Hove

Hove is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Antwerp. The municipality only comprises the town of Hove proper. On January 1, 2006, Hove had a total population of 8,307. The total area is 5.99 km² which gives a population density of 1,388 inhabitants per km². The municipality lies approximately 9 kilometres 5.6 mi from the city of Antwerp, the capital of the province. It is a small community, and is said to be one of the most expensive areas in Belgium. Many people pay large sums of money to live there because it is one of the safest places in Belgium.

During the early Middle Ages the region was part of the Frankish Empire, which was divided into several pagi. The territory of the present day province belonged to several pagi of which the region around Antwerp belonged to the Pagus Renesium. The Pagus Toxandria stretched from North Brabant into the Campine region. To the south there was the Pagus Bracbatinse and the Pagus Hasbaniensis. In 843 the Carolingian Empire of Charlemagne was divided among his sons and the river Scheldt became the border between West Francia and East Francia. In 974 Otto II established the Margraviate of Antwerp as a defence against the County of Flanders.