Street names in Lille explained

1. Vendelmansweg

The Vendelmans family from Gierle supplied the town clerk in Wechelderzande and Gierle for three successive generations in the 19th century. Vendelsmansweg is the road that successive town clerks used to ride on horseback from Gierle to Wechelderzande. The road left Gierle via Hemeldonk, passed woods and heathland, crossed the Visbeek, came out on Het Zand and meandered into Pastorijstraat. 

2. Moereind 

'Moer' means silt, peat and peat soil or bog. The name refers to marshy land or a place where peat was mined. The peat was either submerged peat (extracted from under the water) or top peat. The hamlet of Moereind is the lowest-lying area in Wechelderzande. Moereind also indicates the transition from the wetter soil to the drier, sandy strip of land where the turf was dug. Until the E34 motorway was built, Bergven was located here. This fen was the playground for the youth of Wechelderzande where youngsters skated in winter and swam in summer. 

3. Huidevetterstraat 

'Huidevetter' means 'hide oiler' and this is where hide tanner Alfons Van Roey (b. 1869, †1954) lived. His son continued the profession here until 1975. The tanners' house was built in 1898 by August Wouters, an Antwerp businessman from Wechelderzande. Huidevetterstraat was actually a church path. It ran past the 'Steinehoeve', the largest farm in Wechelderzande in the 19^th and early 20^th centuries. Huidevetterstraat used to open onto Moereind. Now the Boonhof and Borgakker streets lie in between. 

4. Heymansstraat 

In 1976, the municipalities of Gierle, Lille, Poederlee and Wechelderzande merged to form present-day Lille. Kabienstraat in Wechelderzande was then changed to Heymansstraat. J.A. Heymans was a painter, a Brussels native whose family hailed from Wechelderzande. Heymans grew up here with his uncle and had a second residence in Wechelderzande. He made Wechelderzande synonymous with painting at the end of the 19^th century. Like Meyers, Rosseels, Crabeels and Baron, Heymans still put the easel 'in open nature'. This group of painters was sometimes called 'the grey school' because of their fondness for greyish tones and tempered light. 

5. Gebroeders De Winterstraat 

Until 1976, this was Herentalsesteenweg. At the municipal merger, the street was named after the three De Winter brothers. The three sons of head teacher Louis De Winter (b. 1850, †1918) were all priests. Rafaël was diocesan inspector. Emiel was pastor-dean of Berchem and Jef was a missionary from Scheut in Congo. Rafaël was especially important for Wechelderzande. He was the driving force behind music company 'Sint-Amelberga'. He built a spacious house in Gebroeders De Winterstraat and died in 1946. 

6. Borgstraat 

'Borg' or 'borch' means 'castle'. The Ferraris maps (topographical maps of the Austrian Netherlands from the 18^th century) show a drawing of a wide, square 'vest' (ramparts) alongside Borgstraat. When a house was built on the site, the traces of the former 'vest', a boulevard built on the ruins of ramparts, were clearly visible. It is suspected that squire Jan de Proost, lord of Wechelderzande, Vlimmeren, Lille, Gierle, Beerse and Vosselaar, wanted to build a castle there. Did he abandon that plan because the area was too humid? 

7. Den Hert 

In the distant past, many names of inns came from the animal world. All that was noble, royal, strong, and beautiful were also eligible. A hundred years ago, we find six knightly inn names in this street or in the close vicinity of the church tower: 'Den Hert' (The Stag), 'De Kroon' (The Crown), 'De Keiser' (The Keizer), 'De Leeuw' (The Lion), 'De Zwaan' (The Swan) and 'De Prins' (The Prince). The 'Den Hert' inn was built in 1603 by the de Proost family. Bailiffs and aldermen met here to rule over the Wechel seigniory. 

8. Molenheide 

Meaning 'Heath Mills', this used to be a vast moorland. In the first half of the 17^th century, under the reign of squire Jan de Proost, a windmill was erected here. In 1816, 38 per cent of Wechel territory was still heathland. Later, many pines were planted here. This forced the mill to move to Oostmallebaan in 1862. The last miller families were Van Gouwbergen and Verellen. 

9. Kruisweg 

This, the 'Road of the Cross', was a route taken by parishioners on one of the three days of prayer during the week before Ascension while praying and singing. While praying, people went in procession through the fields to beg blessings for the fruits growing in the fields so that they would be spared from harmful influences such as hail and frost. The chairman of the church council carried the cross and led the way, flanked by two altar boys. These days of the Cross date back as far as the 5^th century. That cross procession has not been held since around 1960. 

