Vrasene is a village in the municipality of
Beveren in the
Belgian province of
East Flanders. It is located about east 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, .
History
Vrasene is located on a hill which is a remnant of an old dune stretching from
Stekene
Stekene () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. Since 1976, the municipality has comprised the towns of Kemzeke, Klein-Sinaai and Stekene proper. It also includes the village Koewacht. In 2021, Stekene had a total p ...
to
Zwijndrecht. The area around Vrasene was never a noble possession or a
fief. The name probably means "settlement on the (former river) Verre". In 1136, the monastery of Salegem was founded in Vrasene and the monks started to cultivate the land. A church has been known to exist in Vrasene since 1183. In 1624, the monastery was destroyed during the religious wars. During the 18th century, Vrasene was a centre of
clog
Clogs are a type of footwear made in part or completely from wood. Used in many parts of the world, their forms can vary by culture, but often remained unchanged for centuries within a culture.
Traditional clogs remain in use as protective f ...
production.
In 1845, the village of separated from Vrasene and formed its own municipality.
During
World War I, the ''
polder
A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are:
# Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed
# Flood plains s ...
s'' around the village were
inundated to halt the German progress. During the occupation, the village was part of the so-called ''Etappegebiet'', a military area where 188 bunkers were constructed to guard against a British invasion or Dutch attack. In September 1918, the entire male population was held hostage in the church after a local police officer who allegedly collaborated with the Germans was murdered.
Vrasene was an independent municipality until 1977 when it was 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 ...
.
Buildings
The Holy Cross church was first mentioned in 1183. In 1448, the church was redesigned into a three aisled Gothic church. The square tower was added between 1450 and 1455. The church was extended in 1877, and declared a monument in 1942.
Notable people
*
Ruben Apers (born 1998), racing cyclist
*
Laura Waem (born 1997), artistic gymnast
Gallery
File:Duitse bunkerlinie WOI.JPG, Bunkers in the meadow
File:Brouwerij De Brug, woonhuis dubbelhuistype en brouwerijcomplex.JPG, Former brewery. Nowadays a residential house
File:"Rustoord Sint-Elisabeth", sinds 1835 hospitaal.JPG, Retirement home
References
{{Authority control
Beveren
Populated places in East Flanders
Former municipalities of East Flanders