Kallo 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 ...

. Kallo 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 ...

. Most of the ''deelgemeente'' consists of harbours and industrial zones.

History

Kallo is one of the oldest settlements of the

Waasland The Waasland (, archaically "Waesland") or Land van Waas () is a historic region in northern Belgium. It is part of the Belgian province of East Flanders. The other borders are with the Scheldt and Durme rivers (east and south) and, to the north, ...

. The

Frisii The Frisii were an ancient tribe, who were neighbours of the Roman empire in the low-lying coastal region between the Rhine and the Ems (river), Ems rivers, in what what is now the northern Netherlands. They are not mentioned in Roman records af ...

used to live on the higher parts which could not be flooded by 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 ...

. According to legend, the inhabitants were christened by

Amandus Amandus ( 584 – 679), commonly called Saint Amand, was a bishop of Tongeren-Maastricht and one of the catholic missionaries of Flanders. He is venerated as a saint, particularly in France and Belgium. Life The chief source of details of his ...

in the 7th century, however the first written evidence of a church dates from 1179. Kallo was originally a fishing village. In 1316, the village was destroyed and the land was inundated by

William III, Count of Holland William the Good (, ; – 7 June 1337) was count of Hainaut (as William I), Avesnes, Holland (as William III), and Zeeland (as William II) from 1304 to his death. Career William, born , was the son of John II, Count of Hainaut, and Philippa ...

. In 1583, during the

Dutch Revolt The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt (; 1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Reformation, centralisation, exc ...

, the land was again inundated by

Alexander Farnese, Duke of Parma Alexander Farnese (, ; 27 August 1545 – 3 December 1592) was an Italian noble and military leader, who was Duke of Parma, Piacenza and Castro from 1586 to 1592, as well as Governor of the Spanish Netherlands from 1578 to 1592. Nephew to Kin ...

which resulted in a severe decline of the village. The area was ''re

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 ...

ed'' in the 17th century. In 1638, war returned, and the

Battle of Kallo The Battle of Kallo was a major field battle fought from 20 to 21 June 1638 in and around the forts of Kallo and Verrebroek, located on the left bank of the Scheldt river, near Antwerp, during the second phase of the Eighty Years' War. Following ...

was fought between the Dutch and the Spanish. Kallo was affected by the

North Sea flood of 1953 The 1953 North Sea flood () was a major flood caused by a heavy storm surge that struck the Netherlands, north-west Belgium, England and Scotland. Most sea defences facing the surge were overwhelmed, resulting in extensive flooding. The ...

. In 1964, an area of was designated to be used for the construction of the , an extension of the

Port of Antwerp The port of Antwerp is the port of the city of Antwerp, Belgium. It is located in Flanders, mainly in the province of Antwerp, but also partially in East Flanders. It is a seaport in the heart of Europe accessible to capesize ships. It is Eu ...

. The actual harbour which has been constructed is smaller. An area of was in use in 2020. In 1977, the municipality was merged into

Buildings and sights

The St Peter and Paul Church was first attested in 1179. The single aisled church was transformed in a three aisled basilica-like church in 1737, and only the original

choir A choir ( ), also known as a chorale or chorus (from Latin ''chorus'', meaning 'a dance in a circle') is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform or in other words ...

remained. The church was again extended in 1842 and between 1865 and 1869. Fort Liefkenshoek is one of the oldest extant fortresses of Belgium. It was built in the late 16th century to protect

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 ...

and the harbour against the Spanish. Together with Fort Lillo, it allowed the Dutch to block the Scheldt. The forts changed ownership several times, and the last modifications date from the

Napoleon Napoleon Bonaparte (born Napoleone di Buonaparte; 15 August 1769 – 5 May 1821), later known by his regnal name Napoleon I, was a French general and statesman who rose to prominence during the French Revolution and led Military career ...

ic period (1810-1811). The

Organ collection Ghysels The Organ collection Ghysels is a museum collection of mechanical dance and fairground organs. Since 2010 it is exhibited at the Kijk- en Luisterdepot (Watch and Listen Depot) in Kallo in Beveren, Belgium. It was brought together by Jef Ghysels fr ...

is a museum dedicated to mechanical dance and fairground organs. It opened in 2010 in Kallo.

KSK Kallo

KSK Kallo is the football club. :nl:KSK Kallo Notable players have included Albert Cluytens.

Gallery

File:Kallo - Sint-Petrus en Pauluskerk 1.jpg, St Peter and Paul Church File:Fort Liefkenshoek R01.jpg, Fort Liefkenshoek File:Bokrijk, Dyke houses from Kallo.jpg, Dike houses in Kallo File:Container art containing a pink human on the roundabout connecting Hazopweg, Steenlandlaan, and Steenlandlaan in Kallo, Belgium during sunset nautical twilight (DSCF3945).jpg, Container art

References

{{Authority control Beveren Populated places in East Flanders