Hemiksem (, historical spellings ''Heymissen'' and ''Hemixem'') 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 ...

located 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 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 only comprises the town of Hemiksem proper. In 2021, Hemiksem had a total population of 11,722. The total area is 5.44 km².

History

The village was first mentioned in 1155 as Hamincsem. In 1246,

Cistercian The Cistercians, () officially the Order of Cistercians ( la, (Sacer) Ordo Cisterciensis, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint ...

monks established St. Bernard's Abbey, Hemiksem near the

Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corr ...

, and became Lords of the ''

heerlijkheid A ''heerlijkheid'' (a Dutch word; pl. ''heerlijkheden''; also called ''heerschap''; Latin: ''Dominium'') was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking Low Countries before 1800. ...

'' (landed estate) Hemiksem. The area used to be heavily forest. In 1358, the first

brickworks A brickworks, also known as a brick factory, is a factory for the manufacturing of bricks, from clay or shale. Usually a brickworks is located on a clay bedrock (the most common material from which bricks are made), often with a quarry for cl ...

was established, but it was an agricultural area until the 19th century. During the 19th century, Hemiksem started to industrialise and grow.

Sights

The most notable sight in Hemiksem is the 13th century St. Bernard's Abbey, which now houses the town hall and police headquarters, after having undergone extensive renovations in the past decade.

Gallery

Image:Hemiksem Abdij westgevel1.JPG, Former St. Bernards Abbey Image:Scheldehemiksem.JPG, Sunset over the river

seen from Hemiksem. Image:Hemiksem fishing pond.jpg, Photo taken at a Hemiksem fishing pond. Image:Veer Bazel-Hemiksem.jpg, Ferry of Bazel-Hemiksem

References

External links

* *
Official website
Municipalities of Antwerp Province Populated places in Antwerp Province {{Antwerp-geo-stub