Mechelen (; li, Mechele ) is a town in the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

province of

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

. It is a part of the municipality of

Gulpen-Wittem Gulpen-Wittem (; li, Gullepe-Wittem ) is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands (in the province of Limburg) with inhabitants as of . Gulpen-Wittem came into being after the merger of the municipalities Gulpen and Wittem. This took plac ...

, and lies about 13 km south of

Heerlen Heerlen (; li, Heële ) is a city and a municipality in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is the third largest settlement proper in the province of Limburg. Measured as municipality, it is the fourth municipality in the province of Limburg. ...

History

The village was first mentioned in 1133 as "de Mechluns", and means "mighty place". It was sometimes called Klein-Mechelen (little Mechelen) to distinguish from

Mechelen Mechelen (; french: Malines ; traditional English name: MechlinMechelen has been known in English as ''Mechlin'', from where the adjective ''Mechlinian'' is derived. This name may still be used, especially in a traditional or historical contex ...

. Mechelen developed around a large farm which was donated to the

Sovereign Military Order of Malta The Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM), officially the Sovereign Military Hospitaller Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, of Rhodes and of Malta ( it, Sovrano Militare Ordine Ospedaliero di San Giovanni di Gerusalemme, di Rodi e di Malta; ...

Henry III, Duke of Limburg Henry III ( – 21 June 1221) was the Duke of Limburg and Count of Arlon from 1165 to his death. He was the son and successor of Henry II and Matilda of Saffenberg. In 1172, he fought against the Count of Luxembourg, Henry IV the Blind, and ...

. Until 1795, it was a ''

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. ...

'' except for the

commandery In the Middle Ages, a commandery (rarely commandry) was the smallest administrative division of the European landed properties of a military order. It was also the name of the house where the knights of the commandery lived.Anthony Luttrell and G ...

and a small part of the village which formed an independent enclave. The Heerenhof is the remainder of the commandery and farm. In 1797, it became private property. In 1986, it became the town hall. The complex has experienced several fires, and the oldest building dates from 1754. The St John the Baptist Church is a single-aisled church. It burnt down in 1568, and was enlarged between 1810 and 1811 and 1863 to 1867. In 1935, it was redesigned with a larger tower by

Joseph Cuypers Josephus Theodorus Joannes Cuypers (10 June 1861, Roermond - 20 January 1949, Meerssen) was a Dutch architect; primarily known for his Catholic churches. Life and work He was born to the architect, Pierre Cuypers, and his wife, Antoinette née ...

. Mechelen was home to 740 people in 1840. Mechelen used to be the capital of the municipality of

Wittem Wittem (, ) is a small village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Gulpen-Wittem. History The village was first mentioned in 1125 as Witham, and means "means silted land in a bend in a waterway". Wittem develo ...

. In 1998, it became part of the municipality of

Gallery

File:Mechelen-Kerk (4).JPG, John the Baptist Church File:Mechelewkped08.jpg, Street of Mechelen File:Restaurant Proeff Mechelen P1300863.jpg, Restaurant in Mechelen File:Hoofdstraat Mechelen P1300902.jpg, Hotel in a former brewery

References

External links

* {{Authority control Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands) Gulpen-Wittem