Country Belgium Region Flemish Region Area codes 03 Postal code 2640 Province Antwerp Arrondissement Arrondissement of Antwerp | Community Flemish Community Postal codes 2640 Website www.mortsel.be Local time Sunday 8:48 AM Area code 03 | |
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Weather 11°C, Wind SW at 23 km/h, 91% Humidity | ||
Mortsel ( [ˈmɔrtsəl]) 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.
Contents
Map of Mortsel, Belgium
Geography
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.
History
Mortsel was the scene for one of the major collateral damage tragedies 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. Unfortunately the target was largely missed and a residential area hit instead, resulting in the deaths of 936 civilians, including 209 children, exceeding the civilian death toll of the Guernica raid which modern estimates put at 400.
The last V2 launched against Antwerp also fell in Mortsel, killing 27 people, on March 27, 1945.
Economy
The headquarters of Agfa-Gevaert are situated in Mortsel.