Tielt
| Tielt | |||
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 Tielt
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Location of Tielt in West Flanders
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| Coordinates: 51°00′N 03°19′E / 51.000°N 3.317°ECoordinates: 51°00′N 03°19′E / 51.000°N 3.317°E | |||
| Country | Belgium | ||
| Community | Flemish Community | ||
| Region | Flemish Region | ||
| Province | West Flanders | ||
| Arrondissement | Tielt | ||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Els Derammelaere (Open VLD) | ||
| • Governing party/ies | CD&V, N-VA | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 68.50 km2 (26.45 sq mi) | ||
| Population (1 January 2016) | |||
| • Total | 20,159 | ||
| • Density | 290/km2 (760/sq mi) | ||
| Postal codes | 8700 | ||
| Area codes | 051 | ||
| Website | www.tielt.be | ||
Tielt (Dutch pronunciation: [tilt]) is a Belgian municipality in the province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the city of Tielt proper and the towns of Aarsele, Kanegem, and Schuiferskapelle.
Some traces of Gallo-Roman occupation have been found in this area. The area was invaded by the Viking Rikiwulf of the Wulfing dynasty in 880, who built Rikiwulfinga-haim, which survives as the Rijkegem-kouter today. The first written mention of Tiletum, however, dates from 1105, when Baldric of Noyon, Bishop of Tournai, awarded the right of presentment for the parish church to the chapter of St Salvator in Harelbeke. In 1245, Margaret of Constantinople, Countess of Flanders gave the city its charter and decided to found a hospital here. A few years later, a market place and cloth hall were built as well. Like neighbouring Roeselare, Tielt was made part of the Kortrijk province of Flanders. In the 13th and 14th century, the economy of most Flemish cities was based on the cloth industry, while the rural areas lived on the products of agriculture.
In 1393, Philip the Bold decided to hold an annual fair in Tielt, which resulted in the city becoming the booming centre of the flax industry until the end of the 16th century. The following decades, however, were hard on Tielt as it went through two major fires and a couple of epidemics, including the plague. Tielt also went through a severe famine at the end of the 17th century. From about 1700 until the Belgian Revolution of 1830, the city prospered again, this time as a regional center for the construction industry.
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