Doel is a subdivision of the

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' ...

Beveren Beveren () is a former municipality in the Belgian province of East Flanders which comprises the towns of Beveren, Doel, Haasdonk, Kallo, Kieldrecht, Melsele, Verrebroek and Vrasene. The port of the Waasland (Dutch: ''Waaslandhaven'') ...

in the Flemish

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

East Flanders East Flanders ( ; ; ; ) is a Provinces of Belgium, province of Belgium. It borders (clockwise from the North) the Netherlands, Dutch province of Zeeland and the Belgian provinces of Antwerp (province), Antwerp, Flemish Brabant, Hainaut (provinc ...

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

. It is located near the

river A river is a natural stream of fresh water that flows on land or inside Subterranean river, caves towards another body of water at a lower elevation, such as an ocean, lake, or another river. A river may run dry before reaching the end of ...

the

Scheldt The Scheldt ( ; ; ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old Englis ...

, in a

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrology, hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as levee, dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclamation, Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a ...

of the Waasland. Since 1965, there have been plans to extend the Port of Antwerp into Doel and demolish the village. However, protests have caused a stalemate. On 30 March 2022, a deal was reached and the village is allowed to exist.

History

The first mention of the village dates from 1267, when "The Doolen" name is first mentioned. Until the 18th century the village was an island surrounded by purposefully flooded land, with the remainder, north of the village, known as "The Drowned Land of Saeftinghe". The "Eylandt den Doel" is completely surrounded by old seawalls. The dike encloses the hamlets of "Saftingen", "Rapenburg" and "Ouden Doel" (Olden Doel). The Doel polder site is unique to

and dates back to the Eighty Years War (1568–1648). The typical checkerboard pattern dates from 1614, when these geometric farmlands were first mapped, and they have seen little change over the years. This fact makes the village a rare example of regional

urbanization Urbanization (or urbanisation in British English) is the population shift from Rural area, rural to urban areas, the corresponding decrease in the proportion of people living in rural areas, and the ways in which societies adapt to this change. ...

. The village has many historic buildings, including the oldest stone

windmill A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery. Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...

of the country (1611), and the only windmill on a sea wall. The

Baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

Hooghuis (1613) that is associated with the entourage and holdings of the famous 17th century

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 ...

painter Painting is a Visual arts, visual art, which is characterized by the practice of applying paint, pigment, color or other medium to a solid surface (called "matrix" or "Support (art), support"). The medium is commonly applied to the base with ...

Peter Paul Rubens Sir Peter Paul Rubens ( ; ; 28 June 1577 – 30 May 1640) was a Flemish painting, Flemish artist and diplomat. He is considered the most influential artist of the Flemish Baroque painting, Flemish Baroque tradition. Rubens' highly charged comp ...

. Some of the other historical and cultural buildings in the town area are the "Reynard Farm" (De Reinaerthoeve), with a monumental farmhouse and barn. "De Doolen" is a historic school. "De Putten", or "The Wells", is a

peat Peat is an accumulation of partially Decomposition, decayed vegetation or organic matter. It is unique to natural areas called peatlands, bogs, mires, Moorland, moors, or muskegs. ''Sphagnum'' moss, also called peat moss, is one of the most ...

extraction area and has an historically unique 18th-century farmstead and inn site "The Old Hoefyzer", with one of the last remaining historic barns.

Doel Nuclear Power Station

Electrabel-owned Doel Nuclear Power Station is located to the north of the village of Doel. Its four reactors can produce a total output of 2.9 GW of electricity for consumers in

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

and the

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

Doel demolition

Since 1965, there have been plans to enlarge the Port of Antwerp and demolish the village of Doel to be replaced with petrochemical industry. This has seen many people having to sell their homes to the development corporation of that enlargement, however some people resisted the plans. In the middle of the 1980s, the plans were halted only to be revived in 1995. Many historic buildings have already been demolished. As of 1 September 2009, people are no longer allowed to live in the village. In 2021, there were still 19 people living in the village and 91 in the surrounding area. A memorial to British soldiers killed nearby during World War II was removed from the town square during the early morning hours in 2011, according to a BBC report. On 30 March 2022, a compromise was reached after a 24-year long legal battle. The Port of Antwerp is allowed to extend its container harbour, and the village of Doel is allowed to exist. A green buffer zone will be created between the harbour and the village. The World War II monument will also be returned to its original location.

Gallery

File:2010 005 c Doel Chain Clo.jpg,

Street art Street art is visual art created in public locations for public visibility. It has been associated with the terms "independent art", "post-graffiti", "neo-graffiti" and guerrilla art. Street art has evolved from the early forms of defiant gr ...

by Ces53 in Doel. Since the depopulation of Doel, it is attracting street artists. File:2017 Belgium ghost town Doel.jpg, Street view File:Armistice Day Flowers at War memorial in Doel - panoramio.jpg, Flowers at the War Memorial

References

External links