10. Kaulildijk 

In 1806, the name occurs as 'Kouwelil' and 'Kouwel'. Now the spelling is Kaulil, where 'Kau' stands for jackdaw or crow. Lille is the corruption of the Frankish 'lindolauha', meaning as 'linden grove on elevated sandy ground'. This gives us the explanation 'linden grove in which many crows dwell'. The older name for the whole area was Bersegem. 

11. Apostolinnenpad

The sandy path 'Langenpad', popularly called 'Apostolinnenpad' (Apostoless path) passed in front of the convent and chapel of the Apostoless Sisters. The sisters set up base in the village in 1935, where they offered accommodation to sick and convalescing sisters. Later, the convent became a convalescent home with nursing care for old ladies, madams, and resting priests. In 1980, the Lindelo rest and care home was built on the sisters' property. The monastery and its outbuildings were demolished and the whole merged into the present Lindelo residential and care centre and parish centre. 

12. Broekzijstraat 

The name 'Brocxie' is shown on the Ferraris maps (topographical maps of the Austrian Netherlands from the 18^th century) as a hamlet. In 1843, this street was called 'Broekzijstraat'. The street demarcates to the south the Kindernouw wetland area. In the following decades, this street changed name multiple times. In 1976 when the municipalities merged, this long street regained its former name. Number 24 houses a century-old oil mill.

13. De Schrans

The farmstead 'De Schrans' is the oldest private building in the borough of Lille. The farm was built in 1635 by Wouter Van Steenhuys, then one of Lille's wealthiest residents. It was a luxurious residence for the 'Schouts' (enforcers) of Lille. Later, it became a 'playhouse' of the Count of Turnhout, a monastery and a farmstead. 'De Schrans' also housed a brewery. The complex consisted of a main building and a service building, with a barn behind it. The property is surrounded by the ruins of ramparts. Known as a 'vest', this served as reinforcement, but also for appearance. In 1970, a street to the east of the 'schrans' area came to be named 'Schrans'. 

14. Heiend 

In 1843, the name 'Hei End' was used, 'the end of the heath' (in the sense of fallow infertile land). Between Lille, Poederlee, Wechelderzande and Vorselaar was a large area of moorland, of which the 'Breugelheide' was best known to the people of Lille. 'Hei End' ran from the village to that moor. On an 1897 map, this hamlet was called 'Heiende'. From 1971, it became 'Heiend'. The heath has since completely disappeared and given way to agricultural land. Heiend is located on the ancient connecting road between Lille and Vorselaar. 

15. Monseréweg 

This street was named after then-world cycling champion Jean-Pierre 'Jempi' Monseré. On 15 March 1971, he died during Retie's Grand Annual Fair when he collided with a stationary car on the road from Gierle to Lille. A monument was erected at the site of the accident in 1972. 

16. Rooverstraat 

It used to be thought that the name refers to a De Roover family. In fact, this is a corruption of 'Reevoord(en)' in which there was a change of sound ee/oo and 'voort' is reduced to 'ver'. In 1417 we find 'aen die reevoert', in 1559 'de reevoirt strate'. 'Ree(n)' is an old synonym for a line or dike that serves as a boundary. A 'voorde' is a ford in a stream. The street thus leads to a ford by the Kindernouw stream, exactly on the border between Lille and Vorselaar. 

17. Valvekenstraat 

A 'veken' is a sturdy wickerwork of willow on sticks. It hangs between two heavy posts in a passageway in a wood hedge. In this case, the wooded wall formed the boundary between Lille's fields and the surrounding moors. A 'valveken' is wickerwork that weaves itself. Close to such a valveken, a large stone inn-house arose that was as long as 44 metres and was already referenced in 1660. In 1960, this historic farm had to make way for a modern farmhouse of the same name. 

18. Moleneind 

The standard mill was located at the intersection of today's Boskapelstraat, Heiend and Moleneind. There's an early mention in 1401. The mill was traditionally owned by the Count of Turnhout, then de Pestre. When the Land of Turnhout was abolished in 1793, the mill was taken over by the French government. However, the de Pestre family bought the mill back from the French administration. In 1830, it came into the hands of Baron Hypolite d'Olmen de Poederlee. Ten years later, he had the mill demolished and moved to Poederlee. The street to the east of the mill was named Moleneind. 

