Ezaart is one of the 12 townships in the municipality Mol in

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 ...

. It had 3332 inhabitants (31 December 2013). The township also includes "Hessie" which was formerly part of Millegem and therefore

Geel Geel () is a city located in the Belgian province of Antwerp, which acquired city status in the 1980s. It comprises Central-Geel which is constituted of 4 old parishes a/o towns: Sint-Amand, Sint-Dimpna, Holven and Elsum. Further on around the cen ...

Toponymy

The name Ezaart derives from Esaert as it was written a long time ago. The word Esaert contains two words: ''es'' and ''aert''. Es is an old Dutch word for shrub and aert for a lowland. There is also another explanation. It is said there once was a farmer travelling between Mol and

. He had a stubborn donkey which would not move anymore. The farmer got some help from local people and they pushed and pulled the donkey to get him to move. However, they pulled so strong on the animal's tail, it broke off. This incident should have taken place in front of the little chapel "Mary in need". In this opinion, Ezaart derives from the Dutch words "ezel" ''(= Donkey)'' and "staart" ''(= tail)''. A sculpture has been placed before the chapel to remember the incident, although it is most probably an

urban legend An urban legend (sometimes contemporary legend, modern legend, urban myth, or urban tale) is a genre of folklore comprising stories or fallacious claims circulated as true, especially as having happened to a "friend of a friend" or a family m ...

Interesting locations

*Ezaartmolen, a

windmill A windmill is a structure that converts wind power into rotational energy using vanes called windmill sail, sails or blades, specifically to mill (grinding), mill grain (gristmills), but the term is also extended to windpumps, wind turbines, and ...

built in 1856. It was destroyed during a storm in 1957. In 1960 it was decided to protect the mill, but it took until 1984 before it was repaired. The mill is now the only one in Mol which can be actively used. *the little chapel "Mary in need" was built in 1511. There used to be tilias around the chapel. It was destroyed in 1971 after a car crash. In 1975 the chapel was rebuilt with the genuine materials. *The chapel "Sint-Willibrordus" got its name in 1494 during a benefice of Willebrord. It is known the chapel is older. In 1696 the chapel was extended. During the French revolution, the chapel was closed. It was reused as some kind of

customs Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting tariffs and for controlling the flow of goods, including animals, transports, personal effects, and hazardous items, into and out of a country. Traditionally, customs ...

and later as a school. In 1926 the chapel was donated to the "

Saint Peter Saint Peter; he, שמעון בר יונה, Šimʿōn bar Yōnāh; ar, سِمعَان بُطرُس, translit=Simʿa̅n Buṭrus; grc-gre, Πέτρος, Petros; cop, Ⲡⲉⲧⲣⲟⲥ, Petros; lat, Petrus; ar, شمعون الصفـا, Sham'un ...

and

Paul Paul may refer to: *Paul (given name), a given name (includes a list of people with that name) *Paul (surname), a list of people People Christianity *Paul the Apostle (AD c.5–c.64/65), also known as Saul of Tarsus or Saint Paul, early Chris ...

-church" in Mol. In 1996 the chapel was renovated. It is now used for cultural performances.

References

Populated places in Antwerp Province Mol, Belgium {{Antwerp-geo-stub