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  • 21 Aug, 2019

  • By, Wikipedia

Mol, Belgium
Mol (Dutch pronunciation: [mɔl] ) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Mol. In 2021, Mol had a total population of 37,021 inhabitants. The total area is 114.19 km. Mol is a popular holiday resort, with many lakes surrounded by woods. There are two main tourist lakes:

  • Zilvermeer, which opened as a Provincial Park in 1959 and offers a white sand beach as well as facilities such as an outdoor playground and an underwater museum for divers.
  • Zilverstrand: Originally, it had only an outdoor lake with a white sand beach. Later, a caravan park was built and mid-1990s an indoor swimming pool was created.

Furthermore, there is a Sun Parks holiday centre called "Kempense Meren" with an indoor swimming pool. The museum of Jakob Smits is located in the former vicarage of Mol-Sluis. This displays works of the artist Jakob Smits (1855–1928) and other painters of the Molse School, who were attracted to the area by its rustic views including several windmills (of which only one remains).

In the north-east corner of Mol, near the Dutch border, lies the Norbertine Postel Abbey. Mol is also home to the SCK•CEN Belgian Nuclear Research Centre, the Flemish institute for technological research (VITO) and a European School. The first industries in Mol were the Vieille Montagne company and the explosive factory N.V. La Forcite. In 1872 the Sablières et Carrières Réunies (SCR), now Sibelco [nl], was founded in order to extract the silica sand layers in Mol for industrial applications. The company became the global market leader in this sector with production sites all over the world.

The 15 chapels were built by Pater Helsen in 1815 with 14 co-workers of the region. It is a protected monument.

Municipality structure

The municipality of Mol is divided in different townships respectively named:

  • Mol-Centrum
  • Mol-Achterbos
  • Mol-Donk
  • Mol-Ezaart
  • Mol-Ginderbuiten
  • Mol-Gompel
  • Mol-Heidehuizen
  • Mol-Millegem
  • Mol-Postel
  • Mol-Rauw
  • Mol-Sluis
  • Mol-Wezel

Places of interest

Civil architecture

  • Waterlock along the canal Dessel-Schoten
  • Bailey bridge (Postel)
  • Mill of Ezaart Ezaart
  • Casino (Gompel)

Religious architecture

Postel Abbey
  • Saint-Peter and Paul church (Mol)
  • The Postel Abbey, a 12th-century Premonstratensian abbey
  • The 15 chapels in Achterbos (België) Achterbos
  • Saint-Willibrord chapel (Ezaart)
  • Lourdes cave (Sluis)
  • Saint-Bernard church (Sluis)

Museum

  • Jakob Smitsmuseum in Sluis. Smits was a central artist to the Molse School. The museum's collection contains mostly works of his alongside several other artists of the Molse School.

Notable born or raised inhabitants

Tom Boonen
Wout Faes
Hadise
Jasper Philipsen
Joël Smets

Gallery

  • The old town hall and the Sint-Pieter and Pauwelkerk
    The old town hall and the Sint-Pieter and Pauwelkerk
  • Stone of the Seven Seigniories on the border of the municipalities of Mol and Lommel
    Stone of the Seven Seigniories on the border of the municipalities of Mol and Lommel
  • 19th-century building currently housing the Academy of Visual Arts
    19th-century building currently housing the Academy of Visual Arts
  • Huis De Clercq on Mol's Markt
    Huis De Clercq on Mol's Markt
  • Baroque refectory of Postel Abbey
    Baroque refectory of Postel Abbey
  • Monument for the victims of the World War I
    Monument for the victims of the World War I
  • Mill of Ezaart
    Mill of Ezaart
  • Former factory workers school of the glass factury Glaverbel in Gompel
    Former factory workers school of the glass factury Glaverbel in Gompel
  • Sunparks resort 'De Kempische Meren - Rauwse Meer'
    Sunparks resort 'De Kempische Meren - Rauwse Meer'
  • Saint-Anthony chapel and roadside cross
    Saint-Anthony chapel and roadside cross
  • The old enclosed churchyard in the center
    The old enclosed churchyard in the center
  • Station Mol
    Station Mol