Batavia district

At the end of World War I, the housing shortage in Roeselare was significant due to the many destructions. To alleviate this need, the Batavia district, the first garden neighborhood in Belgium, was established.

The first garden neighborhood in Belgium
Roeselare refugees returning home after the end of World War I often encountered a real disaster. Therefore, on August 1, 1919, Minister of the Interior De Brocqueville decided to create an entirely new neighborhood in Roeselare: the Batavia district. The streets of the new area were named after places where many Roeselare refugees had found shelter at the end of World War I, such as Lier, Wetteren, or Geel.

The 'garden neighborhood', a new way of living
The garden neighborhood idea emerged at the end of the 19th century in Great Britain. Architects designed a new housing concept with attention to a healthy living situation. The aim of the garden neighborhood was to provide less affluent workers with a quality and affordable home at the same time. Moral considerations also played a role in the neighborhood development: cafes and other urban amusements were absent. A pleasant home with a garden would sharpen the 'family values and frugality' of the worker.

Toerisme Roeselare