RelatioNet SL HA 34 BE BE

Berchem is the southern part of the city of Antwerp in the Flemish region of Belgium. Berchem itself is divided into three Quarters: Oud Berchem, Groenenhoek, and Nieuw Kwartier. Berchem was bombed in 1940 by the Germans and again in 1944 by the allied forces. The Berchem population had to undergo inhuman treatment and hundreds of people were deported to concentration camps in the east. The resistance had a well-organized active wing in Berchem, but under occupation, all leaders and partisans were publicly executed by the S.S. This slaughter is referred to as Vuurkruisen (=crosses of fire). During the Second World War, the Germans made all villages around Antwerp fusion to a new Greater Antwerp. In 1945, after the liberation of Antwerp, Berchem regained its autonomy. In 1969, the fortress belt was removed and replaced by two major Ringways, the Ring (transit traffic) and the Singel (inbound traffic). In 1983, several villages - including Berchem - were absorbed by Greater Antwerp. Since 1993, these Antwerp districts are getting more and more legislative and executive power.