To facilitate access to different languages and provide more information on our site we have opted for automatic translation.Despite our vigilance please bear with the sometimes literal translation of contents Wervik is located in the far south of West Flanders right in the middle of the Kortrijk-Ypres-Lille triangle The border town has a population of just under 19,000 A three-person team handles ICT for both the municipal services and the housing and care division "The medical data is enough to make our ICT infrastructure's operational reliability crucial We need an ICT environment we can count on," says Bart Vanneste Internal Support and Digitalization Coordinator we do everything we can to avoid continuity problems." "Our previous infrastructure consisted of a three-tier model but was less stable than the system we're using now," adds System Manager Pepijn Deneut we were frequently forced to resort to external workers for patches and updates The City of Wervik's ICT environment was already designed to be redundant "We have two identically configured data centers with a fiberglass loop connection," continues Bart Vanneste "Although this does provide a measure of security we needed to spend a week synchronizing data after any power cuts which also meant sacrificing our redundancy for the same period of time." the plan was only to invest in extra storage we became increasingly convinced of the desirability of hyperconvergence with a view to lightening our load and increasing stability but from the start we had the greatest confidence in Dell EMC and Inetum's solutions and services." This saves time thanks to fewer migrations and more efficient management Bart Vanneste | Internal Support and Digitalization Coordinator @ City of Wervik Thanks to the extensive virtualization offered by the VxRail appliances the city can handle both the infrastructure's hardware and software layers through a single management platform "I think the biggest change is that we are now managing the entire ICT infrastructure through one console," Pepijn Deneut continues "VMware's storage and virtualization technology gains us an overview that includes VxRail and the virtual storage network (VSAN) Centralization has significantly reduced the complexity of our infrastructure." daily operations haven't seen many significant changes "We do notice some additional speed due to the migration to a full flash storage system This clearly outperforms the three-tier model Data deduplication or intelligent compression has also reduced our storage needs by eliminating unnecessary data," explains Bart Vanneste He also considers the use of ten nodes a great advantage we had to restart all systems in the event of server problems That means we only have to restart some of the servers." The city's organizational chart places Bart Vanneste at the management level "This gives me the advantage of a direct negotiation line when investments are involved for instance it goes without saying that we must substantiate each investment thoroughly and that the city monitors the budget closely reliability and data security were among the deciding factors What also played a role during this project was that we needed more storage space for our camera network anyway We handed over our existing storage capacity for this purpose allowing us to direct those funds toward the hyperconvergence project we purchased through a framework contract." it is important to consider the investment from a longer-term perspective our servers would need to be renewed one year That also meant various migrations each year Now we are opting for a single solution to cover it all No additional annual investments will be required and we won't need to spend all that time on preliminary research and costs and benefits start looking quite different than if you're looking purely at the investment costs." Pepijn Deneut also adds that the migration went very successfully and that the Inetum team is always prepared to provide the necessary support It is clear that the City of Wervik's ICT department is future-oriented It's no coincidence that Audit Vlaanderen praised this team for the redundancy of their ICT infrastructure Are you curious to see whether VxRail is the right solution for your environment We would like to offer you a free data center analysis using Dell EMC Live Optics This tool allows us to map out your current IT infrastructure We use its extensive analyses to better understand your environment optimize your IT investments and evaluate growth opportunities more easily you'll have the opportunity every day to grow your expertise and create digital impact quickly Parc Casanearshore Shore 28 Sidi Maârouf 20190 took a resounding victory in the Rally of Wervik The duo drove their Skoda Fabia RS Rally2 