etymologically, Flemish toponyms ending with –gem refer to a Germanic compound of –haim, meaning ‘home’ or ‘residence’, and a derivative ending –inga. The first part of the name "Aaigem" is commonly assigned to the Germanic name of Ago, a currently unknown person. In its totality, the compound Agingahaim meant ‘residence of the followers or tribal members of Ago’. Gem-toponyms are typical for the period of Frankish settlement during the Merovingian era, though nothing is known about the village of Aaigem at that time, with the earliest records about the Aaigem dating back to the 11th century.History
The territory of Aaigem might have belonged to the Abbey of Saint Peter or the Abbey of Saint Bavo in Ghent before the forays of the Norsemen. From around 1100, the church of Aaigem was property of the Anchin Abbey. This abbey held much of the land in Aaigem till the French Revolution. Agriculture remained the main source of income throughout the 20th century. However, some industrial activity, such as water mill operation, have taken place. The limited rural industry that came into existence in the 19th and 20th century, such as a number of local dairy farms, have not survived.In the feudal period Aaigem belonged to the Land of Aalst, and within this area, it was part of the Land of Haaltert, later also called Land of Rotselaar, in reference to the Lords of Rotselaar, who remained liege of this fief for generations.
Landmarks
Aaigem is one of the few villages in Flanders with a preserved Frankish village green, located about 1 kilometer east from the present village center.Mills
Three water mills have been preserved. All of them are located on the Molenbeek Brook, and are called, the Engelsmolen, the Ratmolen and the Zwingelmolen. The oldest records of the Engelsmolen and the Ratmolen date back to the 16th century, but the current buildings date from the 19th century. In 1870, a steam engine was installed in the Engelsmolen, but all activity was ceased in 1956. The Zwingelmolen has been converted into a house.| Name | Address | Type | Protected | Info |
| Engelsmolen Molen te Dalhem Molen te Dalme | Engelsmolen 1 | Overshot watermill | It was originally a wheat mill, oil mill and a flax attrition mill Later on only wheat mill | |
| Ratmolen Waterrat | Ratmolenstraat 42 | Overshot watermill | It was originally a wheat mill and an oil mill Later on only wheat mill | |
| Zwingelmolen | Aaigembergstraat 10 | Overshot watermill | No | It was originally a flax attrition mill Later on it became a chicory mill The mill wheel has been removed Now renovated as a house |
File:Engelsmolen Aaigem.JPG|Engelsmolen at Aaigem
File:Engelsmolen Aaigem rad.JPG|Mill wheel of the Engelsmolen at Aaigem
File:Ratmolen Aaigem.JPG|Ratmolen at Aaigem
File:Ratmolen Aaigem rad.JPG|Mill wheel of the Ratmolen at Aaigem
File:Zwingelmolen Aaigem.jpg|Zwingelmolen at Aaigem
File:Zwingelmolen Aaigem beek.JPG|Place where the mill wheel of the Zwingelmolen was at Aaigem
Church
Most of the Saint-Nicolas Church was built in 1786, and replaced a smaller Gothic church, of which only the tower of ca. 1300 remains, at the back of the current church building. This tower was the crossing tower of the old church. Traces of the roof, of the side aisles and of the choir are still visible on the tower. The 18th century construction is neoclassical, and built according to the plans of architect F. Drieghe, who was also responsible for the construction of the Saint-Christopher Church in Evergem.Sport
The football club SK Aaigem plays in Aaigem, and is active in the third provincial league of the province of East Flanders.Demographic development
Colors=
id:a value:gray
id:b value:gray
id:c value:rgb
id:d value:rgb
ImageSize = width:700 height:373
PlotArea = left:50 bottom:30 top:30 right:30
DateFormat = x.y
Period = from:0 till:2400
TimeAxis = orientation:vertical
AlignBars = justify
ScaleMajor = gridcolor:b increment:300 start:0
ScaleMinor = gridcolor:a increment:60 start:0
BackgroundColors = canvas:c
BarData=
bar:1806 text:1806
bar:1816 text:1816
bar:1830 text:1830
bar:1846 text:1846
bar:1856 text:1856
bar:1866 text:1866
bar:1876 text:1876
bar:1880 text:1880
bar:1890 text:1890
bar:1900 text:1900
bar:1910 text:1910
bar:1920 text:1920
bar:1930 text:1930
bar:1947 text:1947
bar:1961 text:1961
bar:1970 text:1970
bar:1976 text:1976
bar:1990
bar:2001 text:2001
bar:2006 text:2006
PlotData=
color:d width:20 align:left
bar:1806 from:0 till: 1471
bar:1816 from:0 till: 1538
bar:1830 from:0 till: 1857
bar:1846 from:0 till: 1738
bar:1856 from:0 till: 1665
bar:1866 from:0 till: 1653
bar:1876 from:0 till: 1739
bar:1880 from:0 till: 1772
bar:1890 from:0 till: 1813
bar:1900 from:0 till: 1904
bar:1910 from:0 till: 2003
bar:1920 from:0 till: 2011
bar:1930 from:0 till: 1905
bar:1947 from:0 till: 1811
bar:1961 from:0 till: 1838
bar:1970 from:0 till: 1862
bar:1976 from:0 till: 1866
bar:1990 from:0 till: 0
bar:2001 from:0 till: 2120
bar:2006 from:0 till: 2098
PlotData=
bar:1806 at: 1471 fontsize:s text: 1.471 shift:
bar:1816 at: 1538 fontsize:S text: 1.538 shift:
bar:1830 at: 1857 fontsize:S text: 1.857 shift:
bar:1846 at: 1738 fontsize:S text: 1.738 shift:
bar:1856 at: 1665 fontsize:S text: 1.665 shift:
bar:1866 at: 1653 fontsize:S text: 1.653 shift:
bar:1876 at: 1739 fontsize:S text: 1.739 shift:
bar:1880 at: 1772 fontsize:S text: 1.772 shift:
bar:1890 at: 1813 fontsize:S text: 1.813 shift:
bar:1900 at: 1904 fontsize:S text: 1.904 shift:
bar:1910 at: 2003 fontsize:S text: 2.003 shift:
bar:1920 at: 2011 fontsize:S text: 2.011 shift:
bar:1930 at: 1905 fontsize:S text: 1.905 shift:
bar:1947 at: 1811 fontsize:S text: 1.811 shift:
bar:1961 at: 1838 fontsize:S text: 1.838 shift:
bar:1970 at: 1862 fontsize:S text: 1.862 shift:
bar:1976 at: 1866 fontsize:S text: 1.866 shift:
bar:2001 at: 2120 fontsize:S text: 2.120 shift:
bar:2006 at: 2098 fontsize:S text: 2.098 shift:
- Sources:Belgian National Institute for Statistics and the municipality of Erpe-Mere - Remark:1806 till 1970= census on 31 December; 1976= number of inhabitants on 31 December; 2001 and 2006=number of inhabitants on 1 January
File:Aaigem bebouwde kom.jpg|Town sign: the speed limit of 50 km/h in Aaigem
File:Aaigem einde bebouwde kom.jpg|Town sign: no speed limit of 50 km/h any more in Aaigem