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Wilrijk (; former, original spelling: ''Wilrijck'') is a
district A district is a type of administrative division that, in some countries, is managed by the local government. Across the world, areas known as "districts" vary greatly in size, spanning regions or county, counties, several municipality, municipa ...
of the
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...
and city of Antwerp in the Belgian province of Antwerp. Wilrijk had been a separate municipality before January 1, 1983; the enlarged municipality of Antwerp was decentralized in 2000 and Wilrijk became one of the city's nine districts. This suburb is also known as the Goat village, because of its Goat parade. Every five years this parade attracts many tourists. The next will be held in 2025.


Overview

Although it is now part of the city of Antwerp, Wilrijk has kept its own distinct atmosphere. A mixture of modern and older neighbourhoods, this suburb has a good balance between residential, commercial and industrial activities. Its facilities for sport and recreation in a green environment make it a desirable area in which to live. This area was already inhabited in 600 BC. This has been shown by the excavation of a
Celt The Celts (, see pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples () are. "CELTS location: Greater Europe time period: Second millennium B.C.E. to present ancestry: Celtic a collection of Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancien ...
ic burial site in Wilrijk, which is the oldest sign of civilization yet discovered in the region around Antwerp.


Demography

The total area of Wilrijk is 13.61 km² and it has 38,220 inhabitants (2004).


