Hoboken, Antwerp

This article is about the district of Antwerp. For other places called Hoboken, see Hoboken (disambiguation).

Hoboken
District of Antwerp
Sorghvliedt Castle (Kasteel Sorghvliedt)
Coat of arms of Hoboken Coat of arms
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Coordinates:
Country	Belgium
Region	Flemish Region
Province	Antwerp
Municipality	Antwerp
Area
• Total	10.67 km2 (4.12 sq mi)
Highest elevation	6 m (20 ft)
Lowest elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population (2006)
• Total	34 443
• Density	3,228/km2 (8,360/sq mi)
	Source: NIS
Postal code	2660
Area code	03

Hoboken (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦo.bo.kə(n)]) is a southern district of the arrondissement and city of Antwerp, in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is located at the Scheldt river. The name of the district has origins in Middle Dutch; an alternative story is told in a tale for children. Each November an annual beer server race has taken place since 1777.

Name

The name Hoboken is derived from Middle Dutch Hooghe Buechen or Hoge Beuken, meaning High or Tall Beeches. To this day there is a hospital in Hoboken named "Hoge Beuken".

A local children's story says that the name "Hoboken" is derived from a little boy who accidentally dropped his sandwich in the Schelde river, which flows near Hoboken. In the local dialect of Dutch, a "boke" is a sandwich and "ho" is a way of shouting "stop", so he must have shouted "Ho, boken!!!".

History

Hoboken boasts an annual 5K beer server race. The tradition started, according to legend, in 1777, with the proclamation of the United States of Belgium (Dutch: Verenigde Nederlandse Staten or Verenigde Belgische Staten, French: États-Belgiques-Unis). The race is held annually on the first Sunday of November and is often amalgamated by the All Saints Day celebration.

External links

• Official website