Aarsele

The earliest written reference to Aarsele dates from 1038 when it appears as Arcela, a Germanic word joining arda (= meadow) and sali (= chamber, house).

Some fiefdoms also belonged to ecclesiastical orders including the abbeys of Lobbes and of Baudelo and Saint-Baafs in Ghent.

In 1568, the son of Jan van Egmont, Lamoral, was decapitated on orders from Philip II of Spain in Brussels.

Saint Martins Church is a nationally registered structure, with an interesting interior, a pulpit dating from about 1200 and splendid glass windows.

Nearby is Hooge Crater, site of a former village destroyed during World War I and a memorial to fallen soldiers who died in the area.