Evolution of the population size


19th century


20th century until fusion with Antwerp


History


From a Celtic settlement to a modern suburb

Probably the first time people lived in this area was around 600 BC. In 1003 the first document appeared in which the name ''uuilrika'' was mentioned. This document tells about the existence in 743 AD of a community living around the central square in Wilrijk which is called ''Bist''. The triangular shape of the ''Bist'' shows the Frankish past of Wilrijk. One of the current theories is that the name ''Wilrijk'' is actually derived from the
Gallo-Roman Gallo-Roman culture was a consequence of the Romanization of Gauls under the rule of the Roman Empire. It was characterized by the Gaulish adoption or adaptation of Roman culture, language, morals and way of life in a uniquely Gaulish context ...
word ''Villariacum'' (meaning: "Part of the domain of a
Roman villa A Roman villa was typically a farmhouse or country house built in the Roman Republic and the Roman Empire, sometimes reaching extravagant proportions. Typology and distribution Pliny the Elder (23–79 AD) distinguished two kinds of villas ...
"). Evidence for the existence of a Roman villa was found in a nearby village
Kontich Kontich (, old spelling: ''Contich'') is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Kontich proper and Waarloos. In 2021, Kontich had a total population of 21,260. The total area is 23.67& ...
. After the closing of the Zwyn and the decay of Bruges, the city of Antwerp became of more importance. At the end of the 15th century the foreign trading guilds moved from the city of
Bruges Bruges ( , nl, Brugge ) is the capital and largest city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Scienc ...
to Antwerp. These "foreigners" were well received by the families of Antwerp. Some of the richer people from Antwerp escaped their busy lives in the center of the city and, attracted by the rural character of Wilrijk (and other towns surrounding Antwerp), started building large houses (little castles) there. These houses are called ''Hoven van plaisantie'', some of these still exist even today: Klaverblad, Schoonselhof, Ieperman, Steytelinck, Middelheim, De Brandt, Hof Ter Beke. Others didn't survive: Jezuietenhof, Ooievaarsnest (Oversnes), Hoonsnest (Hondsnest of Hof van Van Dael), Groenenborgerhof, Elsdonkhof, Standonk, Korenbloem. But their names still remain in the consciousness of the people living in Wilrijk through names of streets and neighbourhoods. On November 30, 1589 the village was completely burned by some
Geuzen Geuzen (; ; french: Les Gueux) was a name assumed by the confederacy of Calvinist Dutch nobles, who from 1566 opposed Spanish rule in the Netherlands. The most successful group of them operated at sea, and so were called Watergeuzen (; ; frenc ...
coming from
Bergen op Zoom Bergen op Zoom (; called ''Berrege'' in the local dialect) is a municipality and a city located in the south of the Netherlands. Etymology The city was built on a place where two types of soil meet: sandy soil and marine clay. The sandy soil ...
. It took Wilrijk 20 years to start rebuilding the houses, and in that time the population had to live in poor wooden huts. In the middle of the 18th century an important road was built between Antwerp and Boom. Because of the expansion of Antwerp some suburbs (
Kiel Kiel () is the capital and most populous city in the northern German state of Schleswig-Holstein, with a population of 246,243 (2021). Kiel lies approximately north of Hamburg. Due to its geographic location in the southeast of the Jutland pe ...
and
Beerschot Koninklijke Beerschot Voetbalclub Antwerpen, or simply Beerschot, is a Belgian professional football club located in Antwerp, that competes in the second-tier First Division B after relegating from the top tier in the 2021–22 season. In 201 ...
) that were a large source of food products for Antwerp, started to get too crowded. Their function was taken over by the farmers in Wilrijk and they started delivering milk, vegetables and flowers to Antwerp. On October 6, 1819 Wilrijk received its own
coat of arms A coat of arms is a heraldic visual design on an escutcheon (i.e., shield), surcoat, or tabard (the latter two being outer garments). The coat of arms on an escutcheon forms the central element of the full heraldic achievement, which in it ...
from King
William I of the Netherlands William I (Willem Frederik, Prince of Orange-Nassau; 24 August 1772 – 12 December 1843) was a Prince of Orange, the King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg. He was the son of the last Stadtholder of the Dutch Republic, who w ...
and the Hoge Raad van Adel. It consists of a picture of Saint Bavo as a knight on a blue background, with a
falcon Falcons () are birds of prey in the genus ''Falco'', which includes about 40 species. Falcons are widely distributed on all continents of the world except Antarctica, though closely related raptors did occur there in the Eocene. Adult falcons ...
in his left hand and a sword in his right; the right corner contains an image of the Saint Bavo church in Wilrijk. In the second half of the 19th century the town started to change because of the construction of two forts in the neighbourhood of Wilrijk (Fort 6 and 7) (1859–1865). These were part of a whole array of 8 forts protecting the city of Antwerp. At the same time some important connections were built between these fortifications, leading to new roads and railroads in Wilrijk and even a railway station. Mayor M. Willems(1863–1870) started the planning of a new town hall. The architect of the province of Antwerp Eugeen Gife was given the task to design this new building, but it was the next mayor Jules Moretus (1870–1874) who would see the actual start of the construction. The town hall was finished in 1873, some changes were made to it in 1920, 1936, 1952, 1963, 1970 and 1977. Since 1994 it is officially protected as a monument. Until the 19th century Wilrijk had stayed a rural, quite poor community independent of Antwerp. From then on many of the inhabitants started to search for work in the center of Antwerp, and Wilrijk flourished. In 1810 Wilrijk had 1660 inhabitants, this increased in 1840 to 2275, and in 1875 it were already 3553, to become 6243 in 1900. It was a slow evolution, and Wilrijk evolved from a rural village into a small suburb. In the 20th century some of the ''Hoven van plaisantie'' were demolished, and their large surrounding parks were used to construct new housing projects. The primary goal was to create new urban areas after the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fig ...
. The first new immigrants were mostly people moving from the city to the fresh air in the suburbs. Some of Wilrijk's districts that were created in this way are Eenheid, Elsdonk, and Valaar.


Wilrijk as a suburban town

When the population exceeded 20,000 inhabitants in 1928, the town acquired the ''Hof van plaisantie'' Steytelinck. From then on, Wilrijk had its own public park, close to the center. During the
Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...
, Wilrijk suffered a lot because of bombardments by the
Germans , native_name_lang = de , region1 = , pop1 = 72,650,269 , region2 = , pop2 = 534,000 , region3 = , pop3 = 157,000 3,322,405 , region4 = , pop4 = ...
with the V1 and V2. 71 civilians were killed by as much as 65 bombs. After the war Wilrijk again started to grow rapidly. The agricultural character disappeared and was replaced by industry. Again many people migrated from the center of Antwerp to the suburbs. This time also the first high buildings appeared in Wilrijk. The population peaked. In 1950, 27.213 inhabitants, in 1956 30,000 and in 1964, 40,000. On January 1, 1975 the number of inhabitants was officially 44.219, from this day, the population decreased steadily. In 1960 the town council decided to renew the town center. This urbanistic project included some high buildings, a shopping center and a cultural center. It was agreed to create a large industrial area of 1.5 km² next to the important economical axes Antwerp-Boom ( Boomsesteenweg (A12)). More than 6000 people are employed in this area right now. Because of the increase in traffic the Boomsesteenweg (A12) was modernised in 1958 (also because of the Expo '58 in
Brussels Brussels (french: Bruxelles or ; nl, Brussel ), officially the Brussels-Capital Region (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) (french: link=no, Région de Bruxelles-Capitale; nl, link=no, Bruss ...
). In 1978 the highway Antwerp-Brussels ( E10, now called E19) and the R11 were constructed, further dividing Wilrijk into different parts. The communal road network was more than 200 km. Until then Wilrijk had been an independent town with its own town council and mayor, but this was about to change.


