Kessel, Belgium
Encyclopedia
This article is about the town of Kessel, Belgium. For other uses, see Kessel (disambiguation)
.
Kessel is a town in the Province of Antwerp in Belgium
. In 2006, the town counted 7207 inhabitants. Although officially part of a larger town region, Nijlen, Kessel is very famous on itself for its many touristic attractions, such as "het Vredenhof" (a huge flower garden), "de Kesselse Heide" (a nature reserve) and "Fort Kessel" (a fortress built for World War I
).
Kessel lies between two rivers: the Kleine Nete in the north and the Grote Nete in the south. It borders with Emblem
, Nijlen, Bevel
, Berlaar
and Lier
. Although Kessel is a fairly small town, it has 2 separate town centres, Kessel-Dorp, which is built up around the town square, and Kessel-station, which is built up around the train station.
The name Kessel comes from the Latin word Castellum
(fortress), indicating that Kessel might have been the location for an old Roman camp. In 1912, another Fortress was built, in order to withstand a German invasion. During World War I
, German artillery fire from Berlaar
made the fort useless, though it still stands until this day and was given the status of Protected Monument by the Belgian government.
Kessel (disambiguation)
-Places:*Kessel, Belgium*Kessel-Lo, Belgium*Kessel, Limburg, Netherlands*Kessel, North Brabant, Netherlands*Kessel, West Virginia, United States-Other uses:*Kessel , a pocket of encircled military units*KFC Kessel, a Belgian football team...
.
Kessel is a town in the Province of Antwerp in 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...
. In 2006, the town counted 7207 inhabitants. Although officially part of a larger town region, Nijlen, Kessel is very famous on itself for its many touristic attractions, such as "het Vredenhof" (a huge flower garden), "de Kesselse Heide" (a nature reserve) and "Fort Kessel" (a fortress built for World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
).
Kessel lies between two rivers: the Kleine Nete in the north and the Grote Nete in the south. It borders with Emblem
Emblem
An emblem is a pictorial image, abstract or representational, that epitomizes a concept — e.g., a moral truth, or an allegory — or that represents a person, such as a king or saint.-Distinction: emblem and symbol:...
, Nijlen, Bevel
Bevel
A beveled edge refers to an edge of a structure that is not perpendicular to the faces of the piece. The words bevel and chamfer overlap in usage; in general usage they are often interchanged, while in technical usage they may sometimes be differentiated as shown in the image at right.-Cutting...
, Berlaar
Berlaar
Berlaar is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Berlaar proper and Gestel . On January 1, 2006 Berlaar had a total population of 10,612. The total area is 24.57 km² which gives a population density of 432 inhabitants per km².-History:The...
and Lier
Lier, Belgium
Lier is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the city of Lier proper and the village of Koningshooikt. On January 1, 2010 Lier had a total population of 33,930. The total area is 49.70 km² which gives a population density of 669 inhabitants per...
. Although Kessel is a fairly small town, it has 2 separate town centres, Kessel-Dorp, which is built up around the town square, and Kessel-station, which is built up around the train station.
The name Kessel comes from the Latin word Castellum
Castellum
A castellum is a small Roman detached fort or fortlet used as a watch tower or signal station. The Latin word castellum is a diminutive of castra , which in turn is the plural of castrum ; it is the source of the English word "castle".The term castellum was also used to refer to a settling or...
(fortress), indicating that Kessel might have been the location for an old Roman camp. In 1912, another Fortress was built, in order to withstand a German invasion. During World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, German artillery fire from Berlaar
Berlaar
Berlaar is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Berlaar proper and Gestel . On January 1, 2006 Berlaar had a total population of 10,612. The total area is 24.57 km² which gives a population density of 432 inhabitants per km².-History:The...
made the fort useless, though it still stands until this day and was given the status of Protected Monument by the Belgian government.