Oud-Rekem is a village in the Lanaken municipality of the Limburg province of

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. The village is considered one of the most authentic villages of Belgium. Since 1994, it is protected as a monument.

History

Oud-Rekem was first mentioned in 1140 as Radekeim. The village was first 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. ...

''. In 1356, it became a

barony Barony may refer to: * Barony, the peerage, office of, or territory held by a baron * Barony, the title and land held in fealty by a feudal baron * Barony (county division), a type of administrative or geographical division in parts of the British ...

, and was elevated to

county A county is a geographic region of a country used for administrative or other purposesChambers Dictionary, L. Brookes (ed.), 2005, Chambers Harrap Publishers Ltd, Edinburgh in certain modern nations. The term is derived from the Old French ...

in 1623. During the 16th, 17th and 18th century, the town was located in a heavily contested area. Oud-Rekem was plundered, and had to station troops on multiple occasions. In 1602, the first walls were erected around the town. Between 1625 and 1630, a second layer of defence was erected. In 1638, a third wall was built in between the first and second. Even though the walls were removed between 1825 and 1836, traces are still visible. In 1795 or 96, Oud-Rekem became part of Rekem, and in 1977, the municipality was merged into Lanaken. In 1994, the old centre was protected as a monument. Oud-Rekem won the election for in 2008.

Sights

The Aspremont-Lynden Castle is located in the centre. The original castle dated from the

Carolingian The Carolingian dynasty (; known variously as the Carlovingians, Carolingus, Carolings, Karolinger or Karlings) was a Frankish noble family named after Charlemagne, grandson of mayor Charles Martel and a descendant of the Arnulfing and Pippin ...

era. A larger castle was built in 1350 and existed until 1507. In 1597, the current castle was built by Count Herman d'Aspremont-Lynden. In 1792, the castle was confiscated by the French who demolished parts of the building. In 1921, the castle became a

psychiatric hospital Psychiatric hospitals, also known as mental health hospitals, behavioral health hospitals, are hospitals or wards specializing in the treatment of severe mental disorders, such as schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, eating disorders, dissociative ...

. The castle is surrounded by a large garden. The is a nearby nature reserve which consists of grasslands, hedges, and pools. It is home to badgers and

beaver Beavers are large, semiaquatic rodents in the genus ''Castor'' native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere. There are two extant species: the North American beaver (''Castor canadensis'') and the Eurasian beaver (''C. fiber''). Beavers ar ...

References

{{Commons category, position=left Lanaken Populated places in Limburg (Belgium)