The nickname of the Merksplas residents is “spetsers”.

The Merksplas resident is proud of his nickname.
On the Market Square, right in front of the town hall, there is a statue of the spetser of Merksplas, a boy who dances in the puddles and the rain, so that the water splashes away on all sides.
Merksplas is located on the watershed of the Maas and the Scheldt. This is because the clay crops out there, so it is high in the ground. In this strip you will therefore find
a lot of puddles, fens and pools. Because Merksplas is located higher in the landscape, there is little gradient, which means that the
rainwater remains in the puddles along and (in the past) on the road for longer.

In the past, anyone who came to Merksplas from Turnhout had to wade through the Visbeek (also Galgebeek).
Anyone who came to Merksplas from Hoogstraten had to wade through the Mark. These crossings are called "een voort", respectively Turnhoutervoort and Papenvoort.
So: whoever came to Merksplas, had a big chance of being splashed.
People would say: "We are going to the splashers of Merksplas".

Source: henkdeconinck.be/spotnamen/merksplas.htm

Translated by Google •

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Elevation 60 m

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Location: Merksplas, Turnhout, Antwerp, Flanders, Belgium

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