Oelegem 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 the municipality of

Ranst Ranst () is a municipality 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 ...

in the 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 ...

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 ...

. The village is located about east of the city of

History

Oelegem is located on the border of the

Campine The Campine () or Kempen () is a natural region situated chiefly in north-eastern Belgium and parts of the south-eastern Netherlands which once consisted mainly of extensive moors, tracts of sandy heath, and wetlands. It encompasses a large n ...

region with the

loam Loam (in geology and soil science) is soil composed mostly of sand (particle size > ), silt (particle size > ), and a smaller amount of clay (particle size < ). By weight, its mineral composition is about 40–40–20% concentration of sand–si ...

area of the Nete. A Roman settlement was discovered dating between the 1st century BC and 3rd century AD. The village was first mentioned in 1161 when the parish became part of the Tongerlo Abbey. Around 1701, four fortresses were built by the French. During the 20th century, Oelegem was the site of the large scale constructions. Fort van Oelegem was built between 1909 and 1913, the

Albert Canal The Albert Canal (, ; , ) is a canal located in northeastern Belgium, which was named for King Albert I of Belgium. The Albert Canal connects Antwerp with Liège, and also the Meuse river with the Scheldt river. It also connects with the Des ...

was dug, and the motorway E313 from Antwerp to

Liège Liège ( ; ; ; ; ) is a City status in Belgium, city and Municipalities in Belgium, municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the Liège Province, province of Liège, Belgium. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east o ...

was constructed. Vrieselhof Castle was completely destroyed 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 later rebuilt in Flemish

Renaissance Revival Renaissance Revival architecture (sometimes referred to as "Neo-Renaissance") is a group of 19th-century architectural revival styles which were neither Greek Revival nor Gothic Revival but which instead drew inspiration from a wide range of ...

style. Oelegem was an independent municipality until 1977 when it was merged into

. In April 1978, the body of Charles Bracht, a former alpine skier who had participated in the

1936 Winter Olympics The 1936 Winter Olympics, officially known as the IV Olympic Winter Games () and commonly known as Garmisch-Partenkirchen 1936, were a winter multi-sport event held from 6 to 16 February 1936 in the market town of Garmisch-Partenkirchen, Nazi Ger ...

, was discovered. Bracht had become a wealthy business man, and was kidnapped in March 1978. He was shot and the body was dumped in a marsh near Oelegem.

Buildings and sights

The Our Lady church is a three aisled basilica-like church 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. The tower dated from the 15th century. In 1605, a spire was added, but was damaged in 1669, and replaced in 1671 by the current spire. The church was enlarged between 1848 and 1850. On 7 October 1914, the church burnt down and was rebuilt between 1921 and 1924. The tower and church were again damaged during World War II and restored in 1948. The was built between 1909 and 1913 as an extension 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. It is one of the largest and most heavily defended fortresses of Belgium. Construction was not completed when Germany invaded Belgium, however the fortress was bypassed and saw no action. During World War II, it fell in German hands in 1940 and was used to store supplies during the war. The fortress is open for visitors and is one of the most important winter areas for bats. 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 grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that h ...

Molen van Oelegem was built between 1845 and 1846. It burnt down in 1940. By 1978, the wind mill had become dilapidated. In 1987, 1990 and 1997, it was restored to working order, but has been out of order since 2018 after a sail broke.

Notable people

* Karel Kesselaers (born 1959), former footballer

Gallery

File:A Oelegem, Molen van Oelegem, beltmolen 04W.JPG, Windmill Molen van Oelegem File:Kerk Oelegem.jpg, Our Lady Church File:Oelegem Boerenhof of Cafe Toerist.jpg, Pub in Oelegem File:Fort van Oelegem poort.jpg, Fort van Oelegem

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Antwerp Province Ranst