Oostakker

Oostakker (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈoːstˌɑkər] ⓘ; formerly spelled Oostacker) is a sub-municipality of the city of Ghent located in the province of East Flanders, Flemish Region, Belgium.

In 1900, 1920 and 1927, parts of the original municipality were already annexed to Ghent.

[1] On 1 January 1977, the municipality of Oostakker was merged into Ghent.

The miraculous shrine of the Blessed Virgin is a place of pilgrimage from Belgium, the Netherlands and Northern France.

[3] It was first opened to the local peasants on Sundays, but comparatively quickly it became very popular with a large Gothic church starting to be built in 1877.