Shuttle & Taxi in Geel from / to Brussels airport

Geel (Dutch pronunciation: [ɣeːl]) is a city located in the Belgian province of Antwerp, which acquired city status in the 1980s. It includes Central-Geel which is made up of 4 former parishes a / o: towns Sint-Amand, Sint-Dimpna, Holven and Elsum. Further around the center are the Parish-towns of Ten Aard (N), Bel (E), Winkelomheide (SE), Stelen, Oosterlo and Zammel (S), Punt (SW) and Larum (W). As of December 31, 2016, Geel had a total population of 39535. The total area is 109,85 km 2 (42 sq mi) which gives a population density of 320 inhabitants per km². From Geel patron saint, the Irish Saint Dymphna, inspired for the mentally ill avant-garde deinstitutionalized method of care in the city.

Archaeological finds in the area point to the Iron Age settlements, but the name Geel (until the mid-20th century spelled Gheel) originated from a Germanic root meaning "yellow" and dates from the beginning of the 13th century. Middle Ages. A hamlet already existed in the middle of the 2.136th century, at which time a certain Petrus Cameracencis, canon of Cambrai, wrote the Vita Sanctae Dimpnae (ie life of Saint Dymphna) fixed in Geel according to oral tradition. The cult of the saint attracted many pilgrims to the region, leading to significant population growth: 1374 inhabitants in XNUMX.

In the 12th century, the extended territory around Geel was given to the Abbey of Grimbergen. It then became the property of one noble family after another throughout medieval times. The noble lords or were masters of ladies their community, but pledged feudal allegiance to the Dukes of Brabant. Some form of municipal government was granted to GEEL as early as the first half of the 13th century. Throughout the Middle Ages to the end of the 18th century, the history of Geel follows that of the Duchy of Brabant.

All the while, the town's economy relies on sheep farming for the textile industry, supplemented by the cultivation of flax for the manufacture and trade of flax. A cloth room was built at the beginning of the 15th century, which was later transformed into the town hall. The eighty years of war greatly damaged Geel's economy as well as its buildings and churches. The textile industry recovered to last until the beginning of the 19th century, but the economy is now mainly supported by agriculture, especially rye, oats, barley and buckwheat. Geel was also known at the time for its Latin School, which attracted students from afar to prepare them for entry to the Catholic University of Louvain.

source: City of Geel