Kempenland

Kempenland, plateau region of northeastern Belgium occupying most of Antwerp province and northern Limburg province. It is a rather dry, infertile region of sandy soil and gravel, with pine woods interspersed among meadows of thin grass and heather. Poor drainage, especially in the lower, western part, has produced marshes where reeds and alder trees shelter abundant waterfowl. Although market towns and abbeys on the plateau date from the Middle Ages, settlement there was moderate until the 19th century, when, under population pressure from neighbouring regions, much wasteland was drained and cultivated. Wilderness remains, however, in large parks and designated walking districts.

Coal was discovered in eastern Kempenland, around Genk, in the late 19th century. Exploitation began after World War I, and the coalfield—part of a larger field that extends eastward to Aachen, Ger.—superseded the older south Belgian field as the country’s chief coal-producing area. Chemical plants and other coal-based industries followed, encouraged by the construction in 1939 of the Albert ship canal across the region from Antwerp to the Meuse River. Major Kempenland towns include Turnhout, Herentals, Geel, Mol, and Genk. The region is evoked in the novels and poems of Marie Gevers (1883–1975).