Duffel () is a

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' ...

in the Belgian province of

Antwerp Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

. The municipality comprises the town of Duffel proper. On 1 January 2020, Duffel had a total population of 17,664. The total area is 22.71 km² which gives a population density of 778 inhabitants per km². The area is the eponym of a coarse woolen cloth, manufactured in this area from the 11th century, mainly used to make blankets, outdoor (army) coats, and tote bags. Duffel became a household name during and after World War II in the meaning of a coat designed with toggle-and-loop fastening and roomy hood. The etymology of Duffel is from "dubro" and "locus", from the

Gaulish Gaulish is an extinct Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium, ...

''dubrum'', ''dubron'' – "water". In 1836, the

Duffel railway station Duffel is a railway station in the town of Duffel, Antwerp, Belgium. The station opened on 16 June 1836 on the Lines 25 and 27. The train services are operated by National Railway Company of Belgium The National Railway Company of Belgium ...

opened on the Brussels-North to

railway line.

Duffel cloth

The town gives its name to a type of heavy

wool Wool is the textile fiber obtained from sheep and other mammals, especially goats, rabbits, and camelids. The term may also refer to inorganic materials, such as mineral wool and glass wool, that have some properties similar to animal w ...

en cloth generally used to make blankets and

overcoat An overcoat is a type of long coat intended to be worn as the outermost garment, which usually extends below the knee. Overcoats are most often used in winter when warmth is more important. They are sometimes confused with or referred to as #T ...

s, especially for the armed forces, and a type of luggage. In the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

, an important part of the region's industry was the manufacturing of ''Flemish laken'' (a

broadcloth Broadcloth is a dense, Plain weave, plain woven textile, cloth, historically made of wool. The defining characteristic of broadcloth is not its finished width but the fact that it was woven much wider (typically 50 to 75% wider than its finish ...

), while the cloth produced in Duffel was a thicker variation. The manufacturing process was brought to England by Flemish emigrants in the 1500s. The name for the cloth was so well-known, a type of overcoat made from the cloth and manufactured in England received the name

Duffel coat A duffel coat (also duffle coat) is a coat made from duffel cloth, designed with toggle-and-rope fastenings, patched pockets and a large hood. The name derives from Duffel, a town in the province of Antwerp in Belgium where the manufacturing pr ...

Notable natives

* Jan Van Der Roost, composer *

Kevin De Weert Kevin De Weert (born 27 May 1982 in Duffel) is a former Belgian professional road bicycle racer. In October 2014 it was announced would join on a two-year deal from 2015, with the team's directeur sportif Nico Verhoeven describing his role as ...

, cyclist *

Andreas Pereira Andreas Hugo Hoelgebaum Pereira (born 1 January 1996) is a Brazilian professional Association football, footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for club Fulham F.C., Fulham and the Brazil national football team, Brazil national team. ...

, footballer *

Metejoor Joris Van Rossem (born 4 January 1991), known artistically as Metejoor, is a Belgian pop singer who sings in Dutch. He topped the Ultratop charts in Flanders with the singles "1 op een miljoen" and "Dit is wat mijn mama zei", from his self-titled ...

, singer *

Cornelis Kiliaan Cornelis Kiliaan (1528, Duffel – 1607, Antwerp), was a 16th-century lexicographer, linguist, translator and poet of the Southern Netherlands. Biography He was born in Duffel between 1528 and 1530. His parents, Anna and Hendrick van Kiele Rec ...

(1528–1607), lexicographer and poet *

Hendrik Hondius I Hendrik Hondius I (born Hendrik de Hondt; 9 June 1573 – ) was a Flemish-born and trained engraver, cartographer, and publisher who settled in the Dutch Republic in 1597. Life He was born as the son of Guillam (Willem) de Hondt, a philologis ...

(1573–1650), engraver, cartographer and publisher *

Rocky Bushiri Rocky Bushiri Kisonga (born 30 November 1999) is a professional Association football, footballer who plays as a Defender (association football)#Centre-back, centre-back for side Hibernian F.C., Hibernian and the DR Congo national football team, ...

, footballer for Hibernian FC *

Gaëtan De Knyff Gaëtan de Knyff, Chevalier du Saint-Empire (also ''Gaétan de Knyff''; born: 5 May 1871 in Duffel; died: 2 April 1933 in Neuilly-sur-Seine) was a Belgian car racer and cyclist. Gaëtan de Knyff was the son of lawyer Oscar de Knyff, Chevalier du ...

, racing driver

Climate

Gallery

File:Fort van Duffel - panoramio.jpg, Fort van Duffel File:Parochiekerk Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van de Goede Wil te Duffel.jpg, Onze-Lieve-Vrouw van de Goede Wil church File:Convent van Betlehem.jpg, Betlehem Convent File:Kerkstraat 28, Duffel.jpg, Pub in Duffel

References

External links