Beek (; li, Baek ) is a town and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, in the province of Limburg. As of 2012, Beek has a population of about 16,400, of which about 8,800 live in the town of Beek. The municipality of Beek makes part of the region of South Limburg and lies between the city of

Geleen Geleen (; li, Gelaen ) is a city in the southern part of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg in the Netherlands. With 31,670 inhabitants in 2020, it is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen. Geleen is situated along the river Gele ...

in the north and Maastricht in the south, and lies furthermore southeast of interchange Kerensheide and the

chemical industries A chemical substance is a form of matter having constant chemical composition and characteristic properties. Some references add that chemical substance cannot be separated into its constituent elements by physical separation methods, i.e., wit ...

of Chemelot. It has a slightly hilly landscape with altitudes differing between above sea level, and has two small forests: Kelmonderbos between Beek and Kelmond, and Spaubekerbos near

Spaubeek Spaubeek is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Beek, about 3 km south of the town of Geleen.''ANWB Topografische Atlas Nederland'', Topografische Dienst and ANWB, 2005. Spaubeek was a separate mun ...

. The Keutelbeek flows through and has its source in the municipality of Beek.

Population centres

Settlements in the municipality of Beek (population within brackets on 1 January 2005). Town: * Beek (8,770)

History

In 1982, Spaubeek merged with Beek and the municipality got his current size. In 2005, an archaeological site was found between Beek and Neerbeek, consisting of the remainings of a settlement from 5,000 BC. Because of this, Beek is considered the eldest village in the Netherlands.

Buildings

Noteworthy buildings: * Sint-Hubertusmolen, (Mill of

Saint Hubertus Hubertus or Hubert ( 656 – 30 May 727 A.D.) was a Christian saint who became the first bishop of Liège in 708 A.D. He is the patron saint of hunters, mathematicians, opticians and metalworkers. Known as the "Apostle of the Ardennes", he was ...

) in Klein Genhout, dated 1801-1802 * Sint-Hubertuskerk, (Church of Saint Hubertus) in Groot Genhout, by architect Alphons Boosten * Kasteel Genbroek, a castle near Geverik

Transportation

The municipality of Beek is surrounded by A2 motorway (Amsterdam-Belgian border) in the west and A76 motorway (Belgian border-German border) in the north. The municipality has two railway stations: *

Beek-Elsloo railway station Beek-Elsloo railway station is located between the villages of Elsloo and Beek, in the Dutch municipality of Beek. The station opened in 1862 on the Maastricht–Venlo railway. Train services The following train services by Arriva Arriva plc ...

in the west * Spaubeek railway station in the east Beek also contains an airport: * Maastricht Aachen Airport in the south

Economy

When KLM exel operated, its head office was on the grounds of Maastricht Aachen Airport in Beek. When

V Bird V Bird (V Bird Airlines Netherlands BV) was a low-cost airline based in the Netherlands which operated services to northern and southern Europe. Its head office was on the grounds of Maastricht Aachen Airport in Beek, Netherlands.

operated, its head office was on the grounds of the airport.Contact
"

. 24 June 2004. Retrieved on 18 July 2010.

Politics

The municipal council of Beek has 17 seats. The executive board (2018-Current) consists of five persons: Mayor: * Christine van Basten - Boddin, ( D66) 2015 - Current Aldermen: * Thijs van Es (BBB-NDB) * Hub Schoenmakers (BBB-NDB) * Ralph Diederen (CDA) * Hub Hodzelmans (CDA) Esther de Lange

Notable people

* Pyke Koch (1901–1991), a Dutch artist who painted in a magic realist manner *

Léon Frissen Leonardus Johannes Petrus Maria (Léon) Frissen (Beek, 24 June 1950) was Queen's Commissioner or Queen's Governor of the province of Limburg, Netherlands. In the Dutch province of Limburg, the Queen's Commissioner is usually called "Gouverneur" ...

(born 1950), a Dutch politician, Queen's Commissioner of the province of Limburg * Marc Borghans (born 1960), a Dutch runner *

Frans Weekers Frans Hubertus Henricus Weekers (born 17 October 1967) is a Dutch politician of the People's Party for Freedom and Democracy (VVD) and lawyer. Early life and education Weekers was born in Weert, in the province Limburg. His father was an accou ...

(born 1967), a Dutch politician and lawyer, Mayor of Beek 2015 to 2016 * Ralf Krewinkel (born 1974), a Dutch politician, Mayor of Beek 2011 to 2015 *

Esther de Lange Esther M. R. de Lange (; born 19 February 1975) is a Dutch politician serving as a Member of the European Parliament since 2007. A member of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA), part of the European People's Party (EPP), she was elected as del ...

(born 1975 in Spaubeek), a Dutch politician, Member of the European Parliament since 2007 *

Maud Welzen Maud Welzen (born 13 November 1993) is a Dutch model and former Victoria Secret model. She currently resides in New York, and has been married to Bram Aarts since 31 August 2019. Career Welzen was discovered in Paris while on a school trip at th ...

(born 1993), a Dutch model

Gallery

File:Beek (Limburg)-Sint-Martinuskerk (4).JPG, Beek, Sint-Martinuskerk File:Genbroek-oostvleugel-001.JPG, Kasteel Genbroek-oostvleugel File:Hubertusmolen-10.jpg, St. Hubertus molen te Genhout File:Spaubeek-Groeve Spaubeek (13).jpg, Spaubeek-Groeve Quarry, Spaubeek

References

;Notes ;Bibliography * Nederland Dichterbij: Limburg, '' Reader's Digest'', 1995

External links

* * {{Authority control Municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands) Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands) South Limburg (Netherlands)