Hoogstraten Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Hoogstraten

St Catharina Church in Hoogstraten

Flag	Coat of arms

Hoogstraten

Location in Belgium

Country

Flemish Community

Arrondissement

Turnhout

Area

• Total

105.32 km² (40.66 sq mi)

Population

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• Total

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Postal codes

2320–2323, 2328

Area codes

03, 014

Website

www.hoogstraten.be

Hoogstraten is a town in Belgium, located in the province of Antwerp. It includes the smaller villages of Meer, Meerle, Meersel-Dreef, Minderhout, and Wortel. Meersel-Dreef is even the northernmost point in all of Belgium!

Over 20,000 people live in Hoogstraten. It is in Flanders, a region of Belgium, and sits right on the border with the Netherlands. In fact, the town is almost surrounded by the Netherlands on three sides. About 15% of the people living here are from the Netherlands.

The town's name, Hoogstraten, comes from "hoge straat," which means "high road." This was an old military road that connected the cities of Antwerp and 's-Hertogenbosch. Long ago, towns mostly made enough food and goods for themselves. So, most travelers on this road were soldiers.

Today, Hoogstraten is famous around the world for its delicious strawberries. The Veiling Hoogstraten (auction) is one of the biggest in Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg. Every year, over 30,000 tons of strawberries are sold there! While strawberries are famous, the main farm crop grown here is actually tomatoes.

Hoogstraten's History
Sports and Fun
Notable People
- Born in Hoogstraten
- Lived in Hoogstraten
Images for kids
See also

Hoogstraten's History

Early Beginnings

Hoogstraten likely started as a small group of simple cottages with thatched roofs. One of these might have been an inn where travelers could get a meal and a place to sleep. Most people in Hoogstraten worked for the main landowner.

The town didn't have a natural lake or hill to grow around. Instead, it grew along the main street, called the "Vrijheid." There was a small river, the Mark, but people wisely avoided building too close to it because of floods.

In 1210, Hoogstraten was given the special title of 'free town.' This meant it had certain rights, like being free from some taxes. These special rights helped the town grow. An old watermill, called 'het Laermolen,' was built on the River Mark. It was already old when it was first mentioned in 1391. Also, in 1380, a Beguinage was built. This was a place for good, but poor, older women to live.

Growth and Changes

Hoogstraten in 1564, painted by an unknown artist.

Stained glass window showing Antoine II de Lalaing inside St-Catherine's Church.

A very large brick church, St. Catherine's Church, was started in 1524. A matching town hall was built next door in 1530. The church was finished in 1546.

By 1564, a drawing showed that Hoogstraten still had houses on both sides of the wide, unpaved Vrijheid street. There were more than a hundred tall, wooden buildings, some three stories high. The church was the center of the town. A bit over a kilometer away, on a small hill, stood the Count's castle.

Under Count Antoon de Lalaing (1480–1540) and his wife, Countess Elisabeth van Culemborg (1475–1555), the area around Hoogstraten became a 'county.' This title was given by Margaretha of Austria. The county included all the Count's land and several villages.

Between 1602 and 1604, a long mutiny (rebellion) by Spanish soldiers happened in Hoogstraten during the Eighty Years' War.

Even though Hoogstraten is in modern Belgium, it was part of the Duchy of Brabant before 1794.

The Lalaing-Culemborg family owned Hoogstraten until 1709. Then, it went to the Salm-Salm family. In 1740, Hoogstraten was made a 'Duchy' by Emperor Charles VI. However, about 50 years later, during French rule, it lost its titles of 'town' and 'duchy.' This might have happened because the area was seen as not supporting the French.

Modern Hoogstraten

Over two hundred years later, in 1977, Hoogstraten was joined with the nearby villages of Meer, Meerle, Meersel-Dreef, Minderhout, and Wortel. These villages were all close to Hoogstraten, none more than 15 kilometers away. Since 1985, Hoogstraten has once again been allowed to call itself a 'stad' – a town.

Sports and Fun

Hoogstraten hosts the Vlaamse Aardbeiencross every February. This is a famous cyclo-cross race, which is a type of bicycle racing that takes place on different terrains like mud, grass, and hills. It's part of the Superprestige series, a big competition in cyclo-cross.