Willebroek (, old spelling: ''Willebroeck'', also ) is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality' ...
located in the
Belgian province of
Antwerp
Antwerp (; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of Antwerp Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...
. The municipality comprises the towns of ,
Heindonk, , Klein Willebroek, and Willebroek proper. In 2021, Willebroek had a total population of 27,081.
The total area is 27.41 km
2.
Willebroek is linked to
Brussels
Brussels, officially the Brussels-Capital Region, (All text and all but one graphic show the English name as Brussels-Capital Region.) is a Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium#Regions, region of Belgium comprising #Municipalit ...
by the
Willebroek Canal.
Willebroek is also home to the ''Kanaalfeesten'', a yearly
festival
A festival is an event celebrated by a community and centering on some characteristic aspect or aspects of that community and its religion or cultures. It is often marked as a local or national holiday, Melā, mela, or Muslim holidays, eid. A ...
that takes place throughout the town which includes live concerts (mostly of local bands) and general festival attractions, like a mini roller coaster, a duck shoot, etc. At Klein-Willebroek the
Harmonium Art museuM on
pump organ
The pump organ or reed organ is a type of organ that uses free reed aerophone, free reeds to generate sound, with air passing over vibrating thin metal strips mounted in a frame. Types include the pressure-based harmonium, the suction reed organ ...
s is established in the former Church of the Immaculate Conception.
Its iconic bridge over the
Willebroek Canal was infamous for the traffic jams it caused, even making it the subject of a song: ''
De Brug van Willebroek'' by
Wannes Van de Velde.
See also
*
Fort Breendonk
References
External links
*
Official website- Available only in
DutchLocal history & dialect website- Available only in
Dutch
Municipalities of Antwerp Province
Populated places in Antwerp Province
{{Antwerp-geo-stub