Province of Belgium
Province in Flanders, Belgium
Antwerp Province
(
Dutch
:
Provincie Antwerpen
[??nt??rp?(n)]
ⓘ
,
French
:
Province d'Anvers
,
German
:
Provinz Antwerpen
), between 1815 and 1830 known as
Central Brabant
(
Dutch
:
Midden-Brabant
,
French
:
Brabant-Central
,
German
:
Mittel-Brabant
), is the northernmost
province
both of the
Flemish Region
, also called
Flanders
, and of
Belgium
. It borders on the
North Brabant
province of the
Netherlands
to the north and the Belgian provinces of
Limburg
,
Flemish Brabant
and
East Flanders
. Its capital is
Antwerp
, which includes the
Port of Antwerp
, the second-largest
seaport
in Europe. It has an area of 2,876 km
2
(1,110 sq mi), and with over 1.85 million inhabitants as of January 2019, is the country's most populous province. The province consists of three
arrondissements
: Antwerp,
Mechelen
and
Turnhout
. The eastern part of the province comprises the main part of the
Campine
region.
History
[
edit
]
During the early
Middle Ages
the region was part of the
Frankish Empire
, which was divided into several
pagi
. The territory of the present-day province belonged to several
pagi
of which the region around what would become the city of
Antwerp
belonged to the Pagus Renesium. The
Pagus Toxandria
stretched from
North Brabant
into the
Campine
region. To the south there was the Pagus Bracbatinsis and the
Pagus Hasbaniensis
. In 843 the
Carolingian Empire
of
Charlemagne
was divided among his sons and the river
Scheldt
became the border between
West Francia
and
East Francia
. In 974
Otto II
established the
Margraviate of Antwerp
as a defence against the
County of Flanders
.
In 1106,
Henry V
granted the Margraviate to
Godfrey I of Leuven
. His descendants would from 1235 onwards become the Dukes of Brabant and the region itself was the northern part of the
Duchy of Brabant
. In 1430 the Duchy became part of the
Duchy of Burgundy
until 1477 when it fell to the
House of Habsburg
. In 1713, at the end of the
Spanish Succession War
the region became part of the
Austrian Netherlands
until 1794, with in 1790 the short lived
United States of Belgium
. On 1 October 1795 the former Austrian Netherlands were annexed by France under the
French Directory
.
The modern province was created as the
Department of the two Netes
during the
First French Empire
(when the
Southern Netherlands
were part of France). After the defeat of
Napoleon
, the territory became part of the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands
as the province of
Central Brabant
, distinguishing it from
North Brabant
and
South Brabant
. In 1830, after
Belgium's independence
the province was renamed Antwerp (after its major city and capital).
Prefects from 1800 until 1814
[
edit
]
Prefects of the
Department of the two Netes
during the
First French Empire
Governors from 1815 until 1830
[
edit
]
Governors of the province of Antwerp during the
United Kingdom of the Netherlands
Governors since 1830
[
edit
]
Governors of the Belgian province of Antwerp
Population
[
edit
]
- 1846: 406,354
- 1856: 434,485
- 1866: 456,607
- 1880: 577,232
- 1890: 700,019
- 1900: 819,159
- 1910: 968,677
- 1920: 1,016,963
- 1930: 1,173,363
- 1947: 1,281,333
- 2008: 1,715,707
- 2010: 1,744,862
Language
[
edit
]
As in all
Flemish provinces
, the official and standard language of the Antwerp province is
Dutch
. As with
Flemish Brabant
,
North Brabant
and
Brussels
, the local dialect is a
Brabantian
variety.
Religion
[
edit
]
Religion in Antwerp (2008)
[5]
Non-religious (24.1%)
Other religion (2.6%)
According to the
International Social Survey Programme 2008: Religion III
by the
Association of Religion Data Archives
,
[5]
73.3% of Antwerp's population identify themselves as
Catholics
, 24.1% as
non-religious
, 2.6% identify themselves as of other religions.
Government
[
edit
]
The province of Antwerp has a provincial council, elected every six years, and an executive deputation headed by a governor. The current governor is
Cathy Berx
, appointed in 2008 by the
Flemish Government
.