car in southwestern Belgium to a generous 52-second lead Perhaps even more important than the day's victory was the preparation for next week when the Ypres Rally is on the program the Rally of Wervik is used by many as preparation for that Belgian Rally Championship race Published on 15 June 2024 by Heidi De Love “It went super Jos commented after crossing the finish line first “The car felt very good and we easily achieved fast times We tried a lot and learned a lot.” With the changing weather conditions and similar course it was indeed a perfect opportunity to work on the car's setup for the Ypres Rally “Ypres obviously has a lot more stages and is a longer rally but it couldn’t be down to the material then.” Jos took an increasingly firm grip on the lead in the Wervik Rally The 52-year-old driver continued: “The first round was a bit more difficult because we hadn't driven here for a while It was slippery and you have to cut corners a lot The “12 Hours of Wervik” During the first round over the stages Geluwe Davy Vanneste and co-pilot Denis Squedin led the rankings by 7 seconds Jos won the first two stages and finished second on Kruiseke he had built an 8 count lead over Vanneste In the fourth and final round Jos achieved P2 Verstappen and Jamoul won the Rally of Wervik with a lead of no less than 52 seconds Follow Max on social media and keep informed A Belgian mayor is partially closing a border crossing with France ahead of the huge Euro 2024 knockout match between the countries on Monday Wervik, a town of about 18,000 people in west Flanders, will on Monday afternoon block the bridge connecting it to its French sister town allowing only pedestrians and cyclists to cross The measure is an attempt to avoid unruly French football fans driving into town and causing a ruckus “The French are much more chauvinistic than we are. We know from experience that after a French victory they like to provoke ‘les petits Belges’ again and tease them with their cars,” he said, according to Flemish public broadcaster VRT start honking and get out to dance in the streets We want to avoid triggering people to do stupid things,” he added He clarified that “the French can cross the bridge on foot or by bike” but predicted few would make the effort “And above all: they cannot honk,” he said The bridge will be blocked to cars at 5 p.m just before the start of the match between Belgium’s Red Devils and France’s Les Bleus France is tipped to win the showdown and sail through to the Euro 2024 quarterfinals When the teams met in the 2018 World Cup semifinal The mayor noted that the bridge was also closed to vehicles for that tense 2018 encounter The nationalist chief vociferously supports Donald Trump and Giorgia Meloni — and he leads the presidential race ahead of May 18’s critical second round “I urge both sides to show restraint,” the bloc’s foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas says after discussions with senior New Delhi and Islamabad officials Northern and Western Europe are the best places in the world to be a journalist The presidential election day is almost upon us Jos Verstappen Max Verstappen’s father is a former F1 driver and a winner of the 2008 24 Hours of Le Mans but did not fare so well, compared to his son, this past weekend. The 50-year-old revealed: “I drove the Rally of Wervik on Saturday You must cut corners a lot during such a rally That means that in most corners you end up in the grass with two wheels and then come back on the asphalt.  “The grooves in the grass get deeper and deeper This was the second time we raced there and there were 140 participants but once I got on the asphalt the car kind of lifted.  Max Verstappen (NLD) Red Bull Racing with his father Jos Verstappen “I then over-steered and drove into a ditch we hit a piece of sawn-off tree trunk at 130 kilometers per hour It will take a few weeks to repair the car this is the typical rally-experience and knowledge of the circuit For me it was the first time I drove there.  “A positive take away was that the new notes-system that we used worked very well And it clicks very well with my navigator Harm van Koppen.  “Because of the crash I did have time to watch Formula 1 on Saturday afternoon Jos Verstappen The F1 world champion is hungry to win a second championship Max Verstappen won in Baku ahead of Red Bull teammate Sergio Perez and Mercedes pair George Russell and Lewis Hamilton, while Ferrari duo Charles Leclerc and Carlos Sainz both failed to finish. “You could see Max was very motivated,” Jos said.  “That had of course to do with the previous race in Monaco but he doesn’t really let it get to him.  interviews and promotions from the paddock direct to your inbox For more information see our Privacy Policy © Crash Media Group Ltd 2025.The total or partial reproduction of text, photographs or illustrations is not permitted in any form. Rally van Wervik, based only a few miles from Ypres in the Flanders region of Belgium, was the pair’s first competitive run since they crashed out of the Transilvania Rally in early May. The event was an important opportunity for Lim to regain his competitive edge after the time out of the car, while gaining extra, vital experience on similar stages to those of he will face in Ypres later this month. With the fix completed Lim and Wydaeghe were able to show their true potential when they returned to the stages. Immediately the pair was setting top-ten times, putting them amongst the other R5 crews, including many other teams using the event as a warm-up for the Ypres weekend. Gaining confidence on each of the three-stage legs of the rally the Hyundai Motorsport crew were inside the top ten on all of the remaining stages, leaping up the overall order as they matched the more experienced crews. They completed the final stage only a second slower than the overall winner, a regular in the Belgian championship and another driver at the wheel of a New Generation i20 R5. The FIA World Rally Championship (WRC) is the undisputed pinnacle of the sport, where the world’s best drivers and their co-drivers vie for glory. Welcome to a behind-the-scenes tour of Hyundai Motorsport GmbH. Here you will find a short overview of our main departments. Established on 19 December 2012, Hyundai Motorsport GmbH (HMSG) is responsible for Hyundai’s global motorsport activities. Hyundai Motorsport GmbH (HMSG) is responsible for Hyundai’s global motorsport activities. This website is using a security service to protect itself from online attacks. The action you just performed triggered the security solution. There are several actions that could trigger this block including submitting a certain word or phrase, a SQL command or malformed data. You can email the site owner to let them know you were blocked. Please include what you were doing when this page came up and the Cloudflare Ray ID found at the bottom of this page. ​CategoriesCategoriesEnglishSPORTS, SOCIETYEuro 2024: Border roads to close ahead of Belgium’s clash with France30 June 2024 Roads linking France and Belgium will be closed on Monday during the France-Belgium match in the last 16 of Euro 2024 the mayors of 10 border towns have announced in a bid to prevent disorder between rival supporters “Barricades or checkpoints will be set up at various border crossings from 16.00 on Monday," the two Belgian and eight French mayors said in a joint statement They will be lifted “during the course of the night No mass public events will be organised in the public spaces of the towns concerned and bans on large gatherings will be imposed “The municipal authorities on both sides of the Leie river hope that the spirit and outcome of the match will be marked by the values of respect fair play and conviviality,” said the mayor of Comines-Warneton in Hainaut The other Belgian municipality affected is Wervik A bridge linking Wervik to its French neighbour will be closed to traffic from 17.00 on Monday until 6.00 on Tuesday The match kicks off at 18.00 in Düsseldorf It is the 76th meeting between the Red Devils and France with a place in the quarter-finals of Euro 2024 at stake Both teams won only once in the group stages of the competition Belgium must bounce back from two recent defeats by France Samuel Umtiti broke fans’ hearts in the 2018 World Cup semi-final in Russia with the winning goal in France's 1-0 victory Belgium threw away a 2-0 half-time lead in the Nations League semi-final to lose 3-2 They have never beaten France at the finals of a major tournament when they won 4-3 in a friendly at the Stade de France in Paris Their last victory in a competitive match dates back to September 1981 The flags of Belgium and France ahead of the Nations League match in Turin October 2021 © PHOTO MASSIMO RANA / POOL / AFP Copy linkGet updates in your mailboxYour email addressSubscribeBy clicking "Subscribe" I confirm I have read and agree to the Privacy Policy rapid and high-quality information 24 hours a day from Belgium and abroad to all Belgian media not to mention entertainment and lifestyle our journalists and press photographers produce hundreds of photos and news stories Since the end of March 2022 English has been added as a language businesses and various organisations that need reliable information Belga News Agency also offers a comprehensive range of corporate services to meet all their communication needs www.belganewsagency.eu The Irish Champion and the Kiwi join the Wolfpack until at least the end of 2021 Most successful team in the world for the eighth consecutive season Deceuninck – Quick-Step