Zichem is a village of the town of

Scherpenheuvel-Zichem Scherpenheuvel-Zichem (; ) is a municipality and city located in the province of Flemish Brabant, Flemish Region, Belgium, encompassing the towns of Averbode, Messelbroek, Okselaar, Scherpenheuvel, Schoonderbuken, Keiberg, Kaggevinne, Testel ...

in the Belgian province of

Flemish Brabant Flemish Brabant ( ; ) is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on (clockwise from the North) the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also ...

. Zichem was an independent municipality until the municipal redistribution of 1977.

History

Zichem belonged to Maria van Loon-Heinsberg, who was a descendant of the Counts of Loon. After her marriage in 1440 to Jan IV of Nassau, Zichem became part of the county of

Nassau-Dillenburg The County of Nassau was a German state within the Holy Roman Empire from the period of the formal recognition of the countly title in 1159 (though "de facto" sovereignty began in 1125) until the declaration of the Duchy of Nassau in 1806 with ...

. Before the outbreak of the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish Empire, Spanish government. The Origins of the Eighty Years' War, causes of the w ...

, Zichem was a thriving town. During the siege of Zichem in 1578 by Alexander Farnese, almost the entire garrison was killed. In 1580, Zichem was hit by an earthquake which toppled the castle's keep. On October 8, the Staatsen retook Zichem. In 1599, a large ignited city fire put a permanent end to the town, and the town was destroyed by the fire.Havermans, ''Bydragen tot de geschiedenis van Diest en omstreken'' P.22, uitgave: Havermans, 1845

Geography

The Demer River that flows through the city forms the border between the Kempen region in the north and the Hageland region in the south.

Television series

The television series Wij, Heren van Zichem was based on several conjoined stories by

Ernest Claes Andreas Ernestus Josephus Claes (24 October 1885 in Zichem – 2 September 1968 in Elsene) was a Belgian author. He is best known for his regional novels, including ''De Witte'' ("Whitey"), which was the source material for the first Flemish so ...

. Some of the filming for the series took place in the city. Two films were also made "De Witte" (1934) by Jan Vanderheyden with a.o. Jef Bruyninckx, and "De Witte van Sichem" by Robbe De Hert (1980).

Born in Zichem

(1885-1968), writer

Peter Jan Beckx Peter Jan Beckx, SJ (also ''Pieter Jan Beckx'', in French ''Pierre Jean Beckx''; 8 February 1795 – 4 March 1887) was a Belgian Jesuit priest, elected the twenty-second Superior-General of the Society of Jesus in 1853. Early life and ed ...

(1795-1887), superior of the Jesuits.

Gallery

File:Maagdentoren zichem.jpg, alt=, maagdentoren File:Sint Eustachius Zichem.jpg, alt=, Saint-Eustachius church File:Maagdentoren 2016.jpg, alt=, maagdentoren File:Geboortehuis ernest claes.jpg, alt=, birth house ernest claes File:Het witpeerd -- tolhuis uit 1617.jpg, alt=, the witpeerd (oldest house in zichem) File:Ernest Claes & De Witte.jpg, alt=, ernest claes and whitey

References

{{Reflist Former municipalities of Flemish Brabant