The
last elections
were held on 14 October 2018. The following parties were elected to the 36-member council:
Party or alliance
|
9 October 1994
[6]
|
8 October 2000
|
8 October 2006
|
14 October 2012
|
14 October 2018
|
Vote share/seats
|
%
|
72
|
%
|
72
|
%
|
72
|
%
|
72
|
%
|
36
|
|
PVV
1
/ VLD
2
/ VLD-Vivant
3
/ Open Vld
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.9
|
7
|
9.1
|
2
|
|
AGALEV
1
/ Groen!
2
/ Groen
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
9.3
|
6
|
14.3
|
5
|
|
SP
1
/ sp.a-Spirit
2
/ Stadslijst (sp.a-CD&V)
3
/ sp.a
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
12.8
|
10
|
8
|
2
|
|
CVP
1
/ Antw'94 (CVP-VU)
2
/ CD&V-N-VA
3
/ CD&V
4
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
16.8
|
13
|
15.4
|
6
|
|
VU
1
/ VU&ID
2
/ N-VA
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
35.9
|
27
|
32.8
|
14
|
|
Vlaams Blok
1
/ Vlaams Belang-VLOT
2
/ Vlaams Belang
3
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
10.9
|
7
|
14.2
|
6
|
|
PVDA
1
/ PVDA+
2
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
3.4
|
2
|
4.5
|
1
|
|
D-SA
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
0.6
|
0
|
|
Piratenpartij
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
0.5
|
|
0.6
|
0
|
|
Be.One
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
0.2
|
0
|
|
SamBA
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
0.2
|
0
|
|
USE
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
-
|
|
0.1
|
0
|
Total votes
|
|
|
|
1,105,274
|
1,137,390
|
Turnout %
|
|
|
|
|
|
Blank and invalid %
|
|
|
|
|
|
Geography
[
edit
]
Transportation
[
edit
]
The province has a network of roads, railroads, canals and rivers which provide a modern infrastructure. Historically, the traffic infrastructure was an important element of connecting the
Port of Antwerp
with the
Ruhr Area
in
North Rhine-Westphalia
, Germany. Both the
Iron Rhine
railroad and the
E313
(
King
Baudouin
highway
) and
E34
highway
connect Antwerp with the Ruhr Area.
Of the
International E-road network
, the
E313
,
E19
, and
E34
run through parts of the province. The
Kennedy Tunnel
and the
Liefkenshoek Tunnel
connect the highway network of the province with
East Flanders
and
Ghent
. In addition a new
Oosterweelconnection
is under consideration.
The railroads connect the major cities of the province, such as Antwerp,
Mechelen
,
Herentals
,
Turnhout
and
Mol
. The
Iron Rhine
connects Antwerp with
Monchengladbach
in Germany. The new
High Speed Train
connects
Antwerpen-Centraal railway station
with
Brussels
(
HSL 4
) and
Amsterdam
(
HSL-Zuid
) at high speed.
Antwerp International Airport
, located in
Deurne
, is a regional airport.
The river
Schelde
, an important
waterway
, connects the Port of Antwerp with the
North Sea
. The
Albert Canal
connects the Scheldt in Antwerp with the
Meuse
and
Liege
. Other canals are the Canal
Dessel
?
Kwaadmechelen
,
Schoten
? Turnhout ? Dessel, and Herentals ?
Bocholt
which flows into the Nete canal.
Tourism
[
edit
]
The province contains several historical cities, such as Antwerp, Mechelen, Turnhout, Herentals and
Lier
. The Campine region is becoming a popular destination for tourists searching for a quiet and relaxed weekend. Old farms were transformed into bed and breakfast-hotels, the restaurant and cafe business is very active and an ingenious network for bicycle tours has come to life in recent years. Here and there are still areas of large heathland - and forests, such as the
Kalmthoutse Heide
(E: Kalmthout heathland) in
Kalmthout
, the
moors
around Turnhout, the
Liereman
(
Oud-Turnhout
) and the
Prinsenpark
in
Retie
. In a number of villages one can still see the typical Campine
langgevelboerderijen
(E:
long facade farms
).
Education and research
[
edit
]
The province is home to several
educational institutions
and the
University of Antwerp
. Several research institutions are located in the province, such as the
SCK?CEN
, the European
Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements
(IRMM) and the
Flemish Institute for Technological Research
(VITO).
International schools in Antwerp include
Antwerp International School
and
Lycee Francais International d'Anvers
.
Economy
[
edit
]
The
Gross domestic product
(GDP) of the province was 88 billion € in 2018. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 41,900 € or 139% of the EU27 average in the same year.
