Kerkrade ( Ripuarian: ; li, Kirkraoj; german: Kerkrade or ''Kirchrath'') is a

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

and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

in the southeast of Limburg; the southernmost province of the

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 ...

. It forms part of the Parkstad Limburg agglomeration. Kerkrade is the western half of a divided city; it was part of the

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

town of Herzogenrath until the

Congress of Vienna The Congress of Vienna (, ) of 1814–1815 was a series of international diplomatic meetings to discuss and agree upon a possible new layout of the European political and constitutional order after the downfall of the French Emperor Napoleon B ...

in 1815 drew the current Dutch-German border and separated the towns.Jan Buursink and Nicole Ehlers
"The Binational City of Eurode"
. University of Nijmegen. This means that the eastern end of the city 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.

History

The history of Kerkrade is closely linked with that of the adjacent town of Herzogenrath, just across the German border. Herzogenrath began as a settlement, called Rode, near the river

Worm Worms are many different distantly related bilateral animals that typically have a long cylindrical tube-like body, no limbs, and no eyes (though not always). Worms vary in size from microscopic to over in length for marine polychaete worm ...

(or Wurm in German) in the 11th century. In 1104 Augustinian 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 the

duchy of Brabant The Duchy of Brabant was a State of the Holy Roman Empire established in 1183. It developed from the Landgraviate of Brabant and formed the heart of the historic Low Countries, part of the Burgundian Netherlands from 1430 and of the Habsburg ...

took control over the region; in French it was called ''Rolduc (Rode-le-duc)''. As is the case for many parts of the

Southern Netherlands The Southern Netherlands, also called the Catholic Netherlands, were the parts of the Low Countries belonging to the Holy Roman Empire which were at first largely controlled by Habsburg Spain (Spanish Netherlands, 1556–1714) and later by the A ...

, the place changed hands several times in the last few centuries. It was under Spanish control from 1661, Austrian between 1713 and 1785 and

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

between 1795 and 1813. In 1815, when the kingdom of the Netherlands was formed (see Vienna Congress), the border was drawn through Herzogenrath, the western part being Kerkrade. In the 18th century the monks of Rolduc began small-scale

coal mines Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

. 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. One of the oldest buildings in the municipality is Erenstein, a castle the origins of which lie in the 14th century.

The border along Nieuwstraat/Neustraße

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 during

World War I World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...

and

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the World War II by country, vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great power ...

, but because of relatively unrestricted cross-border travel within the

European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been ...

, following World War II marked only with a low wall, about 30 cm 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). 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 new

Schengen Area The Schengen Area ( , ) is an area comprising 27 European countries that have officially abolished all passport and all other types of border control at their mutual borders. Being an element within the wider area of freedom, security and ...

agreement. 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, and promote themselves as a binational "City of Eurode" for economic development purposes. 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.

Population centres

Kerkrade's outlying neighborhoods and housing developments include: * Bleijerheide * Chevremont *

Eygelshoven Eygelshoven (, li, Egelze , Kerkrade dialect, Ripuarian: ) is a village, since 1982 part of the town of Kerkrade, in the southeast of the Netherlands, close to the German and Belgian borders. It has two former coal mines, ''Laura'' and ''Julia' ...

Gracht ''Gracht'' (; plural: ''grachten'') is a Dutch word for a canal within a city. ''Grachten'' often have a round shape, and form a circle around the city cores in the Netherlands, Belgium, and northern Germany. Outside the Netherlands, the word '' ...

* Haanrade * Holz * Hopel * Kaalheide * Mucherveld * Nulland * Ondernemend gedrag *

Rolduc Rolduc is the name of a medieval abbey located on the edge of the town of Kerkrade in the far south-east of the Netherlands. It is today a Roman Catholic seminary with an affiliated conference center. The abbey is a ''rijksmonument'' (Dutc ...

* Rolduckerveld * Spekholzerheide * Terwinselen

Music

Every fourth year the

World Music Contest In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

, a competition for amateur, professional, and military bands, is held in Kerkrade. Also, for the last three years, the Drum Corps Europe championships have been held here.

Transportation

Kerkrade has 4 railway stations: * Kerkrade Centrum * Chevremont *

* Eygelshoven Markt 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 Zuid-Limburgse Stoomtrein Maatschappij (South Limburg Steam Train Company) or ZLSM is a heritage railway operating from its main station of Simpelveld to Schin op Geul and Kerkrade in the south of the Netherlands. It also runs across the borde ...

