Deurne (Belgium)
Encyclopedia
Deurne is the second largest district of the municipality of Antwerp, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, (right after the Antwerp town district) and has 69,408 inhabitants.

Ancien régime

During the Ancien régime Deurne was nothing more than part of the Eastern hinterland
Hinterland
The hinterland is the land or district behind a coast or the shoreline of a river. Specifically, by the doctrine of the hinterland, the word is applied to the inland region lying behind a port, claimed by the state that owns the coast. The area from which products are delivered to a port for...

 of Antwerp. Like many dwellings it settled on the crossroads of a river (the Schijn) and a connection route (the 'Turnhoutse baan': the road from Antwerp to Turnhout). There are indications that Deurne existed in prehistoric and Roman times but the first tangible proof of Deurne only dates back to 1185.

Deurne consisted mainly of sparsely populated farmland. However, as a direct result of the increasing wealth of the Antwerp population, many aristocratic
Aristocracy
Aristocracy , is a form of government in which a few elite citizens rule. The term derives from the Greek aristokratia, meaning "rule of the best". In origin in Ancient Greece, it was conceived of as rule by the best qualified citizens, and contrasted with monarchy...

 estates were erected (the so-called "Hof van Plaisantie" was a specific rural estate, a bourgeois
Bourgeoisie
In sociology and political science, bourgeoisie describes a range of groups across history. In the Western world, between the late 18th century and the present day, the bourgeoisie is a social class "characterized by their ownership of capital and their related culture." A member of the...

 version of a château
Château
A château is a manor house or residence of the lord of the manor or a country house of nobility or gentry, with or without fortifications, originally—and still most frequently—in French-speaking regions...

 or country house). Typically, merchants, diplomats, wealthy artists (like Peter Paul Rubens f.i.) would escape to their Hof van Plaisantie. Some country houses in Deurne were : Sterckxhof, Papenhof, Lakbors, Bisschoppenhof, Gallifort, Inkborsch, Bosuil, Ertbrugge & Venneborg. Although most country houses were destroyed over the centuries (especially in 1542), some like Sterckxhof or Bisschoppenhof survived. Further surviving evidence of this aristocratic history of Deurne is the St Fredegand Church and the adjacent cemetery (the St-Fredegandusbegraafpark).

Nineteenth century

After the battle of Waterloo
Battle of Waterloo
The Battle of Waterloo was fought on Sunday 18 June 1815 near Waterloo in present-day Belgium, then part of the United Kingdom of the Netherlands...

 William of Orange
William I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....

 started to connect the Antwerp port with its hinterland through the construction of a series of canals between Antwerp and Liège, connecting the Scheldt
Scheldt
The Scheldt is a 350 km long river in northern France, western Belgium and the southwestern part of the Netherlands...

 with the Maas
Meuse River
The Maas or Meuse is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea...

. Although work started under his reign in 1823, work wasn't completed until 1874.

The effect of this canal was to establish a permanent barrier north of Deurne (where the Kleine Schijn used to flow), separating it from Merksem
Merksem
Merksem is a district of the municipality and city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It has almost 41,000 inhabitants.-History:The history of Merksem goes back to Gallo-Roman times. During that period the region was mentioned as Merk and Heim being part of the diocese Kamerijk...

. In the south the Grote Schijn would form the south barrier of Deurne. The effect of both barriers was to enhance an 'island feeling' for Deurne. This was further promoted by the establishment of the Brialmont fortifications
Réduit national
Fortress Antwerp was a defensive belt of fortifications built in two rings to defend Antwerp. Antwerp was designated to be a national reduit in case Belgium was attacked. It was built in the period 1859–1914...

 around Antwerp. Deurne was split apart and the western part of Deurne (Borgerhout
Borgerhout
Borgerhout is a district of the municipality and city of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The district houses 41,614 inhabitants reflecting 90 nationalities...

) was to become a separate municipality. The rest of Deurne now lay outside the enceinte
Enceinte
Enceinte , is a French term used technically in fortification for the inner ring of fortifications surrounding a town or a concentric castle....

 and became physically and mentally more separated from Antwerp.

