Haelen (; li, Hale) is a

town A town is a human settlement. Towns are generally larger than villages and smaller than cities, though the criteria to distinguish between them vary considerably in different parts of the world. Origin and use The word "town" shares an ori ...

in the south-eastern

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

History

The village was first mentioned in 1224 as "Gregorio (de) Haele", and means "bend of the highland". Haelen developed along the Haelense Beek. It used to belong to the

County of Horne Horne (also ''Horn'', ''Hoorn'' or ''Hoorne'') is a small historic county of the Holy Roman Empire in the present day Netherlands and Belgium. It takes its name from the village Horn, west of Roermond. The residence of the counts of Horne was mo ...

, and later became part of the

Prince-Bishopric of Liège The Prince-Bishopric of Liège or Principality of Liège was an Hochstift, ecclesiastical principality of the Holy Roman Empire that was situated for the most part in present-day Belgium. It was an Imperial State, Imperial Estate, so the List of ...

. In 1679, it became an independent ''

heerlijkheid A ''heerlijkheid'' (a Dutch word; pl. ''heerlijkheden''; also called ''heerschap''; Latin: ''Dominium'') was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and judicial unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking Low Countries before 1800. ...

''. Aldengoor Castle was first mentioned in 1212. One tower from 15th century remains, the other three towers were destroyed during a siege in 1598 by the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

. During the 17th and 18th century, it was enlarged with two wings. In 1903, it was used as a monastery. In 1977, a museum was housed in the castle, and it has become private property since 1996. In 2006, a bed and breakfast opened in the castle. The Catholic St Lambertus Church is a three aisled church built between 1953 and 1955 to replace the church which was destroyed in 1944. Haelen was home to 374 people in 1840. Until it became a part of

Leudal Leudal (Limburgish: ''Leudaal'') is a municipality in the Dutch province of Limburg. It was formed on January 1, 2007 in a merger of the municipalities of Heythuysen, Haelen, Hunsel, and Roggel en Neer. Population centres The municipality cont ...

on 1 January 2007 Haelen was a separate municipality, and included the villages of Buggenum,

Horn Horn most often refers to: *Horn (acoustic), a conical or bell shaped aperture used to guide sound ** Horn (instrument), collective name for tube-shaped wind musical instruments *Horn (anatomy), a pointed, bony projection on the head of various ...

, and

Nunhem Nunhem is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Leudal, 1 km north of Haelen. History The village was first mentioned in 1306 as Nunhem, and means "new settlement". Nunhem developed along the . T ...

Gallery

File:Haelen-Sint-Lambertuskerk (1).jpg, St Lambertus Church File:Haelen - Kasteellaan 14 Het Vogelhuys.jpg, House in Haelen File:GROOT BUGGENUM-002.JPG, Groot Buggenum File:Waremberg zijde.JPG, Farm in Haelen

References

{{Authority control Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2007 Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands) Former municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands) Leudal