Reservoir

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. This and its surroundings are very rich in flora and fauna. It is the only reservoir in the Netherlands.

Sports

* Roda JC (soccer) * powerarea (racing kartcircuit)

Notable people

Gabriël Grupello Gabriël Grupello (also Gabriël de Grupello or Gabriël Reppeli; 22 May 1644 – 20 June 1730) was a Flemish Baroque sculptor who produced religious and mythological sculptures, portraits and public sculptures. He worked in Flanders, France and ...

(1644–1730) a sculptor who produced religious and mythological sculptures, portraits and public sculptures *

Jozef Weidmann Leonardus Josephus "Jozef" Weidmann (3 October 1899 – 15 September 1962) was a Dutch-Surinamese Catholic priest, politician and union leader. He is one of the founders of the Progressive Surinamese People's Party (PSV). Weidmann played a lead ...

(1899–1962) a Dutch-Surinamese Catholic priest, politician and union leader *

Louk Hulsman Lodewijk Henri Christian Hulsman, known as Louk Hulsman (8 March 1923 in Kerkrade – 28 January 2009 in Dordrecht) was a Dutch legal scientist and criminologist. Life According to Hulsman, his childhood and adolescence were marked by the tim ...

(1923–2009) a Dutch legal scientist and criminologist * Frans Wiertz (born 1942) a prelate of the Roman Catholic Church, Bishop of Roermond 1993-2017 *

Thijs Wöltgens Mathias Andreas Marie (Thijs) Wöltgens (30 November 1943 Kerkrade - 7 May 2008) was a Dutch politician. He served as the mayor of the Kerkrade, a town on the German border in the southeast of the Netherlands, from 1994 until 2000. Wöltgens ...

(1943-2008) a Dutch politician, Mayor of Kerkrade 1994-2000 * Gerd Leers (born 1951) a Dutch politician, Minister for immigration, Mayor of Maastricht 2002-2010 * Heintje Simons (born 1955) a Dutch schlager singer and actor IMDb Database
retrieved 16 January 2020 * Yvonne Timmerman-Buck (born 1956) a Dutch politician and jurist, President of the Senate 2003-2009 *

Hubertus van Megen Hubertus Matheus Maria van Megen (born 4 October 1961) is a Dutch prelate of the Catholic Church who works in the diplomatic service of the Holy See. Biography Hubertus van Megen was born on 4 October 1961 in Eygelshoven, the Netherlands. He w ...

(born 1961) a prelate of the Catholic Church, diplomat in the

Holy See The Holy See ( lat, Sancta Sedes, ; it, Santa Sede ), also called the See of Rome, Petrine See or Apostolic See, is the jurisdiction of the Pope in his role as the bishop of Rome. It includes the apostolic episcopal see of the Diocese of R ...

Janine Kitzen Janine Kitzen (born 1 March 1978 in Kerkrade, The Netherlands) is a soprano singer in opera and musical theatre. Although she was born in a family with no real musical background, Kitzen knew from an early age she wanted to build a career in si ...

(born 1978) a soprano singer in opera and musical theatre

Sport

Wiel Coerver Wiel Coerver (; 3 December 1924 – 22 April 2011) was a Dutch football manager and the developer of the "Coerver Method", a football coaching technique. Playing career Coerver played five years for local side Rapid JC, with whom he won t ...

(1924-2011) a footballer and manager * Willy Brokamp (born 1946) a former footballer, with about 400 club caps * Pierre Vermeulen (born 1956) a retired Dutch footballer with about 400 club caps * Gène Hanssen (born 1959) a former Dutch football player with about 400 club caps * René Trost (born 1965) a former Dutch footballer with 323 club caps and football manager * Sieb Dijkstra (born 1966) a Dutch retired football goalkeeper with over 200 club caps * Jörg Müller (born 1969) a Dutch-born German BMW factory driver *

Mark Flekken Mark Flekken (born 13 June 1993) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Bundesliga club SC Freiburg and the Netherlands national team. Early years Flekken grew up in Bocholtz, Limburg, Netherlands on the German bo ...

(born 1993) a Dutch footballer * Joshua Brenet (born 1994) a Dutch footballer * Jannah Sonnenschein (born 1996) a Dutch–Mozambican swimmer, competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics * Jade Suvrijn (born 1995) a French tennis player

References

External links

* * {{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Mining communities in the Netherlands Municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands) Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands) South Limburg (Netherlands) Divided cities Germany–Netherlands border crossings