Kessel () is a town in the municipality of Nijlen in the 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 ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. In 2006, the population was 7,207 inhabitants. Kessel is known for its tourist attractions, such as "de Kesselse Heide" (a nature reserve) and " Fort Kessel" (a fortress built for

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

). Kessel lies between two rivers: the Kleine Nete in the north and the Grote Nete in the south. It borders with

Emblem An emblem is an abstract art, abstract or representational pictorial image that represents a concept, like a moral truth, or an allegory, or a person, like a monarch or saint. Emblems vs. symbols Although the words ''emblem'' and ''symbol'' ...

, Nijlen,

Bevel A bevelled edge (UK) or beveled edge (US) is an edge of a structure that is not perpendicular to the faces of the piece. The words bevel and chamfer overlap in usage; in general usage, they are often interchanged, while in technical usage, they ...

Berlaar Berlaar () is a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality located in the Belgium, Belgian province of Antwerp (province), Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Berlaar proper and . In 2021, Berlaar had a total population of 11,710. The to ...

and Lier. Although Kessel is a fairly small town, it has 2 separate town centres, Kessel-Dorp, which is built up around the town square, and Kessel-station, which is built up around the train station. The name Kessel comes from the Latin word

Castellum A ''castellum'' in Latin is usually: * a small Roman fortlet or tower,C. Julius Caesar, Gallic War; 2,30 a diminutive of (' military camp'), often used as a watchtower or signal station like on Hadrian's Wall. It is distinct from a , which ...

(fortress), indicating that Kessel might have been the location for an old

Roman camp ''Castra'' () is a Latin language, Latin term used during the Roman Republic and Roman Empire for a military 'camp', and ''castrum'' () for a 'Fortification, fort'. Either could refer to a building or plot of land, used as a fortified milita ...

. In 1912, another

Fortress A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from L ...

was built, in order to withstand a German invasion. During

, German artillery fire from

made the fort useless, though it still stands until this day and was given the status of Protected Monument by the Belgian government.

Sports

The Kessel-Fort is a September

cyclo-cross Cyclo-cross (cyclocross, CX, cyclo-X or cross) is a form of bicycle racing. Races typically take place in the autumn and winter (the international or "World Cup" season is October–February), and consist of many laps of a short (2.5–3.5&nb ...

competition.

Gallery

Image:Kessel, monumentaal pand foto2 2009-08-30 12.47.JPG, Old city hall Image:Kessel, kerk foto3 2009-08-30 12.52.JPG, Sint-Lambertus church File:Kessel woning, dubbelhuis 02.jpg, Villa in Kessel

References

Populated places in Antwerp Province Nijlen {{Antwerp-geo-stub