Mortsel

Mortsel
Flag Coat of arms
Mortsel Location in Belgium
Coordinates: 51°10′N 04°28′E / 51.167°N 4.467°E / 51.167; 4.467
Country	Belgium
Region	Flemish Region
Community	Flemish Community
Province	Antwerp
Arrondissement	Antwerp
Government
- Mayor	Ingrid Pira (Groen!)
- Governing party/ies	Groen!, CD&V, VLAM, VLD
Area
- Total	7.78 km2 (3 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2010)[1]
- Total	24,737
- Density	3,179.6/km2 (8,235/sq mi)
Postal codes	2640
Area codes	03
Website	www.mortsel.be
Map of Mortsel

Mortsel is a city and municipality close to the city of Antwerp located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the city of Mortsel proper. On January 1, 2006 Mortsel had a total population of 24,427 people. The total area is 7.78 km² which gives a population density of 3,138 inhabitants per km². This is the highest population density of any municipality in the Flemish Region (Flanders), and second-highest (to Saint-Nicolas) outside the Brussels-Capital Region.

The city consists of the areas Mortsel-Dorp, Oude-God and Luithagen. Mortsel is bordered by Antwerp (districts Wilrijk, Berchem and Deurne), Borsbeek, Boechout, Hove, and Edegem.

The headquarters of Agfa-Gevaert are situated in Mortsel.

Mortsel was the victim of one of the major tragedies and errors of World War II. On April 5, 1943, the bombing of the Minerva car factory, then used to repair Luftwaffe planes , was the target of a big bombing raid by the Allies, but the target was missed and a residential area hit instead, resulting in the death of 936 civilians, including 209 children. The last V2 launched against Antwerp also fell in Mortsel, killing 27 people, on March 27th, 1945.

Famous people

• Alex Agnew, stand-up comedian
• Luc Brewaeys, (born in Mortsel in 1959), composer, conductor, pianist and recording producer
• Jens De Vos, guitar player
• Luc Descamps, writer
• Philippe Geubels, stand-up comedian
• Wim Helsen, stand-up comedian
• Dimitri Leue, actor
• Clem Schouwenaars (b. Mortsel, 1932-1993), writer
• Luc Tuymans, painter
• Jos Vandeloo, writer
• Siska Schoeters, radio personality
• Koen de Winter, designer
• Bart De Wever, politician

See also

• Crossing the Lines

References

1. ^ Population per municipality on 1 January 2010 (XLS; 221 KB)

External links

• (Dutch) Official website