The history of Merksem goes back to
Gallo-Roman times. During that period the region was mentioned as
Merk (border) and
Heim (settlement) being part of the
diocese Kamerijk. Merksem has for centuries been part of a larger community together with
Schoten and
Sint-Job-in-'t-Goor. During the Spanish period Merksem used to be a
Dominium, a known
Lord of Mercxem is
Anthony van Stralen. In the 16th century Merksem was separated from
Schoten.
Middle Ages Around the year 600, the
Franks started colonizing the area near the local Saint-Bartholomew's Church, which was the highest point of Merksem at the time. In 750, the
Scheldt river finally started settling itself into its current river bed, which resulted in parts of Merksem becoming peat
bog (a type of
wetland). Current street names of these areas still refer to these wetlands. (The 1998 and 1999 floods of some residential areas were due to Merksem's geographical location. This would later result in the deepening of the Schijn
tributary). In May 1561, Merksem and
Schoten were split up. The current
Bredabaan (
Breda Road) functioned as a gate between
Antwerp and cities located to the north. In 1742, the road would become a
toll road.
19th century At the beginning of the 19th century, Merksem was a very rural area with a population of 750. Local farmers mainly provided the nearby city of
Antwerp with
straw, giving the inhabitants of Merksem the nickname "stroboeren" (straw farmers). In 1874, the area became more industrialized, and most of the land was bought by
S.A. Etablissements Industriels et Commerciaux de Merxem. The company would construct the local industry dock (known as 'het dokske'). Due to its ideal location, multiple industrial and commercial companies started to establish themselves in the area, contributing to the population increase.
20th century During
World War II, Merksem was occupied by
Nazi Germany from 20 May 1940 until its liberation on 4 October 1944. The local population was affected by
political repression,
deportation, hunger, bombings etc. Many locals opposed the occupation. Resistance fighters were deported to the nearby
concentration camp of
Breendonk.
Bredabaan 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. ==Economy==