Mortsel
City and municipality in Flemish Community, Belgium
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Mortsel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈmɔrtsəl]) is a municipality and city[2] close to the city of Antwerp located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the city of Mortsel proper. In 2024, Mortsel had a total population of 26,588 people which makes most densely populated municipality in Flanders with 3416 inhabitants per km².[3] The total area is 7.78 km².[4]
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Mortsel
| |
|---|---|
City and municipality | |
Aerial view of Mortsel | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 Location of Mortsel in the province of Antwerp | |
 Interactive map of Mortsel | |
  Mortsel Location in Belgium | |
| Coordinates: 51°10′N 04°28′E | |
| Country | Belgium |
| Community | Flemish Community |
| Region | Flemish Region |
| Province | Antwerp |
| Arrondissement | Antwerp |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Erik Broeckx (N-VA) |
| • Governing parties | N-VA, Vooruit-I love Mortsel, CD&V |
| Area | |
• Total | 7.78 km2 (3.00 sq mi) |
| Population (2022-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 26,181 |
| • Density | 3,370/km2 (8,720/sq mi) |
| Postal codes | 2640 |
| NIS code | 11029 |
| Area codes | 03 |
| Website | www.mortsel.be |
Geography
History
Mortsel was the scene for one of the major collateral damage tragedies of World War II. On 5 April 1943, the Minerva car factory, then used to repair Luftwaffe planes, was the target of a bombing raid by the USAAF. Most bombs missed the target and hit a residential area instead, resulting in the deaths of 936 civilians, including 209 children, exceeding the civilian death toll of the Guernica raid which modern estimates put at 400.[7]
The last V2 launched against Antwerp also fell in Mortsel, killing 27 people, on 27 March 1945.[8]
Economy
The headquarters of Agfa-Gevaert are situated in Mortsel.[9]
Notable people
- Alex Agnew, stand-up comedian
- Luc Brewaeys, (born in Mortsel in 1959), composer, conductor, pianist and recording producer
- Daniel Dardha, chess player
- Bart De Wever, politician
- Timo Descamps, actor
- Koen Lenaerts, President of the European Court of Justice
- Clem Schouwenaars (b. Mortsel, 1932–1993), writer
- Tamino, musician
- Luc Tuymans, painter
- Johan Van Overtveldt (born in Mortsel in 1955), Belgian journalist and politician of the New Flemish Alliance
- Jos Vandeloo, writer
See also the Category:People from Mortsel.
