Merksem Antwerp

History.

The history of Merksem goes back to Gallo-Roman times. During that period the region was mentioned as Merk (border) andHeim (settlement) being part of the diocese Kamerijk. Merksem has for centuries been part of a larger community together withSchoten and Sint-Job-in-'t-Goor. During the Spanish period Merksem used to be a Heerlijheid, a known Lord of MErksen is Anthony van Stralen. In the 16th century Merksem was separated from Schoten.

The road currently known as Bredabaan (Breda Road), once a major northern access to Antwerp, begins in Merksem and goes up north, all the way up until the border with the Netherlands. It ends in the Dutch city of Breda (hence the name). Other major axes would include Lambrechtshoekenlaan, Groenendaallaan, Maantjessteenweg and Ringlaan. Together with Bredabaan they could be considered as the boundaries of the centre of Merksem. Another main axis, that constitutes most of the southern border of the district, is a canal called the Albert Canal, which connects the Port of Antwerp to the river Meuse near Liège and is an important connection for inland freight shipping.

Antwerp ,

Antwerpen is a Flemish city in Belgium, the capital of Antwerp province in the community of Flanders. With a population of 510,610, it is the most populous city proper in Belgium. Its metropolitan area houses around 1,200,000 people, which is second behind Brussels. Antwerp is on the River Scheldt, linked to the North Sea by the Westerschelde estuary. It is about 40 kilometres north from Brussels, and about 15 kilometres from the Dutch border. The Port of Antwerp is one of the biggest in the world, ranking second in Europe and within the top 20 globally. Antwerp was also the place of the world's oldest stock exchange building, originally built in 1531 and re-built in 1872, it has been derelict since 1997.