Modern times

Because of the barriers constructed in the nineteenth century urbanization
Urbanization
Urbanization, urbanisation or urban drift is the physical growth of urban areas as a result of global change. The United Nations projected that half of the world's population would live in urban areas at the end of 2008....

 would only begin in the twentieth century. Many large scale urban functions were 'dropped' in the undestined area previously occupied by the Brialmont-fortifications (like the event hall Sportpaleis Merksem
Sportpaleis Merksem
The Antwerps Sportpaleis , also called Sportpaleis Antwerpen or simply the Sportpaleis, is an arena in Antwerp, Belgium. It is a multipurpose hall where concerts, sporting events, festivals and fairs are organized...

). Urban planning
Urban planning
Urban planning incorporates areas such as economics, design, ecology, sociology, geography, law, political science, and statistics to guide and ensure the orderly development of settlements and communities....

 started in 1913 and although the original plan was never fully realised it did determine the spatial structure of Deurne.

A real demographic explosion happened because of this urban planning and the need for many Antwerp residents to find modern housing. The population grew from 15,432 in 1920 to 52,303 in 1935.

World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

 halted this evolution, mainly because of the V-2 bombardments
V-2 rocket
The V-2 rocket , technical name Aggregat-4 , was a ballistic missile that was developed at the beginning of the Second World War in Germany, specifically targeted at London and later Antwerp. The liquid-propellant rocket was the world's first long-range combat-ballistic missile and first known...

. After 1945 the growth of Deurne started again and in the 1960s social housing & other community projects further enhanced this new urban identity of Deurne.

From 1972 onward Deurne was subject to the urban exodus and the urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...

 whereby people moved from the dense urban centres towards the suburbs. As a result the population began to diminish in numbers and the remaining population became older.

In 1983 Deurne was absorbed into the municipality of Greater Antwerp (see : Antwerp) whereby Deurne became one of the 9 districts. In 2001 Antwerp was decentralised, Deurne once again has its own elected council, not a city council but a district council, not a mayor but a 'chairman of the district governing board'...

Major attractions

Deurne has one of the oldest still functioning airports in the world, established in 1923. Antwerp Airport is a regional airport with only a limited number of flights a day.
Located at the airport is the Stampe & Vertongen Museum, at the location of the old aircraft production company of the same name.

It also has the Museum of Silver which is located in the castle of Sterckshof.
The Museum collection has many rooms and chambers dedicated to the art and techniques of silver which covers a periode of the 16th century till present times and is presented in themes.

Born in Deurne

  • Erik Van Looy
    Erik Van Looy
    Erik Ludovicus Maria Van Looy is a Belgian film director.In Flanders he is also known as a television presenter .His most famous movies are:*Ad Fundum *Shades...

    , film director and tv quiz presenter
  • An Pierlé
    An Pierlé
    An Pierlé is a Belgian pianist and singer-songwriter.-Career:...

    , musician
  • Björn Leukemans
    Björn Leukemans
    Björn Leukemans is a Belgian professional road bicycle racer. During 2008 Leukemans was suspended for doping with artificial testosterone. For 2009 he joined the .- Palmares :2011...

    , cyclist

Economy

VLM Airlines
VLM Airlines
VLM Airlines is a Belgian airline whose head office is in Airport Building B50 at Antwerp International Airport in Deurne, Antwerp...

 has its head office on the grounds of Antwerp International Airport
Antwerp International Airport
Antwerpen International Airport is located 2 km from the city of Antwerp, Belgium. It is home to a maintenance hangar for CityJet. In 2005 it served about 105,937 passengers . In 2010, the airport served 162,840 passengers...

 in Deurne; the office is also CityJet
Cityjet
CityJet Limited is an Irish regional airline headquartered in the Swords Business Campus in Swords, County Dublin, Ireland. It operates at London City Airport, and flies franchise services on behalf of its parent company Air France from Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. Since the take over of VLM...

's Antwerp office.
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