[7]
The Port of Antwerp is the economic heart of the province. Until the agricultural crisis of 1880, the eastern part of the province was a largely agricultural region. The industrial development of the eastern part of the province, part of the
Campine
region, started at the end of the 19th century when industry established itself in the region. The availability of cheap labor, new roads, canals, tramways and railroads such as the
Iron Rhine
, stimulated the settlement of new industry. A
brickmaking
industry was established alongside the canals, paper and printing business in Turnhout, as were non-ferrous
metallurgy
in Balen-Nete, dynamite factories in
Arendonk
and
Balen
,
tobacco
and cigar factories in Arendonk, and the first shoe factory in Herentals. During the 1920s, the industrial expansion of the region continued with the
radium
and
copper
factories in
Olen
, the glass factory in Mol-Gompel and the diamond industry in
Grobbendonk
and
Nijlen
.
In the 20th century the first nuclear installation in Belgium was established at the
SCK?CEN
in Mol in 1962. The European
Institute for Reference Materials and Measurements
(IRMM), one of the EU
Joint Research Centres
, was founded in
Geel
in 1957 as a result of the
Treaty of Rome
.
Innotek
is a technology centre located in Geel and is part of the European Business and Innovation Centre Network (EBN). Industry in the Campine region of the province is mainly located alongside the
E313
, the
E34
and the
Albert Canal
.
Unemployment
[
edit
]
The unemployment rate stood at 5.9% in 2017 and was lower than the national average.
[8]
Year
|
2006
|
2007
|
2008
|
2009
|
2010
|
2011
|
2012
|
2013
|
2014
|
2015
|
2016
|
2017
|
2018
|
unemployment rate
(in %)
|
5.7
|
5.0
|
4.6
|
5.7
|
6.0
|
5.7
|
5.3
|
6.2
|
6.1
|
6.1
|
6.1
|
5.9
|
4.3
|
Chemical industry
[
edit
]
After
World War II
the Port of Antwerp was expanded, and on its premises several chemical factories and
oil refineries
were established, including facilities of
Bayer
,
BASF
, and
Monsanto
. The chemical and
petrochemical industry
is widely represented in the port region and comprises the world's second-largest cluster petrochemical industry cluster, after that of
Houston
(United States). Amoco Chemical Belgium N.V., now part of
BP
, was founded in Geel in 1967.
A pharmaceutical industry was founded in
Beerse
in the 1960s, with
Janssen Pharmaceutica
and more recently with
Genzyme
in Geel.
Soudal
(
silicon
) in Turnhout and
Ravago
(
plastics
) in
Arendonk
became leading companies in their markets.
Diamond
[
edit
]
The
diamond
industry and trade is traditionally located in
Antwerp
. At the end of the 19th century Hendrik Cassiers founded a diamond-cutting company outside Antwerp, in
Grobbendonk
. Hendrik Cassiers and Frans Dela Montagne laid the foundations of the diamond industry in the Campine region. The industry would settle in
Nijlen
,
Herenthout
,
Bevel
,
Kessel
,
Vorselaar
and
Berlaar
.
Paper
[
edit
]
The region around Turnhout became famous for its printing business, with companies such as
Brepols
, which roots date back to 1796 when
Pieter Corbeels
established his printing business in Turnhout.
[9]
In 1833,
Van Genechten N.V.
, Splichal N.V. in 1856, Mesmaekers Freres in 1859, Meses-Goris in 1872,
L. Biermans
in 1875, Poupaert in 1881, La Belgica N.V. in 1907,
H. Proost & Co
in 1913, J. Van Mierlo-Proost in 1918, Lityca in 1932 and Veloutex in 1951. More recently in 1970,
Cartamundi
was established, a world leader in playing cards.
Metallurgies
[
edit
]
While
Wallonia
was famous for its steel industry, the
Campine
region became renowned for its
non-ferrous
metallurgies
. The
Campine
region was scarcely populated in the 19th century, but with the establishment of
canals
, the
Iron Rhine
and cheap labor, several metallurgies were established in the region.
[10]
In 1888-1889 the metallurgy
La Vieille Montagne
was founded in
Balen-Nete
, close to the Iron Rhine and the canal to
Beverlo
. The company had its roots in the exploitation of the
zinc
mines of
Moresnet
.
