51.0237° N, 4.4829° E

MECHELEN

Most Famous People Born in Mechelen, Belgium

Notable people
322
Peak decade
1950s
Median birth year
1836
Most distinctive
Sculptor 12.8×
Through the Centuries

One face per century — the most globally famous figure born in Mechelen during each.

What Mechelen Is Known For

Click any row to filter the list of people below.

Painter is Mechelen's biggest profession — 18% of all notables (58).

Mechelen over-indexes on sculptor12.8× the global rate.

  1. Painter58
  2. Football37
  3. Politician34
  4. Sculptor27
  5. Priest14
  6. Composer13
  7. Sport8
  8. Lawyer8
  1. Sculptor2712.8×
  2. Painter586.9×
  3. Mathematician53.1×
  4. Composer133.1×
  5. Priest143.0×

Profession Mix Over Time

Each band shows a profession family's share of Mechelen's notable births by decade. Hover the chart for the breakdown at any decade.

1500155016001650170017501800185019001950
  • Art & Design
  • Sports
  • Politics & Law
  • Music
  • Science
  • Writing
  • Other
All322
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Showing 12 of 322 notable people

0064 FOOTBALL

Jan Diddens

1906 - 1972

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0076 FOOTBALL

Théodore Nouwens

1908 - 1974

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0083 FOOTBALL

Désiré Bourgeois

1908 - 1996

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0084 RÉSISTANT

Irma Laplasse

1904 - 1945

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0107 PAINTER

Louis Pevernagie

1904 - 1970

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0156 COMPOSER

Staf Nees

1901 - 1965

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0161 PAINTER

Gaston Relens

1909 - 2011

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0163 POLITICIAN

Antoon Spinoy

1906 - 1967

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0176 POET

Albert van Hoogenbemt

1900 - 1964

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0188 SCULPTOR

Raymond de Meester de Betzenbroeck

1904 - 1995

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0213 ACCORDIONIST

Adolphe Deprince

1901 - 1995

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0267 POLITICIAN

Isidore Smets

1901 - 1976

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