Tree

Boom originated in the early 14th century as the parish 'ad arborem', by the tree. Monks from the Saint Bernard Abbey had already been digging clay next to their abbey in Hemiksem for a century to make bricks. The great fire in Antwerp in 1546, which destroyed many wooden houses, created an urgent need for more durable building material: bricks. This led to the growth and flourishing of the brick industry. Later, the digging of the Willebroek canal and the Brussels-Charleroi canal facilitated brick transport and increased the demand for bricks. Brickworks appeared everywhere along the Rupel.

Lannoo