The fertile soils in the Scheldt-estuary drew in
people from prehistoric times. We know little about their settlements. Some
evidence of encampments have been found on higher ground (on so-called donken) safe from flooding. At the site
of the present city of Antwerp there is evidence of Celtic settlements on two
such donken from the first century
AD. The first reference to Antwerp dates from 692 as Antwerpum and concerns the missionary stronghold on the edge of the
large donk* of Caloes (now known as
't Kiel). In 836 the Vikings raid and destroy the settlements of Caloes,
Antverpia and Theurne and erect a new ringfort at the site of Antverpia. In 880
the settlement is described as a vicus
(i.e. a non-military, trade settlement).
Around 950
after his defeat of the Danes the German King Otto the Great imposes a treaty
on the Vikings, changing their stronghold into an important fortress on the
edge of the kingdom. Within the existing ringfort with earthen ramparts and a
paling the imperial seat is built within the stronghold known as burcht. In 980 work starts on erecting
an imperial chapel dedicated to St Walburga. The Vikings are employed to guard
this 2.5 ha stronghold on the Scheldt. On the landside of this fortress a civil
settlement springs up on another donk called Koraalberg. An area of 19 ha is
enclosed by diverting arms of the stream called 't Schijn into canals around
the settlement. This first settlement is also known as the Ruienstad, a name
that refers to the city moats that are known as ruien in the southern Netherlands. The word rui is derived from both ree
(borderline) and rei (canal or wide
ditch). The city is surrounded by earth banks, as is evident in the street
names Grote Goddaard and Kleine Goddaard that run parallel to the first outer moat.
Goddaard can be traced back to gord-aard
meaning an encircling earth bank. On the outside of this earth bank a moat with
bridges was excavated and a palisade was erected on top of the bank.
The underlying natural landscape of Antwerp with 4
small 'donken' and a large one that is more aptly known as a 'height island'.
The former ringfort and later burgh are located on one such donk (also known as
Guldenberg - G). Adjacent lay two alluvial banks known as Werft (w) and
Berderenwerf (b). The neighbouring donk Koraalberg was occupied and later
formed the heart of the first city of
Antwerp. This long ridge was later named as three separate entities: Visberg
(V), Bloedberg (B) and Coppennol (N).Close to this central elevation are two
more such donken 't Zand (Z - literally the Sands) to the south and Kauwenberg
(K) further east. Beyond we see the height islands of Caloes (C), Hoogveld (H)
and Hopland (h). In between these higher points in the riparian landscape that
are above the highest level of seasonal flooding lie the marshlands such as
Valkenbroek or Falconbroek (f), Meir, (m) and Elst (e).
The older settlement of Caloes destroyed by the
Vikings was located some 1000m south of the imperial castle, directly south of
the new city moat. Around 1100 the area within the ruien is becoming overcrowded. Beyond the moat, along the roads
leading to the bridges many buildings had been erected. These buildings ranged
from inns and brothels to farms, houses, workshops, smithies and monastic
compounds. The parochial church of the civic settlement was the Church of St
Michael outside of the city moats at Caloes. In 1124 a second college of canons
had been founded directly next to the ruienstad.
Here the Church of Our Lady would be built after the area around it had been
annexed to expand the city.
The city of Antwerp around 1100 was divided in an
binnenborch (inner burgh) and buitenborch (outer burgh) that were both secured
by a moat and an earth bank with paling. The binnenborch coincides with the
former ringfort and is surrounded by the Dilft (D), a cognate of 'delft' and
thus an excavated watercourse. The buitenborch is surrounded by a moat that
included parts of natural tidal inlets that were excavated to for the Suikerrui
(S) and the Koolvliet (K). This moat is spanned by severall bridges: Broodbrug
(B1), Reinoldsbrug (B2), Wijngaardbrug (B3) and Koebrug (B4). The Schijn river
is connected to the city moat in the north (3). The city is situated on several
natural elevations, i.e. Guldenberg (G), Bloedberg (B), Vischberg (V) and
Coppenol (C). At this point in time all the typically urban institutions are
located within the 'inner burgh' of which the domanial Church of St Walburga
(W) and Hertogshuis (H) -the ducal residence- were the most important. These
led to the foundation of the Fish Market (1), Stone Gate (2), Vierschaar (the
tribunal of sheriffs and bailiffs - 4), Refuge of Affligem Abbey (5),
Reuzenhuis (the seat of the Teutonic Knights - 6) and Werft (the wharf - 7).
The red lines indicate the former ringfort.
* The word donk only exists in Dutch and German
and is used for a typical land form of a stable elevation, often sandy, in
either wet and swampy terrain or near a river and above the normal level of seasonal
flooding.
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