Vrasene is a village in the 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'') ...

in the Belgian

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 ...

. 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

Vrasene is located on a hill which is a remnant of an old dune stretching from

Stekene Stekene () is a municipality located in the Belgian province of East Flanders. Since 1976, the municipality has comprised the towns of Kemzeke, Klein-Sinaai and Stekene proper. It also includes the village Koewacht. In 2021, Stekene had a tota ...

to Zwijndrecht. The area around Vrasene was never a noble possession or a

fief A fief (; ) was a central element in medieval contracts based on feudal law. It consisted of a form of property holding or other rights granted by an overlord to a vassal, who held it in fealty or "in fee" in return for a form of feudal alle ...

. The name probably means "settlement on the (former river) Verre". In 1136, the monastery of Salegem was founded in Vrasene and the monks started to cultivate the land. A church has been known to exist in Vrasene since 1183. In 1624, the monastery was destroyed during the religious wars. During the 18th century, Vrasene was a centre of

clog Clogs are a type of footwear that has a thick, rigid sole typically made of wood, although in American English, shoes with rigid soles made of other materials are also called clogs. Traditional clogs remain in use as protective footwear in a ...

production. In 1845, the village of separated from Vrasene and formed its own municipality. 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 ...

, the ''

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 ...

s'' around the village were

inundate A flood is an overflow of water ( or rarely other fluids) that submerges land that is usually dry. In the sense of "flowing water", the word may also be applied to the inflow of the tide. Floods are of significant concern in agriculture, civi ...

d to halt the German progress. During the occupation, the village was part of the so-called ''Etappegebiet'', a military area where 188 bunkers were constructed to guard against a British invasion or Dutch attack. In September 1918, the entire male population was held hostage in the church after a local police officer who allegedly collaborated with the Germans was murdered. Vrasene was an independent municipality until 1977 when it was merged with

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 ...

Buildings

The Holy Cross church was first mentioned in 1183. In 1448, the church was redesigned into a three aisled Gothic church. The square tower was added between 1450 and 1455. The church was extended in 1877, and declared a monument in 1942.

Notable people

* Ruben Apers (born 1998), racing cyclist * Laura Waem (born 1997), artistic gymnast

Gallery

File:Duitse bunkerlinie WOI.JPG, Bunkers in the meadow File:Brouwerij De Brug, woonhuis dubbelhuistype en brouwerijcomplex.JPG, Former brewery. Nowadays a residential house File:"Rustoord Sint-Elisabeth", sinds 1835 hospitaal.JPG, Retirement home

References

{{Authority control Beveren Populated places in East Flanders Former municipalities of East Flanders