Minderhout is a village 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 ...

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 close to the border with the

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 ...

. As of 2021, it has about 4,420 inhabitants.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1238 as Minrehout, and means "the smaller forest". Minderhout was founded from

Baarle Baarle () is a village whose territory is divided into a patchwork of Belgian and Dutch territories. The Belgian parts of the village are called Baarle-Hertog and the Dutch elements are called Baarle-Nassau. The Belgian part includes 16 excl ...

.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 possession in Minderhout, and the village and neighbouring

Castelré Castelré () is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is a part of the municipality of Baarle-Nassau, and lies some 20 km south of Breda. In 2000 a millennium chapel was built at the "Kempische-driehoek" 't Groesje. Castelr ...

originally belonged to the Land of Breda. During the 14th century, Minderhout became the property of the Lords of

, but Castelré remained with Breda, therefore, the original area was cut in two. In 1794, it became an independent municipality. Minderhout would remain independent until 1977 when it was merged into Hoogstraten.

Gallery

File:Pastorie - Minderhout - Minderhoutdorp 27.jpg, Clergy house File:Vrijliggend fietspad.JPG, The ''Fietspad'' or

Bicycle Path Cycling infrastructure is all infrastructure cyclists are allowed to use. Bikeways include bike paths, bike lanes, cycle tracks, rail trails and, where permitted, sidewalks. Roads used by motorists are also cycling infrastructure, except whe ...

in Minderhout, Vlaanderen,

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 ...

which is separate from the road. File:46715 Minderhout - Bredaseweg 30.jpg, Mission congregation File:AC restaurants Minderhout Belgium 4juni2006.jpg, Restaurant in Minderhout

References

External links

* *
Official website of Hoogstraten
Sub-municipalities of Hoogstraten Former municipalities of Antwerp Province Belgium–Netherlands border crossings Populated places in Antwerp Province {{Antwerp-geo-stub