Oudenaarde
A Scheldt town with a late-Gothic town hall, a tapestry collection and the Tour of Flanders museum.
Updated 18 October 2026
Oudenaarde was a tapestry town from the fifteenth century, producing verdure hangings of foliage and hunting scenes that were exported across Europe, and the town museum in the town hall holds a substantial collection along with the story of the trade. The town hall itself is the sight: a late-Gothic building of 1526 by Hendrik van Pede with an elaborate openwork tower topped by a gilded figure, and it holds a belfry listed among the Belgian belfries. The town sits on the Scheldt in the Flemish Ardennes, the hilly cobbled country that the Tour of Flanders cycle race crosses, and the Centrum Ronde van Vlaanderen covers that race and its climbs, which is why the town fills with cyclists at weekends.
History
In 974 Emperor Otto II built a frontier fort on the Scheldt at Ename, which grew fast into the largest town of Lotharingia by 1005, until it was taken in 1034, and in 1062 Count Baldwin V and his wife founded the abbey of Saint Salvator there, while merchants crossed the river to the new town of Oudenaarde. Cloth and tapestry made Oudenaarde prosper from the 11th century, it stayed loyal to the counts of Flanders, and it built its town hall in 1526-1537; Charles V spent some months here in 1522 and fathered Margaret of Parma, later Regent of the Netherlands, and the town became a centre of tapestry, especially in the 16th century, until Alexander Farnese took it after a long siege in 1582 and many of its people fled (Wikipedia, Oudenaarde).
The main sights
- The 1526 town hall - late-Gothic with an openwork tower.
- Oudenaarde tapestries - the verdure hangings the town exported.
- The Tour of Flanders centre - the race and its cobbled climbs.
- The Flemish Ardennes - hilly cobbled country around the town.
When to go
April to October. Half a day. The Tour of Flanders runs on the first Sunday of April and fills the region completely. Museums close on Mondays. Weekends bring cyclists in numbers.
Things to know
It is small and half a day covers it. Race weekend is chaotic and accommodation is impossible. Museums are modest. Interpretation is largely in Dutch. The cycling focus dominates and does not interest everyone.
Nearby
The Muur van Geraardsbergen is east; Ghent lies north.
Key facts
Source: Wikidata, item Q12992, read on 18 October 2026.
What to pack for Oudenaarde
Chosen from what this place is for. Tap a kit for the full checklist.
- Padded shorts - The one thing that makes a full day in the saddle bearable. Find on Amazon
- Comfortable walking shoes - Sightseeing means kilometres of pavement and cobbles daily. Find on Amazon
- Helmet - Bring your own if you have a good one; rentals vary wildly. Find on Amazon
- A slim anti-theft daypack - Zips that close properly; keep it in front in crowds and on transit. Find on Amazon
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