Ekeren is a northern district of the municipality of Antwerp in the Flemish Region of Belgium. The suburb celebrated its 850th birthday in 2005; the name of the town was first mentioned in 1155, as "Hecerna". The name possibly originates from Vikings who settled there in the 9th century after using the oak trees.Ekeren was a distinct municipality with its own town hall, mayor, and city council until 1983, when most of it, along with 8 other municipalities was merged into the city of Antwerp. In 2000 the Antwerp city council initiated additional district councils with responsibilities including sports, culture, youth and elderly people. Since this decentralization, the Antwerp municipality consists of nine districts (the old city, seven former municipalities at its borders, and the Bezali merger of three towns). The first district council of Ekeren, elected in 2000, was led by Christophe Thomas (Open Vld); the second district council, elected in 2006, by Ronny Kruyniers (sp.a). The current district council chairman is Koen Palinckx (N-VA) (elected in 2012). The district council gathers in the 16th century-era Hof van Veltwijck, which had seen major restructuring works around 2000; this complex also houses local administrative offices.