19. Wasserijstraat

In 1958, Louis Embrechts and Godelieva Fransen opened the 'De Heidebloem' laundry here. Louis had inherited the house from his father Karel, miller of the 'Witte Molen' (White Mill). The plot was very large and almost reached Kerkstraat. It was completely planted with Canadian poplars and dug through with trenches, in which the wash water stagnated. In 1983, after twenty-five years, Louis Embrechts, weakened by illness, handed over the business. The house and laundry were demolished soon after Louis Embrechts' death in 1984. 

20. De Dijken 

'Dijk' usually refers to a pool, but also meant 'raised ground serving as a flood defence', or dyke in English. In the Kempen, it usually denotes raised roads that were drawn through lower ground. The roads were often built in lower-lying peatland to make it easier to exploit. 

21. Peerdskerkhofstraat 

The cadastral name has been used as the street name here. There was a 'paardenkerkhof' (horse cemetery) in almost every Kempen commune. This was a communal burial ground, usually on the edge of the moor, for all kinds of animal herds. In the 16th and 17th centuries, most of this land was sold and used as arable land. Some see another explanation for the street name. 'Paertse' or 'peer(d)ts' can be translated as 'rod, stake or pole' usually in the sense of 'boundary post'. It could therefore be a 'graveyard located on a border'. 

22. Kanunnik Jan Peetersstraat 

Canon Jan-Baptist Peeters was born in Gierle on 24 March 1899 as the sixth child in the farming family of Franciscus Peeters and Maria-Josina Proost. After his priestly ordination in 1922, he became a doctor of philosophy and literature. He then became a teacher and later superior at the Minor Seminary in Hoogstraten. In 1935, he was made an honorary canon, then in 1953 he became titular canon of the Metropolitan Chapter in Mechelen. He was buried in his native village on 24 December 1977. 

23. Pater Albert Verlindenstraat 

Father Albert Verlinden was born in Gierle on 11 June 1916 as the second child in the Verlinden-Smans family. After his priestly ordination as a White Father in Heverlee on 26 April 1943, he left for his first mission to Aba in the then Belgian Congo. On 27 November 1964, during post-independence riots, Father Albert was assassinated in Aba. 

24. Stan Daneelsstraat 

Stan Daneels was born in Gierle in 1936. He answered Monsignor Cardijn's call to serve the World Catholic Workers' Youth (KAJ) as a lay missionary among the young workers of the then Belgian Congo. However, it was not to be. On his departure on 18 May 1958, he was killed in a plane crash in Casablanca.

25. Louis Neefsstraat 

Ludwig Neefs was born in Gierle on 8 August 1937 in the family of teacher Louis Neefs. At the start of his career in 1959, he chose his father's name as his stage name. Louis Neefs twice represented Belgium at the Eurovision Song Contest. He proved his eternal love for his native village through the song 'Mijn dorp in de Kempen' (My village in the Kempen). In it, he immortalises 'Den Bosberg', Julie from 'Den Eik' and 'Vic the blacksmith'. On Christmas Day 1980, he died in a car accident on his way to Gierle. Louis Neefs remains one of Flanders' finest voices.

26. P. de Thimostraat

Petrus Van der Heyden (Latinised name de Thimo) was born a scion of a well-to-do family in 1393 in the hamlet of Hemeldonk in Gierle. He was a diligent student who rose to become a professor at the colleges of Paris and Cologne. He became adviser (lawyer) to the city of Brussels and confidant of Philip the Good of Burgundy, who praised him for his legal knowledge. He died in 1474, showered with every honour. His bust stands in a niche of the former town hall in Gierle and is also present in the wedding hall of Brussels city hall. 

27. Singel 

Originally, there was only one official name for the centre of Gierle: 'Dorp', meaning village. In the early 20^th century, we find the designations 'Kerkhof' (Churchyard) and 'Boschberg'. The locals called it 'Bloemenstraat' (Flower Street) and 'Brouwerijstraat' (Brewery Street). Visitors from Antwerp even gave it the name 'Little Antwerp'. This name was used for a long time. Originally, the road from Lille and Tielen made a turn near the restored barn to lead to Turnhout via Oude Baan. Only when the present Pieter De Nefstraat was built in the 19th century did a loop or 'singel' emerge. 

