en Duffel

Duffel
Duffel
Municipality
	Duffel Town Hall
	Flag Coat of arms
	Location of Duffel
	Duffel Location in Belgium Location of Duffel in the province of Antwerp
	Coordinates: 51°06′N 04°31′E / 51.100°N 4.517°E
Country	Belgium
Community	Flemish Community
Region	Flemish Region
Province	Antwerp
Arrondissement	Mechelen
Government
• Mayor	Sofie Joosen (N-VA)
• Governing party/ies	N-VA, CD&V
Area
• Total	22.6 km2 (8.7 sq mi)
Population (2020-01-01)
• Total	17,664
• Density	780/km2 (2,000/sq mi)
Postal codes	2570
NIS code	12009
Area codes	015, 03
Website	www.duffel.be

Duffel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈdʏfəl] ^ⓘ) is a municipality in the Belgian province of Antwerp.

The municipality comprises the town of Duffel proper. On 1 January 2020, Duffel had a total population of 17,664. The total area is 22.71 km² which gives a population density of 778 inhabitants per km².

The area is the eponym of a coarse woolen cloth, manufactured in this area from the 11th century, mainly used to make blankets, outdoor (army) coats, and tote bags. Duffel became a household name during and after World War II in the meaning of a coat designed with toggle-and-loop fastening and roomy hood.^[2]

The etymology of Duffel is from "dubro" and "locus", from the Gaulish dubrum, dubron – "water".

In 1836, the Duffel railway station opened on the Brussels-North to Antwerp railway line.^[3]

Duffel cloth

The town gives its name to a type of heavy woolen cloth generally used to make blankets and overcoats, especially for the armed forces, and a type of luggage.^[4] In the Middle Ages, an important part of the region's industry was the manufacturing of Flemish laken (a broadcloth), while the cloth produced in Duffel was a thicker variation. The manufacturing process was brought to England by Flemish emigrants in the 1500s.^[5] The name for the cloth was so well-known, a type of overcoat made from the cloth and manufactured in England received the name Duffel coat.^[6]^[7]

Notable natives

Jan Van Der Roost, composer
Kevin De Weert, cyclist
Andreas Pereira, footballer
Metejoor, singer
Cornelis Kiliaan (1528–1607), lexicographer and poet
Hendrik Hondius I (1573–1650), engraver, cartographer and publisher
Rocky Bushiri, footballer for Hibernian FC
Gaëtan De Knyff, racing driver

Climate

Climate data for Duffel (1991−2020 normals)
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F)	6.7 (44.1)	7.7 (45.9)	11.2 (52.2)	15.5 (59.9)	19.0 (66.2)	21.8 (71.2)	23.9 (75.0)	23.7 (74.7)	20.1 (68.2)	15.4 (59.7)	10.4 (50.7)	7.1 (44.8)	15.2 (59.4)
Daily mean °C (°F)	4.0 (39.2)	4.4 (39.9)	7.1 (44.8)	10.3 (50.5)	14.1 (57.4)	17.0 (62.6)	19.1 (66.4)	18.7 (65.7)	15.4 (59.7)	11.5 (52.7)	7.4 (45.3)	4.5 (40.1)	11.1 (52.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F)	1.3 (34.3)	1.1 (34.0)	2.9 (37.2)	5.3 (41.5)	9.2 (48.6)	12.2 (54.0)	14.3 (57.7)	13.8 (56.8)	10.7 (51.3)	7.5 (45.5)	4.3 (39.7)	1.9 (35.4)	7.0 (44.7)
Average precipitation mm (inches)	68.0 (2.68)	60.3 (2.37)	54.1 (2.13)	40.8 (1.61)	55.4 (2.18)	72.6 (2.86)	76.3 (3.00)	81.6 (3.21)	69.3 (2.73)	64.4 (2.54)	74.3 (2.93)	84.2 (3.31)	801.3 (31.55)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)	11.9	11.1	10.4	8.5	9.5	9.8	10.2	10.1	9.6	10.6	12.1	13.4	127.2
Mean monthly sunshine hours	61	77	134	188	218	218	223	210	163	117	66	51	1,726
Source: Royal Meteorological Institute^[8]