Verrebroek is a village and deelgemeente in 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 ...

Beveren Beveren () is a municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders which comprises the towns of Beveren, Doel, Haasdonk, Kallo, Kieldrecht, Melsele, Verrebroek and Vrasene. The port of the Waasland (Dutch: ''Waaslandhaven'') is in Beveren ...

East Flanders , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van O ...

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 ...

. Verrebroek was an independent municipality until 1 January 1977, when it merged with Beveren as part of the

fusion of municipalities in Belgium The fusion of the Belgian municipalities (French: ''fusion des communes'', Dutch: ''fusie van Belgische gemeenten'') was a Belgian political process that rationalized and reduced the number of municipalities in Belgium between 1975 and 1983. In 19 ...

History

The village was first mentioned in 1141. The monks of the cloister of Salegem developed the region by poldering the swamplands which resulted in the village becoming one of the wealthiest in the

Waasland The Waasland is a Belgian region. It is part of the Belgian provinces of East Flanders and Antwerp. The other borders of the Land van Waas are with the Scheldt and Durme rivers. The (informal) capital and major city of the region is Sint-Niklaas ...

. Warfare between Philip the Good and the inhabitants of

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest in the country, exceeded i ...

as well as floods halted the development of the village. In 1974, the municipality was home to 1,266 people and covered an area of . In 1977, the municipality was merged into Beveren. In 1996, the

Port of Antwerp The Port of Antwerp-Bruges is the port of the City of Antwerp. It is located in Flanders (Belgium), mainly in the province of Antwerp but also partially in the province of East Flanders. It is a seaport in the heart of Europe accessible to ...

was extended by the construction of Verrebroekdok which borders the village.

Sights

Construction of the Saint Laurens Church started in the 15th century, and mainly dates from the 1650s. In 1804, the top half of the spire was replaced by an optical telegraph on the orders of

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte ; it, Napoleone Bonaparte, ; co, Napulione Buonaparte. (born Napoleone Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French military commander and political leader who ...

. In 1815, after the fall of Napoleon, the telegraph was removed. As a result, the church is colloquially known as ''Peperbus'' (pepper caster).

Notable people

Philip Verheyen Philip Verheyen (Verrebroek, April 23, 1648 – Leuven, January 28, 1710) was a Flemish surgeon, anatomist and author. As the third child of seven, Verheyen was born in Verrebroek, in modern Belgium (most likely in his parents' house, standing ...

(1648–1711), surgeon.

Gallery

File:Monument Philip Verheyen bis.jpg, Philip Verheyen memorial File:Gemeentepomp verrebroek.jpg, Village pump File:Verrebroek hoekhuis Drieshoekstraat.jpg, Corner house

References

External links

* {{Authority control Populated places in East Flanders Beveren Former municipalities of East Flanders