have signed sprinter Sam Bennett with the Irish National Champion joining the squad on a two-year deal He will be joined at the team by his good friend and lead-out man Shane Archbold 29-year-old Bennett was actually born in Wervik before his parents took him back to their native Ireland when he was four Sam’s talent on the bike was spotted by Vélo Club La Pomme where he began his path to a career in cycling that saw him turn professional in 2014 Since then he has built a reputation as on the of best sprinters around including 5 Grand Tour stages and the Irish National Championship who hails from Timaru on New Zealand’s South Island has carved out a reputation as one of the best lead-out men in the business forging a formidable partnership with Bennett The early part of his career was dominated by his work on the track which is perhaps where he honed his skill for negotiating a hectic peloton and saw him win a Commonwealth Gold Medal Since then moving to the road he has forged a successful partnership with Bennett that has seen him pilot the Irish man to many of his victories Bennett said: “I am delighted to get to sign with Deceuninck – Quick-Step the team I had a poster of on my wall when I was a kid I remember going to a race with An Post and seeing Quick-Step at races and I was intimidated by such a big team I never thought I would be good enough to sign for them so be able to say that I am riding for them is a dream come true and I can’t wait to get to work with the guys and starting working and racing with them It is a daunting task to race for this team having been with my previous team for so long and I feel refreshed It is fantastic to be having Shane here too I am delighted for him as he had a few years where he wasn’t getting opportunities To have a friend and a work colleague with him Shane said: “It is a childhood a dream for a lot of riders to join Deceuninck – Quick-Step It has been an up and down few years for me and to be able to join them is great for me and I am looking forward to being able to improve and race with what is regarded as the world’s best team me and Sam have had a good relationship since 2013 and it will be great to continue that We have grown as a pair since then and to be able to be part of the progress of a great friend is an honour.” Deceuninck – Quick-Step CEO Patrick Lefevere expressed his pleasure at Bennett’s arrival: “The protracted nature of Sam’s move has been well documented but I am delighted to have him on board His palmares alone speaks volumes about his talent and determination but he is also a great character and another leader to have around the team We all cannot wait to start working with him.” Lefevere was also full of praise for Archbold when added: “We know how important it is for a sprinter to have a lead-out man that he fully understands and has faith in While we have several excellent lead-out guys already here when it became clear that we could add Shane to our squad to help Sam He is extremely skillful at what he does and is rightly regarded as one of the best in the world.” to know how many times a particular page is read We only use this information to improve the content of our website These cookies are only placed after you have given your consent A nod to three decades of dance music influences The Cuban-American producer and DJ's third studio LP is something of a surprise release and was originally slated to land in February. Instead, fans can now grab a copy from today The title nods to the artist's three decade involvement in the electronic music community and industry, with early introductions around 1993 when he was in his mid-teens. In the years between then and now, Plex, real name Eric Estornel, has been associated with diverse styles, including his celebrate Mariel Ito electro alias A number of high profile collaborations feature including Perry Farrell of alternative rock icons Jane's Addiction an album performance film has also been unveiled featuring Maceo Plex and numerous collaborators and actors Stream/buy the album here Your browser is out of date and potentially vulnerable to security risks.We recommend switching to one of the following browsers: Get up-to-the-minute news sent straight to your device This is very much a “Don’t try this at home” article—or away from home a teenager decided to tempt fate and cross the tracks at the closed level crossing just as the train was approaching the lad made it through but clipped at the last second by the roaring train He fell and sustained minor injuries to his head He was promptly transported to the hospital but has since been discharged The incident was captured by closed-camera television cameras and Wervik’s mayor, Youro Casier, has confirmed the details “I was informed of the circumstances,” Casier