Kerkrade Kirchroa (Ripuarian) | |
|---|---|
 Kerkrade city hall | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
.svg) Location in Limburg | |
| Coordinates:50°52′N6°4′E / 50.867°N 6.067°E /50.867; 6.067 | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | Limburg |
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Petra Dassen-Housen (CDA) |
| Area | |
• Total | 22.15 km2 (8.55 sq mi) |
| • Land | 21.91 km2 (8.46 sq mi) |
| • Water | 0.24 km2 (0.093 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 155 m (509 ft) |
| Population (January 2021)[4] | |
• Total | 45,442 |
| • Density | 2,074/km2 (5,370/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Kerkradenaar |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postcode | 6460–6471 |
| Area code | 045 |
| Website | www |
Kerkrade (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈkɛrkˌraːdə]ⓘ;Ripuarian:Kirchroa;Limburgish:Kirkraoj;German:Kerkrade orKirchrath)[5] is atown and amunicipality in the southeast ofLimburg, the southernmost province of theNetherlands. It forms part of theParkstad Limburg agglomeration.
Kerkrade is the western half of adivided city; until 1795 the city was part of theAustrian Netherlands and from 1795 to 1815 it was part of theFrench Empire. In 1815, theCongress of Vienna created the current Dutch-German border and divided the town into the DutchKerkrade and thePrussian (German)Herzogenrath.[6] This means that the eastern end ofKerkrade marks the international border.
The two towns, including outlying suburban settlements, have a population approaching 100,000, of which nearly 47,000 are in Kerkrade.
The history of Kerkrade is closely linked with that of the adjacent town ofHerzogenrath, just across the German border.[7] Herzogenrath began as a settlement, called Rode, near the riverWorm (or Wurm in German) in the 11th century. In 1104Augustinian monks founded an abbey, called Kloosterrade, to the west of this settlement.
It was called 's-Hertogenrode or 's-Hertogenrade (Dutch:the Duke's Rode) after theduchy of Brabant took control over the region; in French it was calledRolduc (Rode-le-duc). As is the case for many parts of theSouthern Netherlands, the place changed hands several times in the last few centuries. It was underSpanish control from 1661,Austrian between 1713 and 1785 andFrench between 1795 and 1813. In 1815, when the kingdom of the Netherlands was formed (seeVienna Congress), the border was drawn through Herzogenrath, the western part being Kerkrade.[citation needed]
In the 18th century the monks of Rolduc began small-scalecoal mines. More modern exploitation by others started in 1860, causing Kerkrade to grow significantly, especially as a consequence of the permanent settlement of mainly Southern-European miners in this Northern-European place. When the Willem Sophia mine was opened around 1900, the town grew even more rapidly, absorbing old villages like Chèvremont. In the decades following 1960, all the mines in Limburg were closed.[8]
One of the oldest buildings in the municipality is Erenstein, a castle the origins of which lie in the 14th century.
One part of the border between the Netherlands and Germany runs along the middle of the street Nieuwstraat/Neustraße. The border was heavily fortified by the Germans duringWorld War I andWorld War II,[6] but because of relatively unrestricted cross-border travel within theEuropean Union, following World War II marked only with a low wall, about 30 cm (one foot) high, running along the length of the street (borders were at that time designed to be unpassable by vehicles, except at border crossing, but no fence for pedestrians).[6] There was a separate 2-way road on each side, and cars had to pass through the official crossing points, but pedestrians could readily step over the wall (although there were signs informing of the border). In 1995, the wall was removed completely as part of the newSchengen Area agreement.[6] Nieuwstraat/Neustraße is now a single two-way road, with the extra space now occupied with trees and bicycle lanes. The border is unmarked, and is crossed even when going round a roundabout or overtaking a vehicle.
The two towns now share some of their public services,[9] and promote themselves as a binational "City of Eurode" for economic development purposes.[6] They share a binational office complex which uses the Eurode name, and is built so that the border passes directly through the centre of the building's main lobby, with one wing of the building in Kerkrade and the other in Herzogenrath.[10]
Kerkrade's outlying neighborhoods and housing developments include:
Every fourth year theWorld Music Contest, a competition for amateur, professional, and military bands, is held in Kerkrade.[11] Also, for the last three years, the Drum Corps Europe championships have been held here.
Kerkrade has 4 railway stations:
Another station, Kerkrade West or Spekholzerheide, closed for public rail in 1988, and since 1992 it is in use by a museum-railway company,ZLSM.
The building of a dam in the Anstel, a brook flowing west of Kerkrade, has led to the formation of a reservoir with an area of about 20 ha (50 acres). This and its surroundings are very rich in flora and fauna. It is the only reservoir in the Netherlands[citation needed].
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Media related toKerkrade at Wikimedia Commons
Kerkrade travel guide from Wikivoyage | ||
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