Wilrijk as part of Antwerp

On January 1, 1983 Wilrijk became, together with seven other communities – Antwerp,
Berchem Berchem () is a southern district of the municipality and city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. Berchem is located along the old ''Grote Steenweg'' (Dutch for 'Big Paved Road') that has connected Brussels to Antwerp for several centur ...
,
Borgerhout Borgerhout () is the smallest district of Antwerp, Belgium. , the district houses 45,769 inhabitants on 3,93 km². It was an independent municipality until January 1983. The postal area code for Borgerhout is 2140. Geography Borgerhout is divide ...
,
Ekeren Ekeren () is a northern district of the municipality of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The suburb celebrated its 850th birthday in 2005; the name of the town was first mentioned in 1155, as "Hecerna". The name possibly originates from ...
, Hoboken, Merksem and Deurne – part of one big city of Antwerp, now a city with more than 500,000 inhabitants. All the former towns became "districten (in Dutch)" of Antwerp. Many city services were centralised and the town (district) council lost almost all of its powers. Every district kept its own ''districtshuis'' (former town hall) with services like: information, social affaires, registry of births, deaths and marriages, etc. However, this move to a centralised administration created some resistance among the inhabitants. In a gesture "to bring the government back to the civilians" a decentralisation was started on January 1, 2001. Some of the powers reverted to the districts, including: the "look" of the town, youth policy, festivities, sports and communication.


Lange Wapper

Lange Wapper is a mythical being appearing in many
folk tales Oral literature, orature or folk literature is a genre of literature that is spoken or sung as opposed to that which is written, though much oral literature has been transcribed. There is no standard definition, as anthropologists have used vary ...
in
Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to cultu ...
. According to belief (especially from people living in Wilrijk) Lange Wapper was born in Wilrijk, near the Hoven van plaisantie De Brandt and Middelheim on the fields of farmer Peer-January. One day he found a huge red cabbage between his vegetables. He touched it, and found out that it was actually a newborn. Because he was too poor to raise the child, it was adopted by a family from Antwerp. The boy grew up, and he became known as someone who always protected the helpless. One day he saved an old lady from drowning and she gave him the gift to make himself very tall or very small whenever he liked it. This is how he got his name Lange (Long) Wapper. Since he always protected people he got some respect, but he also made some strange noises, sounding like a goat, and that's why he also became known as a water devil. Since people in Wilrijk wanted to make sure the entire world would believe that Lange Wapper really was theirs, they organised a great party in 1964 to baptise an 8 meter long giant, Lange Wapper, with beer in the presence of a monk from Deerlijk. After that the giant was officially made an inhabitant (''honoris causa'') of Wilrijk by mayor Kiebooms. This, of course, created only more discussion between the center of Antwerp and Wilrijk about who actually "owned" Lange Wapper. He is one of the main figures of the Goat parade in Wilrijk.


