Etsrike

Etsrike Ertsenrijk is a hamlet of Halen, situated south of the village centre in the Gete valley. In the past the name of the hamlet was written as Echericke, Escherike or Etsrike. The first part of the name could derive from "etsel", which means pasture or meadowland. The second part "rike" would mean enclosure. Due to its location next to the Gete, the area would have been suitable for pastures.

Etsrike Ertsenrijk is a hamlet of Halen, situated south of the village centre in the Gete valley. In the past the name of the hamlet was written as Echericke, Escherike or Etsrike. The first part of the name could derive from "etsel", which means pasture or meadowland. The second part "rike" would mean enclosure. Due to its location next to the Gete, the area would have been suitable for pastures. In the thirteenth century the manor farm "Hof van Langdorp of van Vlierbeek" (lower court) was established here, bound to a lordship (territory of a landed lord). The area developed into an elongated fallow pasture around which farms and houses were built.