The
Union Miniere du Haut Katanga
founded the Societe Generale Metallurgique de Hoboken in
Olen
, which was established along the Iron Rhine and the
Albert Canal
. The factory produced
radium
,
cobalt
and
copper
from the mines of the Union Miniere in
Katanga
,
Belgian Congo
and
Rhodesia
. Along the canal Turnhout-
Schoten
, the Metallurgique de la Campine was established in 1910 for the production of
lead
and
antimony
. La Metallo-Chimique was established in 1919; this specialized in the production of copper.
Glass
[
edit
]
In 1872, the Sablieres et Carrieres Reunies (SCR), now
Sibelco
, was founded to extract the
silica
sand layers in Mol for industrial applications (
glass
). In 1920 the glass bottle manufacturer Beles Reunios was set up in Mol-Donk.
In 1921, a group of Belgian banks, the Mutuelle Mobiliere & Immobiliere, the
Societe Generale de Belgique
, the
Banque de Bruxelles
and the Financiere de Transport, together with the American group
Libbey-Owens
, founded the Cie Internationale pour la fabrication mecanique de Verre in
Mol Gompel
. In 1931, due to the economic crisis, the company merged into Glaces et Verres (Glaver).
[11]
In 1961, Glaver merged with Univerbel to form
Glaverbel
.
Dynamite
[
edit
]
Given that the Campine region was sparsely populated, several
dynamite
factories were established in the region. In 1875, the Societe Anonyme d'Arendonk was established which premises would later become part of
Ravago
. In 1881 La Forcite N.V. was established near
Balen
, which was later acquired in 1920 by the Poudreries Reunies de Belgique (PRB). In 1887 a factory was founded near Herentals, which was closed due to the vicinity to the city. The factories produced explosives for the
mines
and
quarries
. The factories in the province are now closed down.
Textiles
[
edit
]
Historically,
wool
processing industry was based on the wool from the
sheep
which were kept on the
Campine
heath
. The centre of the textile industry in the province could be found in Turnhout. Wool processing companies such as Wolspinnerij Van Iersel, Spinnerij en Weverij Van Hoof, and De Wollendekensfabriek Van Doren were located in Mol.
Tobacco
[
edit
]
At the end of the 19th century
Arendonk
became the centre of the tobacco industry. Additional factories were founded in Turnhout, Mol, Geel and Herentals.
[12]
After World War II, the ALTO cigar factory was founded by
Frans Van den Bergh
who would also play an important role at
Janssen Pharmaceutica
.
Administrative subdivisions
[
edit
]
The province is divided into three administrative
arrondissements
(
arrondissementen
in
Dutch
) containing 69
municipalities
(numbers refer to the location of the municipalities on the map shown in this section):
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- Steve Heylen, Bart De Nil, Bart D’hondt, Sophie Gyselinck, Hanne Van Herck en Donald Weber,
Geschiedenis van de provincie Antwerpen. Een politieke biografie
, Antwerpen, Provinciebestuur Antwerpen, 2005, 2 volumes
- ^
"be.STAT"
. bestat.statbel.fgov.be.
- ^
"Structuur van de bevolking"
. Statbel.
- ^
"EU regions by GDP, Eurostat"
. Retrieved
18 September
2023
.
- ^
"Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab"
.
Archived
from the original on 2021-07-29.
- ^
a
b
"Analysis | International Social Survey Programme 2008: Religion III | Data Archive | The Association of Religion Data Archives"
.
www.thearda.com
. Retrieved
2017-04-17
.
- ^
"Verkiezingsdatabase"
.
www.ibzdgip.fgov.be
.
- ^
"Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018"
.
Eurostat
.
- ^
"Regional Unemployment by NUTS2 Region"
.
Eurostat
.
- ^
De Turnhoutse Kempen, haar economische en sociale betekenis, Vlaams Economisch Verbond, pp. 88-90
- ^
De Turnhoutse Kempen, haar economische en sociale betekenis, Vlaams Economisch Verbond, pp. 94-99
- ^
De Turnhoutse Kempen, haar economische en sociale betekenis
, Vlaams Economisch Verbond, pp. 102-104
- ^
De Turnhoutse Kempen, haar economische en sociale betekenis, Vlaams Economisch Verbond, pp. 90-93
External links
[
edit
]
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International
| |
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| |
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Geographic
| |
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