Duffel () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

in the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises only the town of Duffel proper. On 1 January 2020, Duffel had a total population of 17,664. The total area is 22.71 km² which gives a population density of 778 inhabitants per km². The area is namegiver to a certain type of coarse woolen cloth manufactured in this area from the 11th century, mainly used to make blankets, outdoor (army) coats and tot bags. Duffel again became a household name during and after World War II, in the meaning of a certain coat, designed with toggle-and-tow fastening and large hood. The etymology of Duffel is from "dubro" and "locus", from the

Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, most of Switze ...

''dubrum'', ''dubron'' – "water". In 1836, the

Duffel railway station Duffel is a railway station in the town of Duffel, Antwerp, Belgium. The station opened on 16 June 1836 on the Lines 25 and 27. The train services are operated by National Railway Company of Belgium french: Société nationale des chemins ...

opened on the Brussels-North to Antwerp railway line.

Duffel cloth

The town gives its name to a certain type of heavy

wool Wool is the textile fibre obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have properties similar to animal wool. ...

en cloth generally used to make blankets, overcoats, especially for the armed forces, and a certain type of luggage bag. In the middle ages, an important part of the region's industry was the manufacturing of so called ''Flemish laken'' (a

broadcloth Broadcloth is a dense, plain woven cloth, historically made of wool. The defining characteristic of broadcloth is not its finished width but the fact that it was woven much wider (typically 50 to 75% wider than its finished width) and then he ...

), the cloth produced in Duffel was a thicker variation. Skills and know-how of the manufacturing process have been brought to England by Flemish emigrants from the 1500s. The name for the cloth was so well known, that a certain type of overcoat made from the 19th century on from cloth manufactured in England, got the name

Duffel coat A duffel coat (also duffle coat) is a coat made from duffel cloth, designed with toggle-and-rope fastenings, patched pockets and a large hood. The name derives from Duffel, a town in the province of Antwerp in Belgium where the manufacturing pro ...

Notable natives

Jan Van Der Roost Jan Van der Roost (born Duffel, 1956) is a Belgian composer. Van der Roost was educated at the Lemmensinstituut in Leuven (1974-1979), and followed further studies at the Royal Conservatory in Ghent and the Royal Flemish Conservatory in Antwerp. ...

, composer *

Kevin De Weert Kevin De Weert (born 27 May 1982 in Duffel) is a former Belgian professional road bicycle racer. In October 2014 it was announced would join on a two-year deal from 2015, with the team's directeur sportif Nico Verhoeven describing his role as a ...

, cyclist *

Andreas Pereira Andreas Hugo Hoelgebaum Pereira (born 1 January 1996) is a professional footballer who plays as a attacking midfielder for Premier League club Fulham. Born in Duffel, Belgium, he began his youth career with nearby club Lommel. At the age of nin ...

, footballer *

Metejoor Joris Van Rossem (born 4 January 1991), known artistically as Metejoor, is a Belgian pop singer who sings in Dutch. He topped the Ultratop charts in Flanders with the singles "1 op een miljoen" and "Dit is wat mijn mama zei", from his self-titled ...

, singer *

Cornelis Kiliaan Cornelis Kiliaan (1528, Duffel – 1607, Antwerp), was a 16th-century lexicographer, linguist, translator and poet of the Southern Netherlands. Biography He was born in Duffel between 1528 and 1530. His parents, Anna and Hendrick van Kiele Re ...

(1528–1607), lexicographer and poet *

Hendrik Hondius I Hendrik Hondius I (born Hendrik de Hondt; 9 June 1573 – ) was a Flemish-born and trained engraver, cartographer, and publisher who settled in the Dutch Republic in 1597. Life He was born as the son of Guillam (Willem) de Hondt, a philo ...

(1573–1650), engraver, cartographer and publisher *

Rocky Bushiri Rocky Bushiri Kisonga (born 30 November 1999) is a Belgian professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for Scottish Premiership side Hibernian. He has previously played for K.V. Oostende and Norwich City, spending almost the entirety o ...

, footballer for Hibernian FC

Climate

Gallery

File:Fort van Duffel - panoramio.jpg, Fort van Duffel File:Parochiekerk Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van de Goede Wil te Duffel.jpg, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van de Goede Wil church File:Convent van Betlehem.jpg, Betlehem Convent File:Kerkstraat 28, Duffel.jpg, Pub in Duffel

References

External links