Meerle is a village in the Belgian municipality of

Hoogstraten Hoogstraten () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises Hoogstraten, Meer, Meerle, Meersel-Dreef, Minderhout and Wortel (Meersel-Dreef includes the northernmost point in Belgium). Hoogstrate ...

in the province of Antwerp. As of 2021, it has about 3,871 inhabitants.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1266 as Meerle, and means "open forest near a lake/pond". The

Thorn Abbey Thorn Abbey or the Imperial Abbey of Thorn was an imperial abbey of the Holy Roman Empire in what is now the Netherlands. The capital was Thorn. It was founded in the 10th century and remained independent until 1794, when it was occupied by Fre ...

used to have many possessions in Meerle, and the village originally belonged to the Land of Breda. During the 14th century, the possessions were gradually transferred to the Lord of

. After the

French Revolution The French Revolution ( ) was a period of radical political and societal change in France that began with the Estates General of 1789 and ended with the formation of the French Consulate in coup of 18 Brumaire, November 1799. Many of its ...

, Meerle became an independent municipality. The village was mainly an agricultural village with an emphasis on livestock. During the 20th century, it increasingly became a residential town. Meerle was an independent municipality until 1977 when it was merged into Hoogstraten.

Gallery

File:Landhuis, Sint-Jorisburg 2012-09-09 16-34-54.jpg, Manor house Sint-Jorisburg File:46688 Parochiekerk Sint-Salvator.jpg, St Salvator Church File:Dorpswoning - Meerle - Kerkstraat 47.jpg, House in Meerle File:Molenaarshuis met schuur - Meersel-Dreef - Meersel 13.jpg, Miller's house

References

External links

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Official website of Hoogstraten
Sub-municipalities of Hoogstraten Former municipalities of Antwerp Province Populated places in Antwerp Province {{Antwerp-geo-stub