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

Sint-Niklaas is the capital and major city of the Waasland region straddling the East Flanders and Antwerp provinces.

[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.

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