Westmalle is a village 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 Province, and the third-largest city in Belgium by area at , after ...

which is part 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' ...

Malle Malle () is a municipality located in the Campine region of the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the villages of Oostmalle and Westmalle. In 2021, Malle had a total population of 15,620. The total area is 51.99 km2. ...

History

Tourism

Westmalle is primarily known for the

Trappist Abbey of Westmalle Westmalle Abbey, otherwise the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle ( or the "Abbey of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart"), is a monastery of the Trappists, Cistercians of Strict Observance in Westmalle in the Belgium, Belgian province of Antwerp (province), A ...

of the Order of

Cistercians The Cistercians (), officially the Order of Cistercians (, abbreviated as OCist or SOCist), are a Catholic religious order of monks and nuns that branched off from the Benedictines and follow the Rule of Saint Benedict, as well as the contri ...

of the Strict Observance (O.C.S.O.: Ordo Cisterciensium reformatorum), and its

brewery A brewery or brewing company is a business that makes and sells beer. The place at which beer is commercially made is either called a brewery or a beerhouse, where distinct sets of brewing equipment are called plant. The commercial brewing of b ...

. The Trappist monks operate a brewery and also make

cheese Cheese is a type of dairy product produced in a range of flavors, textures, and forms by coagulation of the milk protein casein. It comprises proteins and fat from milk (usually the milk of cows, buffalo, goats or sheep). During prod ...

. In addition, the Monasterium Magnificat of Westmalle is the only

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of Monasticism, monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in Cenobitic monasticism, communities or alone (hermits). A monastery generally includes a ...

of the

Annunciade ''Annunciade'' ('Annunciation'), and various alternate spellings, is the name of several religious or military orders, including: Religious orders * Servites, also known as the ''Servants'' or ''Annunziata'', first religious order of its kind was ...

Order in Belgium.

Westmalle Castle Westmalle Castle () is located in the village of Westmalle, which is part of the municipality of Malle in the Campine region of Flanders, Belgium. Westmalle Castle is situated at an elevation of 29 meters. History The origin of Westmalle Castle go ...

dates back to 1100. The Scherpenberg

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 ...

is still operational and is open to visitors. The statue of the "Pedaalstompers" commemorates the world record of the longest bicycle.

Notable inhabitants

Martinus Dom Dom Martinus Dom, O.C.R., (24 December 1791 – 9 December 1873) was a Belgian Trappist monk. He served as the first abbot of the Trappist Abbey of Westmalle, where he founded the Westmalle Brewery. Early life He was born Frans Daniël Do ...

(1791-1873), first

abbot Abbot is an ecclesiastical title given to the head of an independent monastery for men in various Western Christian traditions. The name is derived from ''abba'', the Aramaic form of the Hebrew ''ab'', and means "father". The female equivale ...

of the

and founder of the

. * Paul Lewi (b. 4 January 1938 in Westmalle), scientist. * Francis Severeyns, nicknamed ''Cisse'' (b. 1968 in Westmalle), football striker *

Seppe Smits Sebastien "Seppe" Smits (born 13 July 1991) is a Belgian professional snowboarder and world championship medalist. Smits was born in Westmalle and started snowboarding at a serious level in the winter of 2006–2007, competing in the Europa Cup ...

(b. 13 July 1991 in Westmalle), professional snowboarder

Gallery

Image:Malle_Pedaalstompers_WorldRecord.jpg, Pedaalstompers World Record of longest bicycle File:Westmalle (B) - Antwerpsesteenweg 246 Gemeentehuis.jpg, Former town hall File:Kapel Leopold III-laan - Schapenstraat Westmalle.JPG, Chapel in Westmalle File:Villa Wildzang Westmalle.JPG, Villa Wildzang

References

External links