Everything about Ekeren totally explained
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".
Although Ekeren is a suburb of Antwerp, it used to be a distinct
municipality with its own
town hall,
mayor, and
city council. When Belgian local governments were reorganized in 1983, most of Ekeren and other municipalities were made part of the city of
Antwerp. For a municipality of this enlarged size, the "local" government might easily have gotten out of touch with specific problems and needs in its farther localities. As a new law provided, in
2000 the city council initiated additional district councils with responsibilities including sports, culture, youth and elderly people. Since this
decentralization, the municipality consists of nine districts (the old city, seven former municipalities at its borders, and the
Bezali merger of three towns). The first district council of Ekeren, elected in
2001, was led by
Christophe Thomas; the current district council, elected in
2007, by
Ronny Kruyniers. The district council gathers in the 16th century-era
Hof van Veltwijck, which had seen major restructuring works around
2000; this complex also houses local administrative offices.
Ekeren used to be the home town of the Germinal Ekeren
football team until Germinal merged with
K. Beerschot V.A.C. into
K.F.C. Germinal Beerschot (in
1999). The new club is based in the
Olympisch Stadion in Antwerp.
Ekeren is home to the
Jozef Pauly municipal academy for music and word, which has around 2000 pupils as of
2004 (also counting branches in some other districts of the city of Antwerp, and one in the nearby municipality of
Kapellen). The academy hosts many
musical ensembles; the Jozef Pauly
flute ensemble has made concert tours to
Australia and the
United States. It should be noted that municipal music academies in Belgium are distinct from the public educational system; attending these academies is entirely optional, and merely a hobby for most of the students.
The 1 square
kilometre large domain of the
Oude Landen is a unique and extremely diverse piece of nature situated near the border with the Antwerp city district. Since it was a military area until
1972 (but not often used as such) where trespassing was strictly forbidden, nature was allowed to have its way for decades; the area now contains a rich mixture of plants and animals in eight more or less separate mini-ecosystems.
In 1703, Ekeren was the site of a battle in the
War of the Spanish Succession, known as the
Battle of Ekeren. Some street names in Ekeren (for example, the "Successiestraat", "Vierkerkenstraat", and "Tweekronenstraat") still refer to this occurring.
Famous residents
Further Information
Get more info on 'Ekeren'.
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