Heist-op-den-Berg () is a municipality located in the Belgian province 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 municipality comprises Heist-op-den-Berg proper (including the hamlets:

Heist-Goor Heist-Goor (also: ''Goor''; ) is a village of Heist-op-den-Berg, that is situated in the south of the province of Antwerp (Flanders, Belgium). In the old days there was a swamp on this location (''goor'' is an old Dutch word for swamp). Building ...

, Heist-Station, Zonderschot, Heist-Centrum and Bruggeneinde), the villages of (including the hamlet Pijpelheide), , , and .

History

The 48-meter-high hill on which Heist would later be built (hence the adjunct name ''op-den-Berg'' meaning "on the hill") was formed during the early part of the Ice age. As can be appreciated from the artifacts shown at the regional museum on the city's main square, this area was already populated in

prehistoric Prehistory, also known as pre-literary history, is the period of human history between the use of the first stone tools by hominins 3.3 million years ago and the beginning of recorded history with the invention of writing systems. The use of ...

times. Soon after the Romans yielded this land to the invading Germanic peoples in the 3rd and 4th century, Christianization followed. The village of Itegem, located right on the

Nete River The Nete (; french: Nèthe, ) is a river in northern Belgium, right tributary of the Rupel. It flows through the Belgian province of Antwerp. It is formed in Lier, at the confluence of the rivers Grote Nete and Kleine Nete. It flows through ...

, was most likely the first hamlet to be founded, as suggested by a document dating from 976. Chapels in Hallaar and Itegem were built in the 12th century. This century also marked the beginnings of the Duchy of Brabant, of which this whole area was a part. Around the year 1200, a military fort was built at the current location of the ''Ter Laken'' castle, on Booischot's territory. Schriek, which was founded in 1125, got its own chapel in 1260 while the main church at Heist was built in 1340. These two religious buildings were heavily damaged during the wars of religion around 1600. During most of the Middle Ages, agriculture was driving the economy and several huge farming domains were built, some of which still subsist today (e.g., ''Wimpelhoeve'' in Wiekevorst, traces of which date from the 12th century, and ''Pandoerenhoeve'' in Schriek, dating from 1624). During the 17th and 18th century, the miraculous wooden statue of the Virgin and Child in the Hallaar church became an object of pilgrimage. The current city hall was built in 1844, fourteen years after the foundation of Belgium as an independent country. Today, the city is mostly a residential centre, which offers services to the surrounding communities.

Events

* Heistse Pijl, cycling race *Heist-op-den-Berg is well known for its Sunday morning

flea market A flea market (or swap meet) is a type of street market that provides space for vendors to sell previously-owned (second-hand) goods. This type of market is often seasonal. However, in recent years there has been the development of 'formal' ...

Sights

*The historical heart of the city is the church square (''Kerkplein''), where one of the city's many old water

pump A pump is a device that moves fluids (liquids or gases), or sometimes slurries, by mechanical action, typically converted from electrical energy into hydraulic energy. Pumps can be classified into three major groups according to the method they u ...

s can be seen, and where a train museum (''Treinmuseum'') and a regional farming museum (''Heemmuseum'') can be visited. *An old windmill, the last one in the

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

area, churches and chapels, and farms, many with their original water pumps, dot the landscape around the city. *Heist-op-den-Berg (especially Itegem) also houses several castles, most of which are privately owned and therefore not open to the public.

Notable residents

Ivo van Hove Ivo van Hove (born 28 October 1958) is a Belgian theatre director known as the artistic director of Toneelgroep Amsterdam in the Netherlands and for his Off-Broadway avant-garde experimental theatre productions. On Broadway, he has directed rev ...

, theatre director * Rik Torfs, Rector of the

Katholieke Universiteit Leuven KU Leuven (or Katholieke Universiteit Leuven) is a Catholic research university in the city of Leuven, Belgium. It conducts teaching, research, and services in computer science, engineering, natural sciences, theology, humanities, medicine, l ...

Silvy De Bie Silvy De Bie (born 4 January 1981), also known as Sil (stylised as SIL) or Silvy Melody is a Belgian singer. She was previously a vocalist for the dance band Sylver. Career Silvy was born in Heist-op-den-Berg, and became a Flanders child star ...

, singer (b. 1981) * Leo Laurens (born 1952), former professional darts player * Paul Michiels, singer and songwriter (b. 1948) * Filip Verlinden (born 1982), kickboxer *

Anak Verhoeven Anak Verhoeven (born 15 July 1996) is a Belgian sport climber. Since 2013, she has repeatedly won the Belgian National Championship in lead climbing. In 2016, she ranked first on the IFSC World Ranking List. In 2017, she won both the World Ga ...

, (born 1996), rock climber

References

External links