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Beveren
Beveren
; Flag	; Coat of arms
Location of Beveren in East Flanders
	; Beveren Location in Belgium
Sovereign state	Belgium
Region	Flemish Region
Community	Flemish Community
Province	East Flanders
Arrondissement	Sint-Niklaas
Coordinates	51°12′0″N 04°15′0″E / 51.2°N 4.25°ECoordinates: 51°12′0″N 04°15′0″E / 51.2°N 4.25°E
Area	150.18 km²
Population; – Males; – Females; – Density	45,705 (2006-01-01); 49.76%; 50.24%; 304 inhab./km²
Age distribution; 0–19 years; 20–64 years; 65+ years	(01/01/2006); 22.54%; 60.74%; 16.72%
Foreigners	1.92% (01/07/2005)
Unemployment rate	6.21% (1 January 2006)
Mean annual income	€14,051/pers. (2003)
Mayor	Marc Van de Vijve (CD&V)
Governing parties	CD&V, VLDVUA
Postal codes	9120, 9130
Area codes	03
Website	www.beveren.be

Castle of Cortewalle

Beveren is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Beveren proper, Doel, Haasdonk, Kallo, Kieldrecht, Melsele, Verrebroek and Vrasene.

The port of the Waasland (Dutch: Waaslandhaven) is located in Beveren, on the left bank of the Schelde, facing the port of Antwerp on the other side of the river.

[edit] History

[edit] Roman origins

In Roman times, the Beveren area was at the edge of the sea and heavily influenced by the tides. The earliest inhabitants erected primitive dams, which were later reinforced and heightened by the religious communities that sprung up in the region. The invasions of the Normans in the 9th century prompted the Counts of Flanders and their local vassals to defend this land even more. Among the local nobility were the lords of Beveren, whose territory was eventually ceded to Louis I of Flanders in 1334. Beveren thus became the oldest political centre of the Waasland region – the northeastern part of the historical County of Flanders – basking for more than two centuries in the glory of Flanders and Burgundy.

[edit] 1570 to the present

In 1570, a catastrophic tide flooded the area. For strategic reasons linked to the protection of Antwerp, the local authorities decided to dismantle the remaining dams. Five years later, the rights to the territory were sold. The area closest to the Scheldt was bought by an Antwerp merchant, and the rest went to the Duke of Aarschot. This state of affairs lasted until the French Revolution, when the territory was subdivided into the pre-merger communes. From the 17th century on, the territory had slowly been taken back from the sea, until 1846, when the last parcel of land was dammed up.

On February 1, 1953, a particularly nasty storm breached the dykes, causing again heavy damage to hundreds of houses. In the 1960s an 1970s, the expansion of the port of Antwerp took place on Kallo’s territory. The village of Doel was reduced from the 900 residents of only 10 years ago to some 250 currently because of the expansion of the port. Vast industrial settlements came in its wake, including a nuclear power plant in Doel, which allows Beveren to provide low municipal tax rates for its inhabitants. The opening of the Liefkenshoek car tunnel under the Scheldt in 1991 further improved access to the left bank. Despite all those developments, Beveren has managed to keep its green areas intact and still offers picturesque landscapes to visitors.

[edit] Sights

Two castles remain from the feudal era: the beautifully restored, water surrounded, 15th-century Castle of Cortewalle, and the Castle Hof Ter Saksen (18th century), which evolved from a medieval inn on the road between Ghent and Antwerp. During the second part of the 20th century, the castle was abandoned and reduced to ruins within a park. In the last few years, extensive restorations have been performed, and in a few years this castle will be restored to its former glory.
The Haasdonk fort was built just before World War I for Antwerp’s protection. Bunkers can still be seen nearby.
Beveren has kept several centuries-old houses, manors, chapels and churches.
The village of Doel houses a 17th-century windmill, one of the oldest in Flanders.
The polders north of Beveren offer a unique landscape, reminiscent of the southern Netherlands.
The Freethiel

[edit] Folklore

Like many other cities in Belgium, Beveren has a collection of giant puppets who take part in most of the local festivities. The two oldest ones were baptized in 1954.