Cultural activities


Goat parade (Geitestoet)

In the period that Wilrijk was still a poor town, many people kept a little goat at home, to provide meat and milk if needed. Because of this, the richer people were laughing with the silly people from Wilrijk with their goats. When in 1895 there was an election for the town council, there was a big election fight between the Catholic and the liberal parties. The liberals accused the Catholics of fraud, and because the people of Wilrijk didn't want to listen to them, they called them 'Goat heads'(Geitekoppen(
Dutch language Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language, after its close relatives German and English. '' Afrikaan ...
)). From this time on, Wilrijk was known as the 'Goat town'. As with many of these names, after a while it become a title of honor for people living in Wilrijk. So, when in 1965 Wilrijk celebrated its 1200-year existence, the people organised a 'Goat parade', consisting of decorated carts, people wearing costumes and of course...goats. There was also a cart showing Lange Wapper. After the fusion with Antwerp in 1983, people became nostalgic and examined their common past. Plans were made to organize a new Goat parade, which, after 25 years, resumed on September 16, 1990. Since then, a Goat parade is organised every five years (1995, 2000, 2005). The last one featured: 1500 participants in special costumes, 10 groups of dancers, 12 decorated carts, 16 groups of musicians, giants, coaches, horses, ... and a record breaking number of goats.


Annual fair (Jaarmarkt)

In many towns there is an ancient custom to have an Annual Fair to create an opportunity for farmers to show and trade their livestock. All the farmers in the region come to the town with the livestock or other goods they want to sell. Over time this has evolved in a larger cultural event. This annual fair is still held every year in Wilrijk in August. It consists of a weekend during which a large number of activities are organised: a painters competition, an old-timer rally, a
funfair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...
and art exhibitions. In the streets surrounding the town hall you can find farmers showing their animals (goats, horses, cows and other livestock) and there are also competitions to decide which farmers have the best animals.


Notable natives

* Toby Alderweireld (born 1989) footballer *
Kathleen Van Brempt Kathleen Van Brempt (; born 18 November 1969 in Wilrijk), is a Belgian social-democratic politician and member of Vooruit. She currently serves as Member of the European Parliament (MEP) as part of the Party of European Socialists and is leader o ...
(born 1969), politician *
Bruno Brokken Bruno Brokken (born 9 May 1953 in Wilrijk) is a former Belgian high jumper. In 1976 he got the bronze medal at the European Indoor Championships with a jump of 2.19 meter. Biography Bruno Brokken was the 1975 Belgian Sportsman of the year, ending ...
(born 1953), high jumper * Mousa Dembélé (born 1987), footballer * Mark Dedrie (born 1962), sculptor *
Gabriel Fehervari Gabriel Fehervari (born Wilrijk, 1960) is a Belgian businessman and was the CEO of the former ''Alfacam Group'', which consisted of three divisions: Alfacam, Euro1080 and Eurolinx. Alfacam was declared bankrupt on 19 April 2013. He is the so ...
(born 1960), businessman and CEO of the former Alfacam Group *
Frans Grootjans Frans Edward Elisabeth Grootjans (24 January 1922 – 20 February 1999), was a Belgian politician and minister for the PVV. Grootjans was born at Wilrijk. He became a licentiate in the trade and consular sciences and was chief editor and dir ...
(born 1922), politician and minister for the PVV *
Victor Guidalevitch Victor Issay Guidalevitch (Russian: 'Виктор Иссаы Гидалевич') (2 September 1892 – 19 January 1962), was a Belgian engineer of Russian origin who became an amateur photographer. Guidalevitch photographed his surroundings, st ...
(1892–1962), engineer and photographer * Paul Lemmens (born 1954), judge at the
European Court of Human Rights The European Court of Human Rights (ECHR or ECtHR), also known as the Strasbourg Court, is an international court of the Council of Europe which interprets the European Convention on Human Rights. The court hears applications alleging that a ...
* Brian Lesher (born 1971), baseball player * Jan Leyers (born 1958), singer * Rik Van Linden (born 1949), cyclist * Linda Mertens (born 1978), singer *
Mohamed Messoudi Mohamed "Mo" Messoudi (born 7 January 1984 in Wilrijk) is a retired Belgian footballer of Moroccan descent who last played for K Lyra-Lierse Berlaar. Career Messoudi is a player who has made his debut in professional football, being part of ...
(born 1984), footballer *
Kristof Snelders Kristof Snelders is a Belgian professional retired football player. He was usually fielded as a striker, although also able to play as right winger. Career In the beginning of July 2007, Snelders was signed by Cercle Brugge due to a relegatio ...
(born 1982), footballer * Rudy Trouvé (born 1967), musician * Dirk Verbeuren (born 1975), heavy metal drummer *
Carl Verbraeken Carl Gustav Verbraeken (born 18 September 1950 in Wilrijk, Belgium) is a Belgian composer. Verbraeken studied at the Royal Conservatory of Brussels. He wrote more than 1000 works, including piano music, chamber music and orchestral works. Since ...
(born 1950), president of the Union of Belgian Composers *
Koen Vervaeke Koen Vervaeke (born 22 April 1959 in Wilrijk) is a Belgian diplomat who has been serving as Managing Director for Africa at the European External Action Service (EEAS) since December 2015. He was previously the Director for Horn of Africa, East & S ...
(born 1959), diplomat * Marcia De Wachter (born 1953), economist * Ronald de Witte (born 1946), cyclist * Constant de Deken (1852-1896), missionary and explorer


