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Historische schets
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De Zebrastraat te Gent.
Een Sociaal Huisvestingsproject van voor W.O.I
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The Zebra-Street in Ghent.
A Prewar (Worldwar I) Social Housing Project
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Van de Steene Luc. Juni 1983
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The quarter of the former Muinkmeersen
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Geographically, this was an uncultivated and marshy area between the Upper and the Old river Scheldt, situated inside the 16th century town walls. Until 1796 it belonged to the Saint-Peter’s Abbey. Through this area the railway connection Ghent-Mechelen - one of the first railway-lines built by the State - was built in 1837 (before 1842 when exploitation of railway-lines passed fresh statutory enactments). This railway-line had its terminus at the South-Station, where King Albert Park is situated nowadays (abolishment of the railway-station in 1928).
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In the northern part of this area, a zoological garden was constructed in 1851, round which a typical bourgeois quarter began to develop. It was only between 1869 and 1882 that the first plans were made for the southern part of the Meersen. That led to the sanitating away of a few workman’s houses and to the extension of the bourgeois quarter.
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At the fulfilment of such a plan (1904) the Old river Scheldt was filled up and the Tentoonstellings-Avenue, the Tijger-Street, The Zebra-Street and the lenghtened part of the Leeuwen-Street ware construced, by which a circular crossing aros.
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In addition to bourgeois houses the discussed social dwellings were built in the Zebra-Street (1907 based on Ch. Van Rysselberghe’s design), “a remarkable realization of social housing at the beginning of the 20th century".
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“Already in 1904 the Ghent zoological gardens were abolished and the site was cut up into lots (1905-1906) and intersected by serveral streets. The Muink Avenue was ruled off and provided with rich citizen’s houses with front gardens. In the middle of this part, workman’s houses were also planned (Alpaca-Street, Langhals-Street 1906). In 1928 the South-Station was abolished and substituted by King Albert Park.”
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The environment of the Meersen at the beginning of the 20th century
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Especially the area at the other side of the park is meant here.
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The Lower river Scheldt got a different outlook in 1752 through the digging of the Visserij, running parallel to the Lower river Scheldt.
The small strip that arose in this way, got an industrial character, promoted by a bourgeois quarter along the Lousberg Quai and the Visserij.
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The present situation of this area, the Muinkmeersen
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That residential district doesn’t have, up to now, any or just a few problems. There is no depopulation and there are few unhabited houses.
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From the examination of the standard deviation on the other hand, it seems that this area has a much higher density of population than the average in Ghent. There are more better-class people and individuals living in the sector of the zoological gardens. Up to the present moment, the good housing situation round the zoological gardens has obstructed peculation s well as decay.
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