๐ง๐ช Heist-op-den-Berg is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises Heist-op-den-Berg proper (including the hamlets: Heist-Goor, Heist-Station, Zonderschot, Heist-Centrum and Bruggeneinde), the villages of Booischotย (including the hamlet Pijpelheide), Hallaar Itegem Schriekย and Wiekevorst.
History The 48-meter-high hill on which Heist would later be built (hence the adjunct name op-den-Berg meaning "on the hill") was formed during the early part of the Ice age. As can be appreciated from the artifacts shown at the regional museum on the city's main square, this area was already populated in prehistoric times. Soon after the Romans yielded this land to the invading Germanic peoples in the 3rd and 4th century, Christianization followed. The village of Itegem, located right on the Nete River, was most likely the first hamlet to be founded, as suggested by a document dating from 976. Chapels in Hallaar and Itegem were built in the 12th century. This century also marked the beginnings of the Duchy of Brabant, of which this whole area was a part.
Around the year 1200, a military fort was built at the current location of the Ter Laken castle, on Booischot's territory. Schriek, which was founded in 1125, got its own chapel in 1260 while the main church at Heist was built in 1340. These two religious buildings were heavily damaged during the wars of religion around 1600. During most of the Middle Ages, agriculture was driving the economy and several huge farming domains were built, some of which still subsist today (e.g., Wimpelhoeve in Wiekevorst, traces of which date from the 12th century, and Pandoerenhoeve in Schriek, dating from 1624). During the 17th and 18th century, the miraculous wooden statue of the Virgin and Child in the Hallaar church became an object of pilgrimage.
The current city hall was built in 1844, fourteen years after the foundation of Belgium as an independent country. Today, the city is mostly a residential centre, which offers services to the surrounding communities.
Events โข Heistse Pijl, cycling race โข Heist-op-den-Berg is well known for its Sunday morning flea market.
Sights โข The historical heart of the city is the church square (Kerkplein), where one of the city's many old water pumps can be seen, and where a train museum (Treinmuseum) and a regional farming museum (Heemmuseum) can be visited. โข An old windmill, the last one in the Mechelen area, churches and chapels, and farms, many with their original water pumps, dot the landscape around the city. โข Heist-op-den-Berg (especially Itegem) also houses several castles, most of which are privately owned and therefore not open to the public.
Heist-op-den-Berg has a population of over 42,950 people. Heist-op-den-Berg also forms part of the wider Mechelen Arrondissement which has a population of over 340,410 people. Heist-op-den-Berg is situated near Mechelen.
Twin Towns - Sister Cities Heist-op-den-Berg has links with:
๐ท๐ด Arad, Romania๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Crawley 51.1
๐ฉ๐ช Langenfeld 51.112
๐ต๐ฑ Skarลผysko-Kamienna 51.117
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Barnstaple 51.08
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Hythe 51.072
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Salisbury 51.07
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Folkestone 51.067
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Winchester 51.063
๐ด๓ ง๓ ข๓ ฅ๓ ฎ๓ ง๓ ฟ Horsham 51.062
๐ต๐ฑ Starachowice 51.058
๐ซ๐ท Villefranche-sur-Saรดne 4.717
๐ซ๐ท Montรฉlimar 4.745
๐ณ๐ฑ Den Helder 4.759
๐ฉ๐ฟ Bordj Bou Arrรฉridj 4.767
๐ณ๐ฑ Krimpenerwaard 4.783
Locations Near: Heist-op-den-Berg 4.71667,51.0833
๐ง๐ช Leuven 4.702,50.879 d: 22.8
๐ง๐ช Flemish Brabant 4.591,50.873 d: 25
๐ง๐ช Mechelen 4.467,51.017 d: 19
๐ง๐ช Geel 5,51.167 d: 21.8
๐ง๐ช Deurne 4.45,51.217 d: 23.8
๐ง๐ช Vilvoorde 4.417,50.933 d: 26.8
๐ง๐ช Antwerp 4.399,51.221 d: 26.9
๐ง๐ช Woluwe-Saint-Pierre 4.467,50.833 d: 32.9
๐ง๐ช Wavre 4.611,50.717 d: 41.4
๐ง๐ช Schaarbeek 4.383,50.867 d: 33.5
Antipodal to: Heist-op-den-Berg -175.283,-51.083
๐น๐ด Nuku'alofa -175.216,-21.136 d: 16685.1
๐ฆ๐ธ Pago Pago -170.701,-14.279 d: 15902
๐ผ๐ธ Apia -171.76,-13.833 d: 15860.9
๐ต๐ซ Papeete -149.566,-17.537 d: 15647.8
๐บ๐ธ Hilo -155.089,19.725 d: 11897.9
๐บ๐ธ Maui -156.446,20.72 d: 11821
๐บ๐ธ Maui County -156.617,20.868 d: 11808.7
๐บ๐ธ Wailuku -156.505,20.894 d: 11803.4