Borgerhout
 | This article includes a list of general references, but it lacks sufficient corresponding inline citations. (November 2024) |
Borgerhout | |
|---|---|
![District House of Borgerhout [nl]](/newspapers?url=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Borgerhout_Gemeentehuis2.JPG) | |
.svg) Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Interactive map of Borgerhout | |
  Borgerhout   Borgerhout | |
| Coordinates: 51°13′00″N 4°26′00″E / 51.21667°N 4.43333°E | |
| Country |  Belgium |
| Community | Flemish Community |
| Region | Flemish Region |
| Province | Antwerp |
| Arrondissement | Antwerp |
| Municipality | Antwerp |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.93 km2 (1.52 sq mi) |
| Population (2025-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 47,188 |
| • Density | 12,000/km2 (31,100/sq mi) |
| Postal codes | 2140 |
| Area codes | 03 |
| Website | www |
Borgerhout (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌbɔrɣərˈɦʌut] ⓘ)[2] is the smallest district of Antwerp, Belgium. As of 2025[update], the district housed 47,188 inhabitants on 3.93 km².
It was a separate municipality until 1983. On 1 January 1983, it was absorbed into the municipality of Greater Antwerp whereby Borgerhout became one of the 9 districts.
In 2025 Time Out named it the "second coolest neighborhood in the world".[3]
Etymology
[edit]"Borger" likely comes from the old spelling for citizen or city dweller; currently, the Dutch word for this is "burger". It might also refer to the word "borgh", meaning a fortress or fortified building. Borghmeester (1254) or borgermeyster (1286) are mentioned in written sources as the word for "mayor", literally "master of the fortress" or "master of the citizens".[4] "Hout" (or previously "holt") means "wood". It is similar to some naming conventions in English, for example "Hollywood". It refers to a time when Borgerhout was still much greener, and had not yet merged with greater Antwerp. It likely also explains the tree on the coat of arms.
History
[edit]Borgerhout was first mentioned in the year 1214 in an act written by the Duke of Brabant. It was then named 'Borgerholt'.[5]
Geography
[edit]Borgerhout is divided into two parts by a highway and the historical walls.[6] The part inside those walls is "intra muros," meaning (within the walls). It is built around a big boulevard, the Turnhoutsebaan.
Demographics
[edit]Borgerhout has an extremely diverse population, with 63% of inhabitants having non-Belgian ancestry, mostly Moroccans and sub-Saharan Africans. Of the nine districts of Antwerp, it has the highest population density.[7]
Notable people
[edit]Born in Borgerhout
[edit]- Bachir Boumaaza (born 1980), known by his pseudonym Athene, gaming social activist and internet personality
- Guillaume Geefs (1805–1883), sculptor
- Floris Jespers (1889–1965), painter
- Nahima Lanjri (born 1968), politician
- Sister Leontine (1923–2012), pioneer of palliative care[8]
- Milow (Jonathan Vandenbroeck) (born 1981), singer-songwriter
- André Nelis (1935–2012), sailor
- Joris Note (born 1949), writer
- Stan Ockers (1920–1956), cyclist
- Hugues C. Pernath (1931–1975), poet
- Maria Rosseels (1916–2005), journalist and actor
- Michel Seuphor (1901–1999), artist
- Paul van Morckhoven (1910–1990), dramatist and theatre critic
- Robert Van Straelen (born 1934), economist
- Thomas Vinçotte (1850–1925), sculptor
- Eddy Wauters (born 1933), football player
Lived in Borgerhout
[edit]- Tom De Cock (born 1983), writer and radio DJ
- Saskia De Coster (born 1976), writer
- Bart Martens (born 1969), politician and a member of the SP.A
- Alfred Ost, (1884–1945), artist
- Anne Provoost (born 1964), writer
- Wouter Van Besien (born 1972), politician, chairman of the ecologist party Groen!
- Tom Van Laere (born 1974), musician
- Erik Van Looy (born 1962), film director
- Rik Van Steenbergen (1924–2003), racing cyclist
- Carl Verbraeken (born 1950), president of the Union of Belgian Composers
- Reuskens van Borgerhout
- Anne-Mie Van Kerckhoven (born 1951), artist
- Danny Devos (born 1959), artist
Gallery
[edit]-
Town hall until 1890 -
Reuskens of Borgerhout
References
[edit]- ^ "Hoofd dashboard - Demografie". stadincijfers.antwerpen.be. Retrieved 27 September 2025.
- ^ "Finale street soccer in Borgerhout". YouTube. ATV. Retrieved 20 November 2024.
- ^ Beard, Grace (24 September 2025). "The 39 coolest neighbourhoods in the world in 2025". Time Out.
- ^ "Waarom schrijven we burgemeester en niet burgermeester?". 15 November 2018.
- ^ "Borgerhout". January 1975.
- ^ "Kaart van Borgerhout – Kaarten van Antwerpen". 23 October 2021.
- ^ "Demografie".
- ^ "Geschiedenis". www.gza.be. Retrieved 28 August 2016.
External links
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| National | |
| Geographic | |