stated “The cyclist ignored all signage: the bell signal He has put himself in a very dangerous situation The fact that he is only slightly injured is a blessing in disguise and that this can be an important lesson for everyone We must try to avoid such accidents as much as possible Every road user has their own responsibility It still happens too often that closed level crossings are ignored.” If you want to watch this incredibly irresponsible act Hopefully the young man learned something from his near-death he hasn’t watched the Final Destination films Get the digital edition of Canadian Cycling Magazine Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" The ad-free version is ready for purchase on iOS mobile app today we couldn't find that page";var n=e.querySelector("h2");return n&&n.remove(),{staticContent:e,title:t}},d=function(e){var t=document.createElement("button");return t.innerText=e,t.classList.add("error-page-button"),t},f=function(e){var t=document.createElement("div");t.id="recirculation-404",t.classList.add("brand-hint-bg");var n="\n \n \n \n \n \n '.concat(e,' Tick here if you would like us to send you the author’s response which in cycling circles means only one thing: it’s time for Opening Weekend – the annual curtain raiser to the cobbled classics campaign and will sharpen their elbows and become reacquainted with Flanders’ famous cobbled bergs at Omloop Het Nieuwsblad Still referred to by purists by its previous both names were derived from local newspapers) semi-classic Omloop features some of cycling’s most famous climbs on its menu – including the fabled Muur van Geraardsbergen – and usually acts as an appetite whetting amuse-bouche before the more prestigious action to come in April the men’s and women’s pelotons take on the somewhat less challenging but still pretty cobbly Kuurne-Brussels-Kuurne and Omloop van het Hageland and some of the most passionate (and drunk) fans anywhere in the cycling world > Flandriens, fries, and fighting for position: the beautiful brutality of the Tour of Flanders  Opening Weekend is sure to incite the same old ‘Put the Muur and Bosberg combo back in its rightful place at the Tour of Flanders’ (This one I can fully get behind.) Another of Opening Weekend’s sacred traditions was Tom Boonen’s annual attack on the Taaienberg and bumpy hill described by the three-time Tour of Flanders winner as “my climb” One of the greatest cobbled classics riders of all time Tommeke famously never actually tasted success at Omloop despite several close calls (and one embarrassing defeat to a heavily outnumbered Ian Stannard in 2015) manage to win the following day’s rendezvous in Kuurne three times leg warmers ditched at the side of the road and roared on by the frite-munching always marked cycling’s first sign of spring Such was Boonen’s intrinsic relationship with that particular hill – nicknamed a bronze statue of one of Flanders’ greatest sons was unveiled near its summit Trotse Tom Boonen onthult zijn standbeeld op zijn Taaienberg: "Afgietsel van mijn eigen benen, geen lachertje" https://t.co/5wLZFE9suo pic.twitter.com/wxGo2qtGgf — Sporza 🚴 (@sporza_koers) January 20, 2023 the peloton will have to wait another month to race past Belgium’s most famous set of pins immortalised in bronze with the Boonenberg missing from this year’s Omloop route unique statues of a sporting icon we’ve ever seen we decided to mark Opening Weekend by taking a brief tour of Belgium’s wonderful and street names dedicated to the country’s greatest two-wheeled heroes so we thought we’d limit our collection to some of the most eye-catching or unusual statues But they are the most famous legs in Belgium after all “It’s not your typical statue of an ex-pro,” Tommeke said of his unusual tribute To create the bronze casts for the ‘Boonen Beenen’ (the imaginatively titled ‘Boonen’s Legs’) the 42-year-old former world champion – who said last month that he’s considering a return to racing but on the gravel bike – had to stand on each leg for three hours Now that’s the level of commitment needed to become the joint-greatest Ronde rider of all time… And to puzzle any unsuspecting riders slogging up the Taaienberg What: A typical representation of the hard just caught off at the thighs for some reason how do you follow a statue of just a pair of legs By heading to a statue with barely any legs Jef Demuysere had a stellar career in the 1920s and 1930s finishing on the podium of the Tour de France and Giro d’Italia twice each while taking stage wins in both grand tours and winning the Tour’s mountains prize He was also a Belgian national cyclocross champion and won Milan-San Remo in 1934 an impressive feat given the Italian hegemony over La Primavera at the time unveiled in 2007 to mark the centenary of his birth