28. Veenzijde 

In 1467, there's a mention of a 'stede' (farm) in the Veenzijde. This was probably not a peat bog (a wet type of soil), but rather a lagoon, or 'ven' in Dutch (a shallow lake on sandy soil). Unlike other 'vens' in Gierle, this one did not have a name. People spoke of 'The Ven'. The explanation of Veenzijde is thus 'located on the side of the lagoon'. Other place names are also related to this fen: Vennenstraat, Veenakkers. One of Gierle's three major taverns used to stand on Veenzijde: 'De Valk'. 

29. Middelveld 

First mentioned in 1538, Middelveld, literally Middle Field, is enclosed by the Landauw- or Lijndouweloop, the former Nieuwstraat (an unpaved road) and Kosterstraat. It is right in the middle of them, hence the name. The Middelveld used to be home to 'Het Peerdeken', one of Gierle's three large taverns. 

30. Hemeldonk 

The meaning of 'Hemeldonk' is best described as 'elevated area, consisting of cover sand, in marshy ground'. In 1340, one Gerardus, filius Walteri and Heilwigis de Emeldonck lived there. This surname was undoubtedly linked to the place name of a hamlet of the same name, Hemeldonk. The Ferraris maps (topographic maps of the Austrian Netherlands from the 18^th century) show few houses in this hamlet. Yet we already find the appellation 'Oud-Hemeldonk' and the name Hemeldonk. 

31. Rooien 

The Rooien gets its name from 'cleared woodland'. Nearby, we can still find the Grotenhout Woods. The name Rooien was once associated with a hamlet, which had quite a few houses according to Ferraris maps (topographic maps of the Austrian Netherlands from the 18^th century). Walterus de Rode is the oldest mentioned, and dates from 1340. In 1467, a 'stede' (farm) located at Roden is mentioned. The Rooienkapel Chapel in this street used to be completely surrounded by ramparts and was thus originally a rare 'promontory chapel'.

32. Kosterstraat

The 'Costerstraete' is one of the oldest streets in Gierle with its own street name and mentioned as early as 1628. The street is connected to the church by small paths. According to the Ferraris maps (topographical maps of the Austrian Netherlands from the 18^th century), it seems that the centre of Gierle was once where Vennenstraat and Kosterstraat crossed. 'Den Haspel', once one of Gierle's three large taverns, used to stand at the end of Kosterstraat.

33. Lozijde 

Lozijde means 'at the side of the lo or woods'. 'Lo' in Frankish means 'elevated place in a forest'. In 1513, there is a mention of 'on the Loosyde'. The intersection with Kosterstraat and Lozijde is probably the crossroads of a pilgrimage route to Turnhout via Veenzijde, Middelveld, Nieuwstraat, Rondtuin and Rooien. The Ferraris maps (topographic maps of the Austrian Netherlands from the 18th century) show that there were virtually no buildings on Lozijde. 

34. Het Laar 

The hamlet used to be called Pisselaer. The name of Lambertus de Pisselaer is mentioned as early as 1340. The most likely explanation for Pisselaer is 'hamlet, watery area with many watercourses and canals'. The association with 'discharging his water', was probably common. From the second half of the 20^th century, 'Het Laar' became the official name. 

35. Kloosterstraat 

On 10 October 1860, three Ursulines from Tildonk came to Gierle and founded a convent where they provided primary education for girls. By 1873, this had become a thriving girls' boarding school with pupils from places as distant as Denmark and Greece. The school's main emphasis was on the French language and piano. In 1963, lessons ended in somewhat mysterious circumstances. The buildings were sold and largely demolished. After various uses, the last extension (1936) is now a private residence. 

36. P. De Nefstraat 

Pieter De Nef was born in 1774 in the hamlet of Pisselaar in Gierle, now 'Het Laar'. He became a wine and bedding merchant in Turnhout. There, in 1817, he founded a Latin school where he educated disadvantaged boys. In 1829-1831, he took over the official Latin college. A year after his death in 1844, his daughter transferred the school to the Jesuits. Pieter De Nef was also a municipal councillor in Turnhout, a member of the National Congress (1830-1831: first provisional legislative assembly of independent Belgium) and a member of parliament. 

37. Baan 

Baan, an abbreviation of 'heerbaan' or highway, can be interpreted as the road to the common grazing land. It may also refer to a road route dating back to the Roman period. This road was the connection between the Gallo-Roman settlement of Ouwen in Grobbendonk and Diestse Baan. Until the 1970s, it was a wide earthen road where two pairs of horses could easily cross each other. The subdivision of Elskoten in the 1960s, now Kardinaal Cardijnlaan, turned it into a densely built-up area.

