Achterbos

 hamlet, draw only border

Achterbos is one of the twelve hamlets of the Belgian municipality of Mol. In 2017, Achterbos had 4008 inhabitants. This makes Achterbos, after Mol-Centrum, the second most populous hamlet of Mol.

The hamlet is located in a wooded area that, like its inhabitants, was often immortalized in the etchings and paintings of Jakob Smits (1855-1928) and his pupil Dirk Baksteen (1886-1971). Both artists are buried in the cemetery of Mol-Achterbos.

Achterbos traditionally had a chapel dedicated to Saint Apollonia. In 1678, pilgrims came to Achterbos to heal from toothaches. In 1862 the chapel was demolished and replaced by a small church. In 1876 this church and a large number of farms were destroyed by fire. In 1889, Achterbos became an independent parish that split off from Mol-Centre. The current brick Sint-Apollonia church, whose tower has a gable roof, was built in 1932.