Herentals () is a city in the 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 the city of Herentals proper and the towns of

Morkhoven Morkhoven is a village in the Belgian province of Antwerp belonging to the municipality of the city of Herentals. History The village was first mentioned in 1286 as belonging to the Land of Geel. Until the early 16th century it was part of the '' ...

and . In 2021, Herentals had a total population of 28.194. The total area is .

Saint Waltrude Saint Waltrude (french: Waudru; nl, Waldetrudis; german: Waltraud; la, Valdetrudis, Valtrudis, Waltrudis; died April 9, 688 AD) is the patron saint of Mons, Belgium, where she is known in French as Sainte Waudru, and of Herentals, Belgium, wher ...

is the patron saint of the city.

Highlights

Herentals has some outstanding historical buildings, including the church and town hall; the town hall and its belfry is listed as one of the

Belfries of Belgium and France The Belfries of Belgium and France are a group of 56 historical buildings designated by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site, in recognition of the civic (rather than church) belfries serving as an architectural manifestation of emerging civic indep ...

, a

UNESCO The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...

World Heritage Site A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...

. The old city gates, the ''Bovenpoort'' (Northern gate) and ''Zandpoort'' (Western gate) are still standing, while the ''Nederpoort'' and ''Koepoort'' were torn down a long time ago. The

Hidrodoe Hidrodoe is a science museum dedicated to water and located in the ''Netepark'' Herentals, Belgium. The central part of Hidrodoe consists of ''Waterworld'' where the visitor can have experiences and perform experiments with regard to water. The ''W ...

science museum is located in Herentals. There is also a large

chocolate Chocolate is a food made from roasted and ground cacao seed kernels that is available as a liquid, solid, or paste, either on its own or as a flavoring agent in other foods. Cacao has been consumed in some form since at least the Olmec civ ...

factory located in Herentals. Herentals is a centre of commerce in the region, although the cities of

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 ...

and Mol are quite popular as well. Herentals is twinned with

IJsselstein IJsselstein () is a municipality and a city in the Netherlands, in the province of Utrecht. IJsselstein received city rights in 1331. IJsselstein owes its name to the river Hollandse IJssel which flows through the city. It is a major commuting s ...

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 ...

. The inhabitants of the

Campine The Campine ( French ) or De Kempen (Dutch ) is a natural region situated chiefly in north-eastern Belgium and parts of the south-eastern Netherlands which once consisted mainly of extensive moors, tracts of sandy heath, and wetlands. It encom ...

region have common

sobriquet A sobriquet ( ), or soubriquet, is a nickname, sometimes assumed, but often given by another, that is descriptive. A sobriquet is distinct from a pseudonym, as it is typically a familiar name used in place of a real name, without the need of expla ...

s that are particular to their towns; people from Herentals are referred to by the colloquialisms ''"Klokkenververs"'' (meaning "bell painters") and ''"Peestekers"'', which comes from the old story about the farmers of the town using carrots () as a lock on the "Zandpoort", one of the great city gates in that time.

People from Herentals

* Nicolaes Francken, painter, founder of the Francken painting dynasty (1520–1596) *

Hendrik de Moy Hendrik de Moy (Herentals, 21 April 1534 – 15 February 1610, Antwerp) was secretary of the Antwerp city council and a historian.P. Génard, "Aenteekening over den Stadssekretaris Hendrik de Moy / Notice sur le Secrétaire Henri de Moy", ''Antwerp ...

, father of

Isabella Brant Isabella Brant (or Brandt; 1591 – 15 July 1626) was the first wife of the Flemish painter Peter Paul Rubens, who painted several portraits of her. Family She was the eldest daughter of Jan Brant, an important city official in Antwerp, and ...

(1534–1610) *

Hieronymus Francken I Hieronymus Francken I or Hieronymus Francken the Elder (ca. 1540, Herentals–1610, Paris) was a Flemish painter and an important member of the Francken family of artists. After training in Antwerp, he was mainly active in France, where he ...

, painter (c. 1540–1610) *

Frans Francken the Elder Frans Francken I or Frans Francken the Elder (1542, Herentals – 1616, Antwerp) was a Flemish painter who was one of the principal painters in Antwerp during the Counter-Reformation.Ambrosius Francken I Ambrosius Francken I (1544–1618) was a Flemish people, Flemish painter known for his religious works and historical allegories painted in a late Mannerist style. He was a prominent member of the Francken family of artists, which played a ve ...

, painter (1544–1618) *

Charles-Auguste Fraikin Charles Auguste Fraikin (14 June 1817 – 22 November 1893) was a Belgian neoclassical sculptor. Life Charles Auguste Fraikin was born in Herentals, Belgium, on 14 June 1817. He took drawing lessons from the age of twelve at the Royal Academy o ...

, sculptor (1817–1893) * Stefaan Vaes, mathematician (b. 1976) *

Rik Van Looy Henri "Rik" Van Looy (born 20 December 1933 in Grobbendonk) is a Belgian former professional cycle sport, cyclist of the post-World War II, war period, nicknamed the ''King of the Classics'' or ''Emperor of Herentals'' (after the small Belgian ...

, professional cyclist (b. 1933) *

Wout van Aert Wout van Aert (born 15 September 1994) is a Belgian professional road and cyclo-cross racer who currently rides for UCI WorldTeam . He won the men's elite race at the UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships in 2016, 2017 and 2018. He joined in ...

, professional cyclist (b. 1994)

Gallery

File:Herentals belfort.jpg, Belfry of old town hall File:Postgebouw.JPG, Former Post office in the Market square File:P1020632 copyStadspoort Herentals.jpg, City gate File:Kanaal Bocholt-Herentals 2.jpg, Bocholt-Herentals Canal File:Herentals_Lakenhalle_&_Boerenkrijgmonument_02.JPG, The old town hall and the Monument for the 'Farmers Rising'

References

External links

* *
Local radio station with local news
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Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

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Toeristentoren Herentals
- The tourist tower of Herentals {{Authority control Municipalities of Antwerp Province Populated places in Antwerp Province