Broechem is a part of the municipality of

Ranst Ranst () is a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Broechem (townhall), , Oelegem, and Ranst (postoffice) proper. In 2021, Ranst had a total population of 19,249. The total area is . Notable pe ...

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,

Flemish Region The Flemish Region ( nl, Vlaams Gewest, ),; german: Flämische Region usually simply referred to as Flanders ( nl, link=no, Vlaanderen ) ; german: link=no, Flandern is one of the three regions of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and t ...

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 ...

. The village is located on the highest point of the region.

Toponymy

The town's name is derived from the Old Dutch "broek" (wetland) and "heem" (house, building). The compound name "Broekhem" then transposed into "Broechem", the name it bears today.

History

The village was first mentioned as Polypticon in 868 or 869. The village was part of the abbey of Tongerlo. In 1542, the village was plundered and set on fire by the troops of

Maarten van Rossum Maarten van Rossum (c. 1478 – June 7, 1555) was a military tactician of the duchy of Guelders who became field marshal in the service of Charles, Duke of Guelders. He was greatly feared outside his home country for the ruthless manner in ...

. Between 1909 and 1912, the Fortress of Broechem was constructed, and was the scene of heavy fighting in the Siege of Antwerp during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...

. Broechem was an agricultural village with many orchards. In 1977, the municipality was merged into Ranst.

Attractions

The oldest part of the

Bossenstein Castle Bossenstein Castle is a château in the village of Broechem, Flemish Region, Belgium, which is a part of the municipality of Ranst. History The castle was first mentioned in 1346 owned by Joannes van den Bossche who gave his name to the castle ...

is the

keep A keep (from the Middle English ''kype'') is a type of fortified tower built within castles during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars have debated the scope of the word ''keep'', but usually consider it to refer to large towers in c ...

which dates from the 14th century. The castle used to be owned by the Van Berchem family. In 1655, the castle was extended. In 1906, the Bossenstein Castle was extensively restored. Nowadays it is owned by a golf and polo club.

Notable people

Jürgen Cavens Jürgen Cavens (born 19 August 1978 in Broechem) is a Belgian retired footballer. He is also a former Belgian international. Honours Club ;Lierse * Belgian First Division A: 1996–97 * Belgian Cup: 1998–99 Belgian Cup, 1998–99 * Belgian ...

(1978), football player. * Tuur Dierckx (1995), football player.

References

External links

* Populated places in Antwerp Province Ranst {{Antwerp-geo-stub