Axel is a city in the southwest

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. It is located in the municipality of

Terneuzen Terneuzen () is a city and municipality in the southwestern Netherlands, in the province of Zeeland, in the middle of Zeelandic Flanders. With almost 55,000 inhabitants, it is the most populous municipality of Zeeland. History First mentione ...

Zeeland , nl, Ik worstel en kom boven("I struggle and emerge") , anthem = "Zeeuws volkslied"("Zeelandic Anthem") , image_map = Zeeland in the Netherlands.svg , map_alt = , m ...

, about 31 km southeast of

Vlissingen Vlissingen (; zea, label= Zeelandic, Vlissienge), historically known in English as Flushing, is a municipality and a city in the southwestern Netherlands on the former island of Walcheren. With its strategic location between the Scheldt river ...

. Axel received city rights in 1213.

History

The city was first between 987 and 994 as Axla. The etymology is unclear. Axel was located on the former creek Axelse Gat which had its mouth in the former

Braakman The Braakman was a large tidal inlet in the middle of the Dutch region of Zeelandic Flanders, on the south bank of the Westerschelde west of Terneuzen. It was created by a succession of storm surges in the 14th and 15th centuries, including the St ...

inlet. A church was built around 1100, and a castle around 1200. It was a gateway to

Ghent Ghent ( nl, Gent ; french: Gand ; traditional English: Gaunt) is a city and a Municipalities of Belgium, municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province, and the third largest i ...

, and received city rights in 1213. The city was plundered around 1380 and in 1452 by Ghent. The All Saints' Flood of 1570 resulted in Axel finding itself on an island. Axel was conquered by

Maurice, Prince of Orange Maurice of Orange ( nl, Maurits van Oranje; 14 November 1567 – 23 April 1625) was ''stadtholder'' of all the provinces of the Dutch Republic except for Friesland from 1585 at the earliest until his death in 1625. Before he became Prince o ...

in 1586 and was fortified. In 1601, eight

bastion A bastion or bulwark is a structure projecting outward from the curtain wall of a fortification, most commonly angular in shape and positioned at the corners of the fort. The fully developed bastion consists of two faces and two flanks, with fi ...

s and one

ravelin A ravelin is a triangular fortification or detached outwork, located in front of the innerworks of a fortress (the curtain walls and bastions). Originally called a ''demi-lune'', after the ''lunette'', the ravelin is placed outside a castle ...

were constructed around the city. Axel was a strategically important place, because it controlled access to Antwerp and Ghent which were in Spanish hands. In 1789, Axel was reattached to the mainland. The fortifications were removed in 1816. In 1851, Axel lost its harbour. The Catholic St Gregorius the Great Church is a single-aisled church in Gothic Revival style which was built between 1862 and 1863. The

grist mill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and Wheat middlings, middlings. The term can refer to either the Mill (grinding), grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist i ...

Stadsmolen (lit: City wind mill) was built in 1750. In 1911, it was reduced to a rump and a motor was installed. In 1995, it was bought by the municipality and restored between 1998 and 1999. It is in service on most Saturdays and grinds grain. Axel was home to 1,226 people in 1840. In 1871, a railway station opened on the

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

railway line. The line closed in 1951. The building was demolished in 1968. In September 1944, Axel the scene of fighting and destruction during the

Battle of the Scheldt The Battle of the Scheldt in World War II was a series of military operations led by the First Canadian Army, with Polish and British units attached, to open up the shipping route to Antwerp so that its port could be used to supply the Allie ...

. On 19 September, Axel was liberated by Polish forces. Axel was an independent municipality until 2003 when it was merged into

Gallery

File:Overzicht voorgevel - Axel - 20374533 - RCE.jpg, Building in Axel File:Overzicht voorgevels - Axel - 20531588 - RCE.jpg, Street view File:Axel Stadsmolen.jpg, Wind mill De Stadsmolen File:Axel - Gregorius de Grotekerk 1.jpg, St Gregorius the Great Church

References

External links

Mayors of Axel 1581 - 1800

{{Authority control Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2003 Former municipalities of Zeeland Populated places in Zeeland Terneuzen