Zottegem

Zottegem (, Sotteghem and Sottegem in older English and French language sources) is a municipality located in Belgium and more particularly in Flanders, in the province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the town of Zottegem proper and the villages of Elene, Erwetegem, Godveerdegem, Grotenberge, Leeuwergem, Oombergen, Sint-Goriks-Oudenhove, Sint-Maria-Oudenhove, Strijpen and Velzeke-Ruddershove. On January 1, 2018, Zottegem had a total population of 26,373. The total area is 56.66 km² which gives a population density of 470 inhabitants per km².
Zottegem is part of the hilly geographical area of the Flemish Ardennes ("Vlaamse Ardennen"); the hills and cobblestone streets (Paddestraat) are regular locations in the springtime cycle classics of Flanders. The city is known for its ties with Lamoral, Count of Egmont; Lamoral has a castle ("Egmontkasteel"), a museum ("Egmontkamer") and two statues in the centre of Zottegem. He is buried in a crypt ("Egmontcrypte") under the church. Leeuwergem castle in Elene is an 18th-century stately home; Breivelde castle in Grotenberge is surrounded by an English landscape garden. The archaeological museum in Velzeke exhibits findings from Gallo-Roman culture.