Rijkevorsel

Rijkevorsel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˌrɛikəˈvɔrsəl]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the town of Rijkevorsel, Achtel [nl], Sint-Jozef-Rijkevorsel [nl] and Gammel [nl]. In 2021, Rijkevorsel had a total population of 12,262.^[2] The total area is 46.79 km².

Rijkevorsel
Municipality
Flag Coat of arms
Location of Rijkevorsel
Rijkevorsel Location in Belgium Location of Rijkevorsel in the province of Antwerp
Coordinates: 51°21′N 04°46′E
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	Antwerp
Arrondissement	Turnhout
Government
• Mayor	Dorien Cuylaerts (N-VA)
• Governing party/ies	N-VA, CD&V
Area
• Total	46.84 km2 (18.09 sq mi)
Population  (2018-01-01)[1]
• Total	11,932
• Density	250/km2 (660/sq mi)
Postal codes	2310
NIS code	13037
Area codes	03, 014
Website	www.rijkevorsel.be

History

Rijkevorsel, Vaishak, Voirssele, Forsela in 1194. Recent archaeological finds at the Willow Street attest to human presence in the late Stone Age, the bronze and Iron Age and the Roman times. A large cemetery with cremation (urnfield) on the Helhoekheide may point to a first settlement being present here already before the beginning of our era.

Notable inhabitants

• Aster Berkhof, writer
• Leo Pleysier, writer
• George Kooymans, composer, musician, producer, guitarist at Golden Earring rockband
• Toon Aerts, Belgian cyclist born in Malle and currently lives in Rijkevorsel. 2016 European champion.