Meerdonk

Meerdonk is a village in the Belgian province of East Flanders and a part of the municipality of Sint-Gillis-Waas. The village lies in the northern part of the municipality, near the border with the Netherlands. In 2001, Meerdonk had nearly 2000 inhabitants.
The name Meerdonk means Sandy elevation. The lordship of Merdonc "moer ende wostine" was part of the possessions of the burgraves of Ghent until the end of the 13th century, after which it, along with the Land of Waas, became the property of the counts of Flanders. It was then called Merdonck. The description "moer ende wostine" refers to the important economic activity of peat extraction. Peat was used as fuel and for salt production. It was harvested in the summer when the water had receded somewhat. It was cut into large blocks, dried, and transported to the cities in flat boats. Wostinen were the pieces of uncultivated land that remained after extraction. The peat-rich lands were called moeren. Even now, many street names refer to the extraction of peat. The Farnes flood of 1584 submerged most of the Meerdonk polders. This led to the formation of the Saleghem Creek area. Meerdonk was initially a hamlet of Vrasene and was ecclesiastically part of Vrasene until 1807. It became an independent municipality on March 1, 1845. A first church was built in 1683.

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