Send Gift Baskets to Schoten, Belgium

Schoten may derive its name from wooden dividing walls (shot in Dutch) driven in the ground to separate private properties. It was under the influence of Abbot Ursmarus, who owned property in this area that the area became Christianized at the end of the 7th century.

It was under the political authority of the lords of Breda in the 12th century, then of the lords of Bergen-op-Zoom in the 13th century. The Villers Abbey administered it from a religious perspective.

Schoten served as a secondary residence for wealthy Antwerp merchants and burghers from the beginning of the 16th century. Despite this, the local community managed to maintain its rural Campine character well into the 19th century. Initially, industry developed along the border with Merksem, then along the Albert Canal. Koningshof and Schotenhof were built on the rest of the town’s territory, kept green by neighboring Antwerp residents. The forested portion of Schoten’s territory still makes up about 30% of its total area, which is a remarkable achievement considering how close it is to Antwerp’s center.