Safe Zemst

Zemst: Five Sections Between Vilvoorde and Mechelen

With 23,369 inhabitants (2025) over 43.23 km² (density 540.59 inh./km²), Zemst is a Flemish municipality of Flemish Brabant, located between Vilvoorde and Mechelen and 20 km from Brussels. Created by the 1977 merger it groups five sections: Zemst, Eppegem, Elewijt, Hofstade and Weerde.

Sections and profile

Zemst centre : Historic municipal core, mixing terraced houses and subdivisions.

Hofstade : Section home to the Hofstade provincial domain, which houses a sports centre and a museum — a major commune attraction.

Eppegem, Elewijt, Weerde : More rural and residential sections, housing mixing family homes and farms.

Historic infrastructure

The commune is crossed by the E19 motorway (Brussels-Antwerp axis), by Belgium’s first national road (N1), and by the country’s oldest railway line. This concentration of historic infrastructure makes it a major communications hub.

Memorial

On 19 August 1914, a German military unit executed 14 civilians during the invasion — locally commemorated.

Heritage

The municipal coat of arms, granted in 1954 and 1981, features two golden arrows crossed in saltire.

Lock types in Zemst

The centre retains older terraced houses with mortise locks. Residential subdivisions and villas use multipoint locks and certified cylinders. The Hofstade provincial domain (sports centre, museum) requires professional locks and access-control systems. Farms in rural sections (Eppegem, Elewijt, Weerde) retain heavy locks on older doors.

Daily interventions in Zemst

The central position between Vilvoorde, Mechelen, Brussels (E19) and the historic railway line makes Zemst a high-mobility commune. Our team works in Dutch and French.