SINT-NIKLAAS

( (Flemish), ) French Saint-nicolas, municipality, East Flanders province, northern Belgium, southwest of Antwerp. The former capital of the Waasland region, it was granted independence by the counts of Flanders (1241) and chartered in 1513. A rail junction and the industrial and trade centre for the fertile Waasland (Pays de Waes), its marketplace is the largest in Belgium (7.5 acres [3 hectares]). It has textile industries and several specialized schools. Notable buildings are the town hall (1876) with a 35-bell carillon, the old town hall (1663; now law courts), the Church of Sint-Niklaas (15th16th century; restored 1900), Notre Dame Church (1844), and the Walburg Chteau (16th century). The town museum contains mementos of the geographer Gerardus Mercator, who was born nearby. Pop. (1990 est.) mun., 67,979.