![[Flag of Malle]](../images/b/be-vanml.gif)
Last modified: 2019-01-13 by ivan sache
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Municipal flag of Malle - Image by Arnaud Leroy, 1 July 2006
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The municipality of Malle (14,158 inhabitants on 1 January 2007; 5,200 ha) is located in northern Kempen, between Antwerp and Turnhout. The municipality of Malle was formed in 1976 by the merging of the two former municipalities of Oostmalle and Westmalle (lit., East- and West Malle); originally named Westmalle, the new municipality was renamed Malle on 30 July 1979.
Malle was most probably a place where the Franks exercized justice,
known then as Mallum or Maalberg. The earliest known occurrence of the
name dates back to 1194, when the Bishop of Cambrai granted the
churches of Malle and Vorsele to the chapter of the Notre-Dame church in
Antwerp. Oostmalle, Westmalle and Zoersel formed then a single domain, which depended on the County of Taxandria.
In the first half of the 13th century, the domain was split into
Oostmalle, allocated ot the land of Breda, and Westmalle and Zoersel,
probably allocated to the Margravate of Antwerp, part of the Duchy of
Brabant.
From the 16th century to the French Revolution, Oostmalle belonged to
the Renesse family, whereas Westmalle belonged successively to the van
der Moelen, Cottereau (1531-1720) and Powis (1738-) families. Westmalle
and Zoersel were made separate municipalities in 1839.
On 25 June 1967, a tornado destroyed 135 houses and the village church
of Oostmalle.
The Renesse domain (60 ha) is now owned by the municipality of Malle. The original castle, built in the 15th century, was destroyed in 1453 and rebuilt, newer and bigger, by Jan van Renesse. Famous people who stayed in the castle include Emperor Charles V, Prince of Orange Willem de Zwijger (William the Silent) and Governor of the Low Countries Margaretha van Parma. The domain was completely revamped in 1830 by Burgrave Bus de Gisignies. Around 1900, the domain came back to the Renesse family. Duke Maximiliaan de Renesse rebuilt the castle in Flemish neo-Renaissance style.
Westmalle is world-famous for its Trappist abbey, which produces fine
beer and cheese. The Notre-Dame of the Sacred-Heart abbey belongs to
the Cistercian Order, founded in the 12th century. The Order was
nicknamed Trappist Order, as a reference to the abbey of La Trappe in
Normandy (France). The Cistercian Order was reformed from La Trappe in
the 16th century and is called today the Order of the
Cistercians of the Strict Observance.
The Trappist monastery of Westmalle, founded in 1794, was granted the
rank of abbey on 22 April 1836. The monks were then allowed to drink
during meals the most popular beverage in Flanders, that is beer. Abbot
Dom Martin decided to build a small brewery in the abbey; the first
locally-produced beer was served on 10 December 1836. Until 1856, the
beer produced in Westmalle was used only in the abbey. In 1856, the
monks started to sell beer at the abbey's entrance, but there was no
organized trade. Due to an increased demand, the brewery was
increased in 1865-1897. In 1921, the monks appointed a merchant to sell
the beer. The sales were boosted and the brewery was completely
revamped in the early 1930s. The abbey did not stop improving its
production, which is computer-managed since 1991. The (secrete) recipe
of the beer hardly changed over the 170 years of existence of the
brewery: the beer is made of pure water, malt, hops, sugar and yeasts.
A genuine Trappist beer is different from an abbey bear. Only seven
beers in the world have been allowed to be labelled Trappist: Achel,
Chimay, La Trappe, Orval, Rochefort, Westvleteren and Westmalle. The
bottle bears the logotype "Authentic Trappist Product". To be a genuine
Trappist, a beer must fulfill thr three following requirements:
- The beer must be brewed inside the walls of a Trappist abbey, by
Trappist monks or under their direct control.
- The brewery must depend of the monastery and be part of the project
of the monastery.
- The brewery shall not make profit. A part of the profits is used for
the monks and the abbey whereas the rest is allocated to charities
Moreover, communication and advertizing must respect the religious
environment in which the beer is produced.
The three beers produced in Westmalle are the Double (Dubble), the
Triple (Tripel) and the Extra. The Extra is brewed only twice a year
and served only to the monks and their guests for lunch.
The abbey of Westmalle has been producing cheese since 1860. The cheese is made by the monks alone with crude, non-pasteurized milk from the abbey's cows only. Artificial colourings and preservatives are excluded, so that the colour of the cheese depends on the cows' food. The cheese production is very limited and Westmalle cheese can be purchased only at the abbey and at the Café Trappisten pub, located across the street.
Sources:
Ivan Sache, 29 September 2010
The municipal flag of Malle is blue with a white chevron surmounting a
white grill.
According to Gemeentewapens in België - Vlaanderen en Brussel [w2v02a], the flag and arms were adopted by the Municipal Council on 9 November 1981, confirmed by the Executive of
Flanders on 3 December 1984 and published in the Belgian official
gazette on 8 July 1986.
Blue is taken from the arms of the former municipalities of Oostmalle
and Westmalle. The chevron comes from the first quarter of the arms of
Westmalle, whereas the grill comes from the arms of Oostmalle, where it
represents St. Lawrence.
According to Servais [svm55a], the arms of Oostmalle were granted on 31 January
1839 as "Azure a St. Lawrence holding a gril argent in dexter".
On 30 April 1839, after the split of the municipality of
Westmalle-Zoersel, Westmalle was granted the arms of the former
municipality, "Or a lion gules", which were the arms of the Powis
family. On 2 May 1914, these arms were changed for the arms of the
Cottereau family, "Quarterly, 1 and 4 azure a chevron argent three
roosters or, 2 and 3 argent three fesses azure a border gules
engrailed.
The current arms of Malle, as shown on the municipal website, are "Quarterly, 1. and 4. Azure a chevron argent
cantonned by three roosters standing or, beaked, crested and armed
gules, the two upper affronty, 2. and 3. Argent three fesses azure a
border gules, an escutcheon Azure a St. Lawrence proper standing on a
grassy terrace".
St. Lawrence, as usual, holds a grill, but is represented without the
traditional religious cloak.
Arnaud Leroy, Pascal Vagnat, Jarig Bakker & Ivan Sache, 29 September 2010