in his hometown of Wervik captures the essence of both the era (note the goggles and the inner tube wrapped around the torso) and the hardworking Perhaps Jef and Tommeke could team up and create an unbeatable statue If anyone asked you to define Flemish cycling culture you could do a lot worse than pointing them to a picture of Briek Schotte A double winner of both the world championships and the Tour of Flanders and a second place finisher behind Gino Bartali at the brutal 1948 Tour de France Schotte was one of the great cyclists of the immediate post-war era he epitomised what Belgian cycling fans call ‘the Flandrien’ – barrel-chested face weather beaten (like the farmers who cheered him on at the roadsides) hammer-at-the-pedals riding style and a relentless attitude He also characterised the modesty at the heart of Flemish identity In Harry Pearson’s excellent exploration of cycling’s Flemish heartlands a local told the author that when his hometown of Kanegem decided to honour him with a statue but on two conditions: it must be no bigger than life size the first Belgian winner of the Tour de France What: Defraeye riding high over his 1912 Tour route As one of the first Flemish pioneers to win big outside Belgium’s borders it’s perhaps no surprise that Odiel Defraeye – the first Belgian winner of the Tour de France in 1912 (who also triumphed at Milan-San Remo the following year) – is memorialised with a statue which also includes Unveiled in 2012 to mark 100 years since his ground-breaking Tour victory Defraeye’s statue in Roeselare also allows visitors the opportunity to ruminate on the Tour organisers’ border-skirting route plans a century ago Can you imagine if Twitter existed back then What: A cycling variation on ‘Le Passe-muraille’ Another Belgian winner of the Tour de France Lucien Buysse dominated the 1926 edition of the Grande Boucle – at 5,745 kilometres the longest in the race’s history – despite receiving the devastating news that his daughter had died during the event Though he lived his whole life in East Flanders Buysse excelled on the climbs of Wallonia and France But that didn’t stop those commemorating his achievements from depicting him in the true Flandrien style: emerging from rock Befitting one of the very few riders to transcend Belgium’s often fierce linguistic and cultural divide it’s perhaps no surprise that Eddy Merckx has been memorialised by a host of statues in both Flanders and Wallonia This rather unusual tribute (I suppose art is subjective) was unveiled in 1993 in Stavelot one of the defining climbs of Liège-Bastogne-Liège a classic won by the Cannibal five times during his staggering career this statue – in the Flemish Brabant municipality of Tielt-Winge (which also hosts the finish of Omloop van het Hageland) – depicts Merckx carrying the hopes of Belgium on his shoulders and forms the centre of a 30km cycling route around the area this one in Wolvertem captures the feelings of those riders tasked with keeping up with the Cannibal – he’s everywhere… there are almost 200 tributes to cycling legends around Belgium so let us know if we missed any particularly noteworthy ones out And then maybe we’ll put together a part two in time for the Tour of Flanders complete with joint-Ronde record holder Achiel Buysse’s ‘rake for a head’ scrap metal memorial in Wetteren while also tackling the mystery surrounding the removal of legendary classics rider – but divisive personality – Rik van Steenbergen’s statue in Waregem and enjoy the return of the cobbled classics… please consider subscribing to the site to support us directly As a subscriber you can read road.cc ad-free The revenue from adverts helps to fund our site then please consider subscribing to road.cc from as little as £1.99 Our mission is to bring you all the news that’s relevant to you as a cyclist and hosting a history podcast at Queen’s University Belfast Ryan joined road.cc in December 2021 and since then has kept the site’s readers and listeners informed and enthralled (well at least occasionally) on news After boarding a wrong bus at the world championships and ruining a good pair of jeans at the cyclocross he now serves as road.cc’s senior news writer he wallowed in the equally pitiless world of academia where he wrote a book about Victorian politics and droned on about cycling and bikes to classes of bored students (while taking every chance he could get to talk about cycling in print or on the radio) He can be found riding his bike very slowly around the narrow "Iron" Briek Schotte is responsible for one of my favourite quotes (in Harry Pearson's excellent "The Beast road.cc's audience Report an advert on road.cc Privacy policy Subscribe All material © Farrelly Atkinson (F-At) Limited, Unit 7b Green Park Station BA11JB. Tel 