Sint-Niklaas (Dutch: [ˌsɪnt nɪˈklaːs] ⓘ; French: Saint-Nicolas, [sɛ̃ nikɔla]) is a Belgian city and municipality located in the Flemish province of East Flanders.

[2] Although some traces of pre-Roman activity have been found on the territory of Sint-Niklaas, the regional centre during Roman times was neighbouring Waasmunster, better located on the river Durme.

The history of Sint-Niklaas proper, however, starts in 1217, when the bishop of Tournai, following advice from the local clergy, founded a church dedicated to Saint Nicholas here.

A document dated from 1248 records that Margaret II, Countess of Flanders, ceded additional territory to the parish of Sint-Niklaas with the proviso that it would remain bare, which explains the unusual size of the central market square today.

This was also the time when Sint-Niklaas was endowed with administrative buildings and three cloistered communities (Oratorians, Franciscans, and Black Sisters), which provided educational, religious, and medical services to the region.

At the end of the century, the French Revolution brought its mixture of religious intolerance and modern administration to the city.

Sint-Niklaas was awarded the title of Most Pedestrian Friendly City in Flanders after the restoration of its central Market area.