Last modified: 2008-12-26 by ivan sache
Keywords: antwerp | hoboken | ursel |
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The district of Hoboken (34,542 inhabitants on 1 January 2007; 1,067 ha) was formed in 1983 when the former municipality of Hoboken was merged into the municipality of Antwerp.
Hoboken was mentioned for the first time in 1135 by Bishop Lietardus,
as capellam de hobuechen qua libam ("a chapel located at Hoboken").
The village belonged to the Duchy of Brabant. In the 13th century, Hoboken was transferred to the Perwijs family, subsequantly succeeded
by the families of Vianden, Coucy, Béthune, Bar, Luxemburg and Nassau.
There were 644 inhabitants in the village in 1500 and 980 in 1524. The
village was then destroyed during the Eighty Years' War against Spain.
In 1600, Conrad Schetz, a rich burgher of Antwerp, was made Baron of
Hoboken by King of Spain (and Duke of Brabant) Philip II. His father
Gaspar Schetz married Catherine d'Ursel, from a noble family of
Antwerp. Since the Ursel family had no male heir, a sister of
Catherine, Barbara d'Ursel, adopted Conrad, who took the name and arms
of Ursel. In 1717, his descendant Coenraat II d'Ursel was made of Duke
of Hoboken and helped the village to reemerge. The last Duke of
Hoboken died in 1804.
In 1873, the John Cockerill company built a shipyard in Hoboken; the
building of a wool mill (S.A. pour le Peignage des Laines) in 1885 and
of a silver factory (locally known as De Zilver, "Silver") in 1887
dramatically boosted the development of the town. From 1870 to 1900,
the population of Hoboken increased fourfold, reaching 10,202.
Industrialization increased after the First World War; in 1930, there
were 416 factories, employing more than 10,000 workers.
Hoboken is the town of Nello and Patrasche, an orphan and his dog, the two characters of the book A Dog of Flanders, published in 1872 by the English novelist Marie-Louise de la Ramée (1839-1908), aka Ouida. Little known in Belgium, the book is famous in the USA, Philippines and Japan. There is a statue of Nello and Patrasche in Hoboken and a commemorative plaque in front of the cathedral of Antwerp (where the two heroes of the novel are eventually found frozen to death in front of Rubens' tryptich "The Elevation of the Cross").
The town of Hoboken, New Jersey (USA), against all odds, does not seem to have been named after the Belgian town but after a local Indian toponym, Hobocan.
Source: Heemkundige Kring "Hobuechen 1135" website
Ivan Sache, 3 October 2008
![[Flag of Hoboken]](../images/b/be-vanho.gif)
Flag of the former municipality of Hoboken - Image by Ivan Sache, 3 October 2008
The former flag of Hoboken, still hoisted on the town hall of Antwerp, is vetically divided red-white. The colours of the flag are taken from the municipal arms.
Servais [svm55] shows the greater arms of Hoboken as a shield "Gules a chief
argent three merlettes of the first", in front of a Christ on the
cross and supported by two gryphins, all or, the whole placed on a big
mantle purple and white, with another two similar shields on the
edges. The shield, without any ornament, is shown on the district
website and seems to be still used as the arms of Hoboken.
The shield represents the arms of Ursel.
Ivan Sache, 3 October 2008