In the Antwerp district Linkeroever, which is located on the left bank of the Scheldt river, there are no less than three post-war church buildings, at an in-between distance of about 1km. Already since the 16th century, there were plans for a systematic development of this bank, especially for military purposes. In the course of the 19th century, numerous plans were drawn for this area, which related to the problem of connecting both banks of the Scheldt. However, it was not until 1923 that the territory of Linkeroever was added to the city of Antwerp. Not much later, in 1929, I.M.A.L.S.O., the Intermunicipal Company of the Left Bank, was established, which properly started the development of Linkeroever. Tunnels for pedestrians and car traffic were constructed to connect Linkeroever and the Antwerp city center on the right bank. I.M.A.L.S.O. tried to find a solution for the housing issue as well by organizing an international design competition for a new urban district. However, not much was done with the prestigious plans that were proposed. The area was eventually developed in collaboration with the Antwerp city council. This resulted in a combination of single-family homes and high-rise buildings separated by broad traffic axes.
The parish church of the Heilige-Anna-en-Joachim belongs to the oldest parish on Linkeroever. The location of this church is a place of pilgrimage since the 14th century this. The modern church, designed by Jos Ritzen and completed in 1970, replaces a neo-Gothic building from 1903. This new church was necessary because problems arose after the polder landscape was raised with sand injection from 1930 onwards. Ritzen designed a church with a fan shaped plan in which the community could gather around the altar. Striking are the glass-in-concrete windows that determine the atmosphere inside. Following the rhythm of the population growth, a new parish was created on Linkeroever after the Second World War. The Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Schelde parish was established in the northern part of Linkeroever. At first, there were mainly summer residences in this area but after 1945, the number of permanent residences grew rapidly. The Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Schelde church is designed by architect Jos Bogaerts and dedicated in 1954. This sober building with a basilica floor plan in a traditional style was actually intended as a temporary chapel but remained in use as a permanent church until 2000, when the church was largely destroyed by fire. The third church on Linkeroever, Sint-Lucas, was completed in 1974. This church is part of the social housing complex Europark. Although initially, no church was included in the plan of the district, the diocese managed to convince the housing company. The church was integrated in the plan on top of an underground car park. The diocese, however, had to accept that the church was designed by the same architects as the apartment buildings of this complex (H. Aelbrecht, R. Brunswyck, R. Moureau and O. Wathelet). The sober building has a prominent concrete cornice and is a horizontal counterpart for the high-rise. In 2003, it was decided to merge the three Linkeroever parishes, choosing the name Sint-Anna-ten-Dries which symbolically refers to the three former parishes.
