Oostmalle is a village which is 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 language ...

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 itself is part of the

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 ...

Malle Malle () is a municipality located in the Campine region of the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the villages of Oostmalle and Westmalle. In 2021, Malle had a total population of 15,620. The total area is 51.99 km2. H ...

. Oostmalle was an independent municipality until 1976. It has a surface area of 28.27 km² and in 2004 had 6,510 inhabitants.

History

See history of

Tourism

The most important curiosity of Oostmalle is the

Renesse Castle The Castle de Renesse is a castle located in the village of Oostmalle (Malle), in the Campine region of the province of Antwerp (Flanders, Belgium). It is currently owned by the municipality of Malle. History 14th century In 1374 Jan van Hardu ...

. The Chapel of

Our Lady of Perpetual Help Our Lady of Perpetual Help (also known as Our Lady of Perpetual Succour) is a Roman Catholic title of the Blessed Virgin Mary associated with a 15th-century Byzantine icon with an alleged Marian apparition. The icon is believed to have ori ...

(Dutch: Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van Bijstand) at the Herentalsebaan, was built by

Leonard Pierre Joseph du Bus de Gisignies Leonard Pierre Joseph, Viscount du Bus de Gisignies (28 February 1780 – 31 May 1849) was a soldier and politician in the United Kingdom of the Netherlands. Early life He was born in Dottignies, Austrian Netherlands on 28 February 1780. He was ...

in 1837. In 1930 a

Lourdes Lourdes (, also , ; oc, Lorda ) is a market town situated in the Pyrenees. It is part of the Hautes-Pyrénées department in the Occitanie region in southwestern France. Prior to the mid-19th century, the town was best known for the Château ...

cave was added to the chapel (inaugurated on 7 May 1933), and in 1934 a

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

was added in remembrance of King

Albert I of Belgium Albert I (8 April 1875 – 17 February 1934) was King of the Belgians from 23 December 1909 until his death in 1934. Born in Brussels as the fifth child and second son of Prince Philippe, Count of Flanders and Princess Marie of Hohenzollern-S ...

(sculptor was

Simon Goossens 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 exti ...

). The ''Chapel of Saint Anthony'' (Dutch: Sint-Antoniuskapel) in the hamlet

Salphen Salphen (also ''Zalfen'') is a hamlet which is part of the village of Oostmalle in the Campine region of Flanders, Belgium. The history of Salphen dates back to the 13th century when in the records of the Chapter of Our Lady (Dutch: O.L. Vrouw Kap ...

dates from 1626. Oostmalle Airfield is located south on the territory of Oostmalle, close to the hamlet of

, and the forest of

Blommerschot The hamlet of Blommerschot is located in the southeast of Oostmalle in the Campine region of Flanders, Belgium. Blommerschot was already mentioned in 1300 as ''Eene oude Ridderlyck hof'' (E: a noble court), and possibly dates back from a Frankis ...

. This airfield is currently used for recreational purposes (

Gliding Gliding is a recreational activity and competitive air sport in which pilots fly unpowered aircraft known as gliders or sailplanes using naturally occurring currents of rising air in the atmosphere to remain airborne. The word ''soaring'' is al ...

). There was some talk of using this airfield as an alternative for the Airport in Deurne should it have to close. Each year the international

Sluitingsprijs Oostmalle The Sluitingsprijs Oostmalle is a cyclo-cross race held in Oostmalle, Belgium, which is part of the BPost Bank Trophy until 2014. Since the 2014-2015 season it became an independent race but still with the back-up from the UCI. It is traditionally ...

is organised in Oostmalle. It marks the end of the Cyclo-cross season.

Tornado

On Sunday 25 June 1967 at 4:17 pm Oostmalle was hit by a

tornado A tornado is a violently rotating column of air that is in contact with both the surface of the Earth and a cumulonimbus cloud or, in rare cases, the base of a cumulus cloud. It is often referred to as a twister, whirlwind or cyclone, altho ...

which destroyed the church and the centre of the village. Of the church, only the tower was rebuilt in its original state. More than half of the 900 houses in the village were damaged, 135 houses were completely destroyed.

Notable inhabitants

* Viscount Bernard Aimé Léonard du Bus de Gisignies (1808-1874) * Viscount

(1780-1849) *

Frans Van Giel Frans Van Giel (born ''Franciscus Alexius van Giel''; 16 July 1892 – 7 April 1975) was a Belgian painter who was born in Oostmalle and died in Wechelderzande. Notable achievements and associations He is called the painter of the Campine and wa ...

, painter (1892-1975) *

Maria Rosseels Maria, Baroness Rosseels (23 October 1916 – 18 March 2005), also known with her pen name "E. M. Vervliet", was a Belgian Catholic writer. Biography The first years of her life, she lived in the Goedendagstraat in Borgerhout. When Maria was 7 y ...

, journalist and writer (1916-2005)

Gallery

File:Oostmalle Sint-Laurentiuskerk 1.jpg, St Laurentius Church File:Oostmalle (B) - Salphen 3 Boerderij (19e eeuw).jpg, Farm in Oostmalle File:Malle Castle de Renesse Front 070218.jpg,

File:Hoekhuis Antwerpsesteenweg 58 Oostmalle.JPG, Corner house

History

Tourism

Tornado

Notable inhabitants

Gallery

See also

References

External links