01225 588855. © 2008–present unless otherwise stated. Terms and conditions of use According to figures from the latest Notary Barometer the price of real estate in Flanders continues to rise the general economic climate and a rise in mortgage interest rates has meant that during the past year far fewer houses and flats were sold in our region Notary Bart Van Opstal says that “the rush on real estate that began post-corona has reached its end.” At 16.9% the fall in the number of real estate transactions was most pronounced in Flanders in Brussels and Wallonia the number of real estate transactions was down 12% Last year the number of houses and flats sold in West Flanders fell by 18.4% The fall in the number of real estate transactions was 17.5% in East Flanders 16.6% in Antwerp Province and 16.8% in Limburg Flemish Brabant saw the smallest fall in the number of houses and flats sold There the number of real estate transactions in 2023 was down 14.6% on the figures for 2022 House prices up in all 5 Flemish provinces The average price of a house rose in all 5 Flemish provinces in 2023 Leuven is the most expensive provincial capital for those wishing to buy a house Flemish Brabant (of which Leuven is the capital) is also the most expensive province Last year the average price of a house in Flemish Brabant was 420,129 euro The cheapest houses are to be found in the east of the province The highest average house prices are to be found in Overijse In 2023 Hasselt was the provincial capital with the lowest average house price average house prices in Limburg as a whole rose by 3.9% In 2023 a house in Limburg province cost an average of 307.935 euro Heers en Dilsen-Stokkem are the Limburg municipalities with the lowest average house prices The most espensive houses are to be found in Diepenbeek Last year the average price of a house in East Flanders was 342,717 euro The cheapest houses are to be found in  Ronse Eeklo and Lierde The most expnsive East Flemish municipalities when it comes to houses are Nazareth House prices in West Flanders rose by an average of 2.2% in 2023 On average a house in west Flanders costs 322,070 euro Izegem and Staden are the cheapest municipalities when it comes to house prices Koksijde and Knokke-Heist are the most expensive In Antwerp Province the average price of a house rose by 1.8% in 2023 A house in Antwerp Province costs an average of 384,921 euro Niel Turnhout and Mol are the cheapest places in the province when it comes to house prices Hove and Schilde are the most expensive places in the province for those wishing to buy a house Flat prices up everywhere except Flemish Brabant Ghent is the most expensive provincial capital for those wishing to buy a flat In Ghent a flat costs an average of 310,624 euro This is more or less (-0.1%) the same as it was a year ago In East Flanders as a whole the average price of a flat rose by 3.8% to 278,218 euro last year At 4.9% Limburg is the province that has seen the sharpest rise in average flat prices In 2023 buyers paid an average of 245,922 euro for a flat in Limburg province Hasselt is the cheapest provincial capital for flat buyers In West Flanders a flat costs an average of 296,989 euro The cheapest flats are to be found in Kuurne Oostkamp and Knokke-Heist are the municipalities with the highest average prices for a flat In Antwerp Province average flat prices rose by 3% last year to 265.596 euro Retie and Borsbeek are the municipalities with the lowest average prices Brecht and Hove are the places where the average price of a flat is highest The only province in Flanders where average flat prices fell in 2023 is Flemish Brabant The average price of a flat in the province fell by 1% to 284,885 Striking is the 6.8% fall in the average price of a flat in the provincial capital Leuven 11-year-old Seppe Van Loo of Wervik (West Flanders) has received a condolence letter from Britain's Queen Elizabeth He received the letter after his grandfather died in a tragic accident last year Seppe is Belgium's youngest standard-bearer at remembrance ceremonies for the First and Second World War when a car driver became unwell behind the wheel after which his car ended up in a group of war veterans one of whom was 87-year-old Achiel Van Loo close to the city of Kortrijk in West Flanders The tragic death of his grandfather hit Seppe hard He had become a standard-bearer via his grandfather and used to join him on various occasions involving World War ceremonies "You have to know that the British ambassador is often attending these ceremonies" "This is why Seppe decided to send a letter to the Belgian and British court which included an In Memoriam card of his grandfather." Seppe recently received an answer from Britain "He protects the letter like the most precious thing