Zonnebeke

Zonnebeke
Municipality
Zonnebeke town hall
Flag Coat of arms
Zonnebeke Location in Belgium
Location of Zonnebeke in West Flanders
Coordinates: 50°52′N 02°59′E / 50.867°N 2.983°E / 50.867; 2.983Coordinates: 50°52′N 02°59′E / 50.867°N 2.983°E / 50.867; 2.983
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	West Flanders
Arrondissement	Ypres
Government
• Mayor	Dirk Sioen (INSPRAAK)
• Governing party/ies	INSPRAAK
Area
• Total	67.57 km2 (26.09 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2016)
• Total	12,417
• Density	180/km2 (480/sq mi)
Postal codes	8980
Area codes	051/057
Website	www.zonnebeke.be

Zonnebeke is a municipality located in the Belgian province of West Flanders. The municipality comprises the villages of Beselare (), Gheluvelt (), Passendale, Zandvoorde and Zonnebeke proper. On January 1, 2006, Zonnebeke had a total population of 11,758. The total area is 67.57 km² which gives a population density of 174 inhabitants per km².

The villages of Zonnebeke congregated around a large Augustinian abbey and its associated Benedictine convent in Nonnebosschen. Both were destroyed during the iconoclastic outbreak in 1580. Only the abbey was rebuilt, but was looted during the French occupation the abbey was confiscated. Passendale played a role in the Battle of Westrozebeke in 1382.

Situated in the centre of the Ypres Salient, World War I destroyed the whole area. Left abandoned until the early 1920s, people slowly returned and rebuilt the villages. In 1932, the locals opened a cheese making facility, which to this day is the only source of Passendale cheese.

Another battle during World War II during the Allied advance across Europe, where Passendale was used in a defensive operations by the Nazis, did little damage.

Today, Zonnebeke has returned to its long-time balance between agriculture, small business and work in the neighbouring towns. Its major industry is the brickworks in the village of Zonnebeke itself, which extracts the local blue clay.