Olmen is a village that lies 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 ...

, 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 village is part of the municipality of

Balen Balen () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Balen proper and Olmen. In 2021, Balen had a population of 22,853. Total area is 72.88 km². Famous inhabitants * Tom Boonen, W ...

. Olmen is known in the area for its

Carnival Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...

, which still follows medieval traditions.

History

The village was first mentioned as Olmele in 1288. Olmen was an independent ''

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. ...

'' and an agricultural community. In 1977, the municipality was merged into Balen.

Carnaval

The Carnaval in Olmen does not have a parade, but is celebrated with the medieval Hanenkappen. The person who manages to decapitate the rooster becomes the king of its party.

Zoo

Should I stay or should I go - Flickr - e³°°°

The Pakawi Park is a zoo in the village which specializes in

felidae Felidae () is the family of mammals in the order Carnivora colloquially referred to as cats, and constitutes a clade. A member of this family is also called a felid (). The term "cat" refers both to felids in general and specifically to the ...

. The zoo used to be called Olmen Zoo, but was closed in 2017, due to animal welfare breaches. The owner and employees fixed most of the problems and at least tripled the living quarters of the animals. The zoo reopened on 22 June 2019 as Pakawi Park.

References

External links

* Populated places in Antwerp Province Balen {{Antwerp-geo-stub