Haasdonk is a village and ''

deelgemeente A (, literally ''sub-municipality''), or section (), is a subdivision of a municipality in Belgium and, until March 2014, in the Netherlands as well. Belgium Each municipality in Belgium that existed as a separate entity on 1 January 1961 bu ...

'' (sub-municipality) of

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'') ...

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 ...

. Haasdonk was an independent municipality until 1 January 1977, when it merged with Beveren as part of the

fusion of municipalities in Belgium The fusion of the Belgian municipalities (French: ''fusion des communes'', Dutch: ''fusie van Belgische gemeenten'') was a Belgian political process that rationalized and reduced the number of municipalities in Belgium between 1964 and 1983. In 1 ...

. It is located about west 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 ...

History

Haasdonk is a road village which developed on the Roman road to

Ghent Ghent ( ; ; historically known as ''Gaunt'' in English) 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 the Provinces of Belgium, province ...

. The village was first mentioned in 1150 when it became an independent

parish A parish is a territorial entity in many Christianity, Christian denominations, constituting a division within a diocese. A parish is under the pastoral care and clerical jurisdiction of a priest#Christianity, priest, often termed a parish pries ...

. In 1795, during the French period, Haasdonk became the seat of a canton and was governed by the infamous Jan Benedict de Kever. In 1798, all men between the age of the 20 and 25 were forcibly conscripted in the French Army which resulted in the

Peasants' War This is a chronological list of revolts organized by peasants. Background The history of peasant wars spans over two thousand years. A variety of factors fueled the emergence of the peasant revolt phenomenon, including: * Tax resistance * So ...

, and Haasdonk became one of the centres of revolt. The canton was dissolved in 1800. During the 20th century, Haasboek evolved from an agricultural community into a commuter's village. It used to be an independent municipality until 1977 when it was merged into

Buildings and structures

Between 1906 and 1914, was constructed as part of the

National Redoubt A national redoubt or national fortress is an area to which the (remnant) military forces of a nation can be withdrawn if the main battle has been lost or even earlier if defeat is considered inevitable. Typically, a region is chosen with a geogra ...

to protect Antwerp against an attack from the west. The fortress saw no action during

World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...

, and was taken by the Germans after the surrender of Antwerp. It was extended with bunkers against a possible attack by the Netherlands. The story repeated itself during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

, and

Flak Anti-aircraft warfare (AAW) is the counter to aerial warfare and includes "all measures designed to nullify or reduce the effectiveness of hostile air action".AAP-6 It encompasses surface-based, subsurface ( submarine-launched), and air-bas ...

guns were added to fortress. In 1944, it was used by the Allied forces. Nowadays, it is private property and home to colony of bats. The St Jacobus de Meerdere Church was founded in the 12th century. It was destroyed by Spanish troops in 1576. In 1609, it was replaced by a wooden church which in turn was replaced by a stone church in 1719. Between 1845 and 1875, the church was extensively modified and rebuilt into a three aisled basilica-like church without

transept A transept (with two semitransepts) is a transverse part of any building, which lies across the main body of the building. In cruciform ("cross-shaped") cruciform plan, churches, in particular within the Romanesque architecture, Romanesque a ...

s in

Gothic Revival Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an Architectural style, architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half ...

style.

Notable people

Pascal Smet Pascal Smet (born 30 July 1967) is a Belgian politician, member of Vooruit. Personal life He was born in 1967 in Beveren-Waas. He earned a degree in law at the University of Antwerp. He is openly gay. Career He was a member of the town counci ...

(born 1967), politician and Brussels Minister of Mobility and Public Works *

Augustine Van de Vyver Augustine Van de Vyver (December 1, 1844 - October 16, 1911) was a Belgian-born American prelate of the Roman Catholic Church. He served as the sixth bishop of the Diocese of Richmond in Virginia from 1889 to 1911. Biography Early life Augus ...

(1844–1911), priest and Bishop of Richmond, Virginia

Gallery

File:Sint-Jacobuskerk, Haasdonk - panoramio.jpg, St Jacobus de Meerdere Church File:Fort Haasdonk buiten4.jpg, Fort van Haasdonk File:Haasdonk Gemeentepomp.jpg, Village pump File:Vliet 02.jpg, Former brewery 't Vliet

References

{{Authority control Beveren Populated places in East Flanders