Kruibeke

Kruibeke (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈkrœy̯beːkə]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Bazel, Kruibeke proper and Rupelmonde. On January 1, 2006, Kruibeke had a total population of 15,216. The total area is 33.42 km² which gives a population density of 455 inhabitants per km².

The oldest secular centre of the area is the feudal castle of Wissekerke at Bazel, which was inhabited by the ancient family Vilain until 1989.

In March 2003, the mayor at that time Antoine Denert set up the Department of Tenderness to encourage residents to be nicer to each other. Denert worried that "people don't cuddle anymore and that's the reason why there are so many conflicts." and announced: "I will set an example and start in my own village by caressing, cuddling and kissing as many people as possible." He officially added Tenderness to his alderman portfolio of duties, until then Work, Environment and Budget. As of August 26, 2004, no other civic governments have adopted this idea.