Before 1978, this section of Lattenklieversstraat (part of the bridge up to Smissestraat) was called "Dorpstraat" (Village Street). This name was first used in the 1844 Atlas of Local Roads. Before that, the street was called "Groote Herbaene van Ghendt op Brugge" (Great Herbaene of Ghent on Bruges).
This section of Sint-Joris, between the Pelderijn and the church, is actually the village center. Most of the cafés and the parish hall (now a community hall) were always located here.
The Sinjo Hall was built in the mid-1970s by the Sint-Joris parish. The parish raised funds, partly by approaching various local traders and businesses. There was a need for a parish function hall and associated meeting rooms. The "patronaatszaal" (which stood opposite Café 't Klievertje, where the parking lot is now) was demolished in 1973 to make way for a new parsonage (the church building) to be built on that site. In the 1908 black-and-white photo with Café Gemeentehuis on the left, you can see the patronaatszaal across the street. In mid-2013, the municipality of Beernem took over the operation of the Sinjo hall, which carried out a thorough renovation. The renovated Sinjo hall officially opened in 2016.
Besides a banquet hall, there were also pubs in the area. Running an inn must have been a profitable sideline in those days. Shortly before and after the First World War, there were more than 50 pubs in St-Joris! Many of them were concentrated in this section of Dorpsstraat. From the intersection of Maria-Aaltersesteenweg and Smissestraat to the bridge (including Kerkstraat), there were 18 cafés. One inn was adjacent to the other. They were primarily gathering places for those who came for a drink after high mass, and they were also the only place outside the conspicuous control of the clergy. For a long time, wages were also paid there. Workers worked from early Monday to late Saturday, 10 to 12 hours a day.
Now you can still find Café Pico-Bello (although closed, Lattenklieversstraat 19) and Café ’t Klievertje (Lattenklieversstraat 18) in this neighborhood.
For many years, Café Pico-Bello was run as Café Sportief. At that time, it was primarily a football club, but it also housed the bowling club. In the 1990s, the café's name changed to Pico-Bello. Marcella De Rycke was the café's last owner.
Café 't Klievertje boasts a long, rich history. In 1928, the café, then called Café Oud Gemeentehuis (Old Town Hall), was owned by the Arthur and Bertha Mortier-Hoste family. They ran the café until 1956. It was probably the first food court in Sint-Joris, providing hot meals to the numerous commercial travelers who visited. The café was sold to brewer Arthur Langouche, who owns the café to this day. Over the years, the café was rented out to various owners. In 1956, Usmar Stock and his wife Lucrèse Croene moved into the café, which at the time housed both the pigeon club Nu of Nooit and several billiard clubs. They were also known for their fine, tasty cuisine. Most weddings and funerals were held there. In 1975 the name of the café changed to ‘de Trapkes Op’, and in the 1990s the café was given the name Zorro.
Translated by Google •
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