Editing Laarne (section)

==History==
The village lies to the east of [[Ghent]], near a former course of the River the [[Scheldt]] and is notable for its castle. The castle dates from the twelfth and later centuries, notably, the seventeenth, and has been sympathetically restored and re-furnished.

The name arises from the Germanic ''hlaeri'' which signifies terrain seen as [[Swamp|wooded and marshy]]. It is possible to speculate that the village originated in serving the castle, which in turn, guarded the river approach to Ghent from the sea. In the twelfth century, the river was less remote from the city than it is today. In 1040, Laarne was mentioned as ''Laren''.

The lordship passed by inheritance through the families of Schoutheete, Van Vilsteren and others, finally to the counts of Ribaucourt. The castle is now owned by the ''Vereniging van Historische Woonsteden van België'' (the Union of Historic Homesteads of Belgium).