Berendrecht () is a neighbourhood and former village in

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''Roman province, provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. Its name means "

dike Dyke (UK) or dike (US) may refer to: General uses * Dyke (slang), a slang word meaning "lesbian" * Dike (geology), a subvertical sheet-like intrusion of magma or sediment * Dike (mythology), ''Dikē'', the Greek goddess of moral justice * Dikes, ...

of the

bear Bears are carnivoran mammals of the family Ursidae. They are classified as caniforms, or doglike carnivorans. Although only eight species of bears are extant, they are widespread, appearing in a wide variety of habitats throughout the Nor ...

", according to the area's dialect, or "dike of a man called Bear", or "passage by the marsh". But ''drecht'' or ''tricht'' means "ferry" or "crossing" (from

Latin Latin (, or , ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally a dialect spoken in the lower Tiber area (then known as Latium) around present-day Rome, but through the power of the ...

''trajectus''), and ''ber'' or ''bere'' in

Indo-European The Indo-European languages are a language family native to the overwhelming majority of Europe, the Iranian plateau, and the northern Indian subcontinent. Some European languages of this family, English, French, Portuguese, Russian, Dutch ...

means "

dam A dam is a barrier that stops or restricts the flow of surface water or underground streams. Reservoirs created by dams not only suppress floods but also provide water for activities such as irrigation, human consumption, industrial use, a ...

", "defence against water" (compare Slavic East Germany): the resulting meaning is "river crossing at a dam". The

Berendrecht Lock The Berendrecht Lock is the world's second largest lock, providing access to the right-bank docks of the Port of Antwerp in Belgium. Background Post World War II, work started on the ''Grote Doorsteek'', an ambitious plan which ultimately result ...

is the world's largest

lock Lock(s) may refer to: Common meanings *Lock and key, a mechanical device used to secure items of importance *Lock (water navigation), a device for boats to transit between different levels of water, as in a canal Arts and entertainment * ''Lock ...

, giving entrance to the

Port of Antwerp The Port of Antwerp-Bruges is the port of the City of Antwerp. It is located in Flanders (Belgium), mainly in the province of Antwerp but also partially in the province of East Flanders. It is a seaport in the heart of Europe accessible to ...

History

Berendrecht is an old parish which was already referred to in 1184 and in 1212 as a property of Godfried van Schoten, lord of Breda. The history of Berendrecht will always remain closely linked with the fight against water. For many years dike builders has fought with primitive resources to protect the inhabitants against the violence of water. The village was overflowed repeatedly and devastated partially, among other things during the 13th, 14th, 16th and 17th century. In 1328 Berendrecht was devoured by water, and was moved to higher land which was ceded by the municipality

Zandvliet Zandvliet () is a former Belgian town forming part of the Antwerp district of Berendrecht-Zandvliet-Lillo. The place dates back to 1135 when it was known as ''Santflit'', meaning "a navigable passage through sand". In 1622 the Spaniard Ambrog ...

. The village was flooded again in February 1953, hopefully for the last time. The village suffered much from foreign armies and lay often in the direct line of fire during the fight between the northern

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

and the

Spaniards Spaniards, or Spanish people, are a Romance peoples, Romance ethnic group native to Spain. Within Spain, there are a number of National and regional identity in Spain, national and regional ethnic identities that reflect the country's complex Hist ...

. Both of these warring parties frequently used the tactic of strategic flooding to attack

Fort Lillo Fort Lillo is a former military fort built as part of the Antwerp Defence Line on the right bank of the Schelde, and completely surrounded by the industrial port of Antwerp. History Built between 1579–82 on the orders of William the Silent to ...

, and the fort De Frederik which in the meantime disappeared, and the reinforced blockhouse Zandvliet to force dispossession. The population was subject to the always changing warring parties for foreign armies. In the 15th centuries the Monnikenhof was founded, a dwelling with courtyards and ponds, splendid for that time. It belonged to the abbots and lords of the Sint-Michielsabdij of

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

. The Monnikenhof was located at the current district of Viswater. In 1958, Berendrecht and

and Lillo were joined at

Antwerp Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504,

and the

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains s ...

landscape was mainly expropriated for the port extension.

References

{{Reflist Geography of Antwerp Populated places in Antwerp Province