Damme facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Damme
Municipality
Damme Town Hall
Flag Coat of arms
Damme Location in Belgium
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	West Flanders
Arrondissement	Bruges
Area
• Total	89.52 km2 (34.56 sq mi)
Population  (2018-01-01)Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
• Total	Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1,575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Postal codes	8340
Area codes	050
Website	www.damme.be

Damme is a charming city and municipality in Belgium. It is located in the province of West Flanders. You can find it about six kilometers northeast of Bruges. The municipality includes the city of Damme itself. It also has several smaller villages like Hoeke, Lapscheure, and Sijsele. As of 2006, about 10,899 people lived there. The total area is 89.52 square kilometers. This means about 122 people live in each square kilometer.

A Look Back in Time: Damme's History

In the 1200s, Damme was a very important port in Europe. It was the main way for the big trading city of Bruges to reach the sea. A river called the Reie connected Damme to Bruges.

Today, that river has been turned into a long, straight canal. It is called the Damse Vaart. This beautiful canal is lined with trees. It even goes across the border into the Netherlands.

You can still see where Damme's old defenses used to be. The town had star-shaped walls. You can trace their outline by lines of tall poplar trees. In some places, you can still see a moat.

Damme was also the site of an important battle. The Battle of Damme happened on May 30 and 31, 1213. During this battle, an English fleet captured many French ships. They also took their valuable cargo. This cargo included gold, silver, wine, and food.

Some famous people lived in Damme. Jacob van Maerlant was a medieval poet. He worked as the town clerk of Damme until he passed away around 1300. Another notable person was Karel Verleye. He helped start the College of Europe in Bruges. Karel Verleye died in Damme in 2002.

Visiting Damme Today

Today, Damme is a popular place for tourists. Many people visit Damme after seeing Bruges. It's a great spot to enjoy a meal out. You can also take relaxing boat trips here.

Damme has also become known as a "book town." This means it has many bookshops. Regular book fairs are held there too. It's a fun place for anyone who loves books.

There are a few popular ways to travel to Damme. During the summer, you can take a canal boat. Buses and bicycles are also good options all year round. The bicycle path follows the canal. It takes the same scenic route as the canal boat.

Images for kids

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  Damme on the Deventer map (around 1558)

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  Damme on the Atlas van Loon (around 1649)

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  Damme on the Ferraris map (around 1775)