38. Bergske 

The centre of Poederlee used to be called Vossel. The road along the Bergske and the Beek connected Vossel to the centre of Lille. In the depths stood the former rectory, whose ramparts have been preserved. The Bergske itself is formed by a ridge of Poederlee ironstone, called Poederliaan. 

39. Dr. Tricotstraat 

Dr Tricot (b. 1875, †1951) was a physician, dentist and first lecturer in 'History of Medicine' at the University of Leuven. He was president and founder of the 'Societé Internationale de l'Histoire de la Médicine' and published many scientific medical articles. Dr Tricot enjoyed international recognition as a result. He was also an avid world traveller. He lived in the Tricot villa in the village from his retirement (1945-1951). 

40. Heerle 

Both the Germanic origin of the name Heerle and some cadastral names refer to an army camp. Both the pentagonal shape of the hamlet and the searches by Dr. P.A. Janssens point in the same direction. A more obvious explanation is that Heerle is derived from the Frankish 'He(e)rnlauha'. This means something like 'hornbeam grove on elevated sandy soil'. Curiously, the hamlet of Heerle belonged parochially to Lichtaart and secularly to Poederlee. It received its correspondence from Herentals. 

41. Gustaaf C. De Bruynestraat 

Gustaaf Christiaan De Bruyne (b. 1914, †1981) was a painter. He was born in Mechelen, where he took classes at the academy. He then studied at the Antwerp Academy, where he also became a teacher. In 1962, the artist came to live in Poederlee. He died in 1981 at his mansion in Heide. He was buried in the Schoonselhof park of honour in Antwerp. 

42. Haestakkers 

Old maps show this area as Horstakker. Horst comes from the Germanic 'hursti'. It indicates a higher land covered with brushwood or coppice in a marshy area. It was until recently a fertile agricultural area at the foot of Wijngaard on the edge of the Aa Valley. 

43. Kouter 

The name was derived from the Latin cultura, meaning 'cultivated land'. A large open field complex that was already cultivated in the early Middle Ages was situated here. In fact, the field complex was excellently located between the northern village core and the manor to the south. The Kouter was the last stretch of the medieval access road from Herentals. The road ran through Sassenhout, Neerzand and Heggelaan to the village centre of Poederlee. 

44. Heikant 

This street name refers to the heathland that was reclaimed at this location rather late. Numerous shallow lakes ('vens') occurred on the edge of this heathland, the best known of which was the Galgenven. Heikant may well follow the route of an earlier Gallo-Roman road that connected Grobbendonk with Gierle and Tielen. On the border of the Zittaartse Heide subdivision, on the border with Lille, is Galgenberg, a site that captures the imagination. 

45. Zielestraat

This hamlet used to be called 'Sierenstraet'. The origin of the name is unclear. Here, in the valley of the Aa, there used to be prosperous farms. The street was the normal thoroughfare for those moving from Sassenhout, where there was a mudflat through the Aa, towards Turnhout. Zielestraat was also the connection between the seigniory of Poederlee and Gierle where the Lord of Poederlee owned a fiefdom and could levy taxes. 

46. Slaaplaken 

The name refers to a slow ('slaap') drainage ('laak'). This slow drainage is the Zittaartse Loop that drains water from the village centre to the Aa Valley. Slaaplaken was also a church path, used by Heikant residents to walk to church. 

47. Wijngaard 

This street name was mentioned as early as the 15^th century. As it literally translates to 'vineyard', the name might well refer to the vineyards located on the southern flank of the street in the early Middle Ages. De Wijngaard is an ironstone hill. The Wijngaard Chapel stands at its highest point. It was built there by the Van Peer family in gratitude for a cure. At this spot, the road turns into a narrow footpath, a church path, which was used by the residents of Zielestraat to make their way to the church. 

48. Zittaart 

The former 'Sittaert' indicates common land ('aert') located on an elevation ('site'). Zittaart may well be the oldest inhabited hamlet in Poederlee. Recent excavations in the Endelen field have uncovered pottery kilns dating back to the early Iron Age (350 BC). Here, clay was dug out and fired into tiles in field kilns. 

49. Schrieken 

Schriek is a place name meaning 'double corner' or 'staggered'. The name comes from the Middle Dutch 'schricken', to jump. Field observation confirms this explanation. The corners formed by the Schrieken and Hulsbos form a double corner. The lands along the connecting road to the Heikant are called 'Rooiaerde': land reclaimed and conquered from the heath.