Beveren/Kruibeke/Zwijndrecht –
From 2025, 87,000 people will live in Beveren Waas. The residents of Beveren, Kruibeke and Zwijndrecht chose that name themselves.
The new merged municipality, which will start in 2025, had to be given a name for when all thirteen sub-municipalities are discussed. Each sub-municipality retains its own name and zip code.
Residents aged sixteen or older could vote for Beveren Waas or Scheldewaas for three weeks – until Wednesday. A total of 20,519 votes were cast. 13,627 people (66.4 percent) chose Beveren Waas, Scheldewaas received 6,892 votes (33.6 percent).
“Beveren Waas is a name with proven historical value, which refers to the Land of Beveren, which in addition to Beveren also included Doel, Kallo, Kieldrecht, Verrebroek and parts of Haasdonk, Melsele, Vrasene and Zwijndrecht,” it said during the performance.
The new name was announced in a livestream on Thursday morning. Mayors Marc Van de Vijver (Beveren) and Antoine Denert (Kruibeke), together with councilor Bruno Byl (Zwijndrecht), unveiled a sign with the new name. They did this at the ‘three-municipality point’ in the SME zone Zwaluwbeek, the place where the current municipal boundaries meet.