cathedral
St. Rumbold's Tower
Climb 538 steps up Mechelen's unfinished Gothic tower for a sky-walk panorama reaching as far as Antwerp and Brussels.
16 km · about 20 min drive
EuropeBelgiumFlanders
Kessel
Flanders, Belgium · Europe
About Kessel
Kessel works well as a base: 5 minutes from Bevel, 16km from St. Rumbold's Tower.
Kessel is in Flanders, Belgium, with about 7,600 people. You drive on the right here. The nearest town is Bevel, about 4 km away.
Kessel () is a town in the municipality of Nijlen in the province of Antwerp in Belgium. In 2006, the population was 7,207 inhabitants. Kessel is known for its tourist attractions, such as "de Kesselse Heide" (a nature reserve) and "Fort Kessel" (a fortress built for World War I).
Kessel lies between two rivers: theRead more
Kleine Nete in the north and the Grote Nete in the south. It borders with Emblem, Nijlen, Bevel, Berlaar and Lier. Although Kessel is a fairly small town, it has 2 separate town centres, Kessel-Dorp, which is built up around the town square, and Kessel-station, which is built up around the train station.
The name Kessel comes from the Latin word Castellum (fortress), indicating that Kessel might have been the location for an old Roman camp. In 1912, another Fortress was built, in order to withstand a German invasion. During World War I, German artillery fire from Berlaar made the fort useless, though it still stands until this day and was given the status of Protected Monument by the Belgian government.
Where to Stay in Kessel
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Frequently Asked Questions
What is there to see near Kessel?
Within an hour or so of Kessel: St. Rumbold's Tower (16 km), Antwerp Zoo (17 km), Antwerpen-Centraal (17 km), Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp (18 km).
Are there any good drives near Kessel?
The nearest famous roads are Brouwersdam, Koninklijke Baan Coast Road and Chimay Street Circuit.
Where is Kessel?
Kessel is in Flanders, Belgium, about 4 km from Bevel.
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Quick Information
- Population
- 7,591
- Continent
- Europe
- Country
- Belgium
- Region
- Flanders
- Timezone
- Europe/Brussels
- Coordinates
- 51.1389, 4.6296
Tags
Worth the detour from Kessel
8 notable places within an hour's drive.
landmark
Antwerp Zoo
Historic Belgian zoo next to the central train station, one of the oldest in the world, founded in 1843.
17 km · about 20 min drive
landmark
Antwerpen-Centraal
A cathedral-like railway station of marble, gilt and glass, repeatedly voted one of the most beautiful in the world.
17 km · about 20 min drive
cathedral
Cathedral of Our Lady, Antwerp
Belgium's tallest Gothic building housing masterpieces by Rubens, with a UNESCO-listed 123-metre tower visible across Flanders.
18 km · about 20 min drive
museum
Plantin-Moretus Museum
The world's oldest surviving printing house, run by the Plantin family in Antwerp from 1576 to 1867 and the only museum on the UNESCO World Heritage list: complete with the two oldest printing presses in existence and a Gutenberg Bible.
18 km · about 20 min drive
landmark
Leuven Town Hall
A lacework masterpiece of late-Gothic stone, crusted with statues and pinnacles in Belgium's great university city.
29 km · about 35 min drive
landmark
Atomium
Futuristic building in Brussels shaped like an iron crystal magnified 165 billion times, built for the 1958 World Expo.
34 km · about 40 min drive
museum
Autoworld Brussels
300 vehicles spanning a century of motoring displayed in the grand Cinquantenaire Palace arcade.
37 km · about 45 min drive
Driving roads near Kessel
4 named roads, passes and coastal drives within 150km.
- 63 kmWestern Scheldt TunnelAt 6.6 km the longest road tunnel in the Netherlands, diving under the busy Western Scheldt shipping lane to link Zeeland with Zeelandic Flanders since 2003.
- 63 kmWesterscheldetunnelTolled 6.6-kilometre road tunnel under the Western Scheldt linking Zeelandic Flanders to Zuid-Beveland, replacing two ferries.
- 73 kmZeeland BridgeElegant 5 km bridge over the Oosterschelde estuary, the longest in the Netherlands when opened in 1965. Its endless procession of arches makes one of the country's most photogenic drives.
Driving in Belgium
- Drives on
- the right
- Petrol
- ~€1.74/litre
- Motorway tolls
- None
When to drive here
April to October
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