Personalities linked to the town

* Kim Clijsters, Tennis Player. Student of the Wilrijk tennis school in 1996 * Karel Poma (mayor of Wilrijk 1953-1958), chemist and politician * Laurens Bracke (inhabitant of Wilrijk 2006-?)


Sport

*The town hosted the archery events for the
1920 Summer Olympics The 1920 Summer Olympics (french: Jeux olympiques d'été de 1920; nl, Olympische Zomerspelen van 1920; german: Olympische Sommerspiele 1920), officially known as the Games of the VII Olympiad (french: Jeux de la VIIe olympiade; nl, Spelen van ...
in Nachtegalen Park. * VTV (Vlaamse Tennis Vereniging): A tennis school where Kim Clijsters trained in 1996 and where she met her coach
Carl Maes Carl may refer to: * Carl, Georgia, city in USA * Carl, West Virginia, an unincorporated community *Carl (name), includes info about the name, variations of the name, and a list of people with the name * Carl², a TV series * "Carl", an episode of ...
(1996–2002). * K Beerschot VA (football club) * SK Wilrijk (football club) * Antarctica (large ice-skating facility) * Aspen (artificial skiing slope) * AVI (athletics club) * Wilrace (table tennis) * Royal Antwerp Eagles (baseball) *Cricket (Indian cricket club)


Twin towns

*
Niedernhausen Niedernhausen im Taunus is a municipality in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hesse, Germany, with almost 15,000 inhabitants. Geography Location Niedernhausen lies in the Rhein-Taunus Nature Park in the west ...
, Germany


Commercial/industrial/institutional sites

* University of Antwerp Campus Drie Eiken: One of the four campuses of the University of Antwerp (the site in Wilrijk was formerly known as UIA (Universitaire Instelling Antwerpen) * Faculty for Comparative Religion * Jewish Rabbinical School *
IKEA IKEA (; ) is a Dutch multinational conglomerate based in the Netherlands that designs and sells , kitchen appliances, decoration, home accessories, and various other goods and home services. Started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA has been ...
: One of the 6 IKEA stores in Belgium. Size store: 18.600 m², * Agfa-Gevaert: Part of the Agfa Gevaert
Mortsel Mortsel () is a city and municipality close to the city of Antwerp located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the city of Mortsel proper. In 2021, Mortsel had a total population of 26,170 people. The total area ...
site *
The Coca-Cola Company The Coca-Cola Company is an American multinational beverage corporation founded in 1892, best known as the producer of Coca-Cola. The Coca-Cola Company also manufactures, sells, and markets other non-alcoholic beverage concentrates and syrup ...
: One of the three production/distribution centers of The Coca-Cola Company in Belgium. Number of employees: 541 (in 2005) * ISVAG: A large facility that burns household waste from Antwerp and other towns in the region. Burns 100,000-150,000 tons a year * Atlas Copco Airpower: The largest fabrication facility of air compressors in the world. Number of employees: 2300 (in 2005) * Rizla: Part of the Imperial Tobacco Group it is a major producer of tobacco rolling papers in the world. The site in Wilrijk has 160 employees and produces 30 billion leaves a year (2004).


Jain Temples

* Jain Temples at Wilrijkwww.herenow4u.net
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References


External links

*
Official site of Wilrijk
*
Site of the Goat parade
*

*

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{{Authority control Districts of Antwerp Populated places in Antwerp Province