| Babyloniënbroek | |
| Settlement Type: | Village |
| Native Name Lang: | nl |
| Pushpin Map: | Netherlands North Brabant#Netherlands |
| Pushpin Mapsize: | 250 |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the province of North Brabant in the Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
| Subdivision Type1: | Province |
| Subdivision Name1: | North Brabant |
| Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
| Subdivision Name2: | Altena |
| Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
| Elevation M: | -0.1 |
| Area Total Km2: | 8.70 |
| Population Footnotes: | [2] |
| Population Total: | 425 |
| Population As Of: | 2021 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone: | CET |
| Utc Offset: | +1 |
| Timezone Dst: | CEST |
| Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
| Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
| Postal Code: | 4269 |
| Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
| Area Code: | 0416 |
| Coordinates: | 51.7431°N 5.0217°W |
Babyloniënbroek is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is in the municipality of Altena, about 7 km northwest of the city of Waalwijk.
Babyloniënbroek consists of a single street, and has about 400 inhabitants. The name Babylon has the suffix Broek added. 'Broek' is a word linked to the root of the English word, 'Brook' for stream or the springs of a stream, and the meaning in Dutch is very similar, meaning swamp or swampy. The village was first mentioned in 1131 as Babilonia.[3] Babyloniënbroek is a linear settlement which started as a cultivation project by the monastery of Sint-Truiden around 1130 alongside a canal which no longer exists.[4] [3]
The Dutch Reformed church building probably dates from the 14th century. In 1664, the nave was enlarged using material of the older church. It was restored until 1975.[4] The church used to function as a place of refuge in case of floods. The last time it was used was in 1809.
Babyloniënbroek was home to 250 people in 1840.[5]