Nijlen

Nijlen
Nijlen
Municipality
	Coat of arms
	Location of Nijlen
	Nijlen Location in Belgium Location of Nijlen in the province of Antwerp
	Coordinates: 51°10′N 04°39′E / 51.167°N 4.650°E
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish region
Province	Antwerp
Arrondissement	Mechelen
Government
• Mayor	Paul Verbeeck (CD&V)
• Governing party/ies	CD&V, N&U , Groen, Open-VLD
Area
• Total	39.2 km2 (15.1 sq mi)
Population (2020-01-01)
• Total	22,936
• Density	590/km2 (1,500/sq mi)
Postal codes	2560
NIS code	12026
Area codes	03, 014
Website	www.nijlen.be

Nijlen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈnɛilə(n)]) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality comprises the towns of Bevel [nl], Kessel and Nijlen proper. In 2021, Nijlen had a total population of 22,985.^[2] The total area is 39.09 km².

History

In 1770, a hoard of golden coins dating from Julius Caesar to Titus Flavius Domitianus was discovered. Nijlen was first mentioned in 1146 as having possessions of Tongerlo Abbey. The village was damaged during the Reformation and nearly depopulated. In the 18th century, there was a population increase which accelerated after the railway station on the line from Antwerp to Herentals opened in 1853. Around 1875, diamond industry started in Nijlen which became the second most importance centre for diamonds after Antwerp in Belgium.^[3]