Simpelveld (; li, Zumpelveld ) is a
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
and 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 southeastern
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 is part of the municipal cooperative unit
Parkstad Limburg
Parkstad Limburg (; Ripuarian and li, Parksjtad Limburg ) is a conurbation of eight municipalities in the southern part of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. Consisting Heerlen, Kerkrade, Landgraaf, Brunssum, Simpelveld, Voerendaal, ...
.
Simpelveld is part of the ''Mergelland'', named after the presence of
chalk
Chalk is a soft, white, porous, sedimentary carbonate rock. It is a form of limestone composed of the mineral calcite and originally formed deep under the sea by the compression of microscopic plankton that had settled to the sea floor. Chalk ...
(mergel),
hill
A hill is a landform that extends above the surrounding terrain. It often has a distinct Summit (topography), summit.
Terminology
The distinction between a hill and a mountain is unclear and largely subjective, but a hill is universally con ...
country popular with tourists. The
Mergellandroute
The Mergellandroute ("marl land route") is a tourist route through South Limburg, Netherlands, mapped out by the ANWB.
The Mergellandroute goes mostly through the local hills, which are in contrast with the lesser relief found in the rest of the ...
passes through the town.
The population centre of Simpelveld has 28
national monuments, amongst which are the
Oude Molen and the
Saint Remigius Church
The Saint Remigius Church (Dutch: ''Sint-Remigiuskerk'') is a Roman Catholic church building in Simpelveld, The Netherlands. It is a neoroman cross shaped church with three naves, a tower with a waisted top, and a round apse. It is completely mad ...
. Simpelveld has a
heritage railway
A heritage railway or heritage railroad (US usage) is a railway operated as living history to re-create or preserve railway scenes of the past. Heritage railways are often old railway lines preserved in a state depicting a period (or periods) i ...
station and is the home base of the
South Limburg Railway Company. On one weekend in October there is a
Day out with Thomas from the children's television series
Thomas and Friends
''Thomas & Friends'' (originally known as ''Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends'' and later ''Thomas & Friends: Big World! Big Adventures!'') is a British children's television series that aired across 24 series from 1984 to 2021. Based on ''The ...
.
Population centres
*
Bocholtz
Bocholtz (; Ripuarian: is a town in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is a part of the municipality of Simpelveld, and lies about 7 km southwest of Kerkrade. Until 1982, it was a separate municipality.
History
Bocholtz dates back to th ...
*Simpelveld
Besides these official centres there are other hamlets which fall under the
municipality
A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate.
The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...
:
![Gem-Simpelveld-OpenTopo](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Gem-Simpelveld-OpenTopo.jpg)
Religion
The municipality has two churches within its borders:
*
James the Greater Church
The James the Greater Church (Dutch: ''Jacobus de Meerderekerk'') is a Roman Catholic church, located on the Pastoor Neujeanstraat 6 in Bocholtz, Netherlands. First mentioned in the 14th century, the current church was built in 1869 by Pierre Cuype ...
in
Bocholtz
Bocholtz (; Ripuarian: is a town in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is a part of the municipality of Simpelveld, and lies about 7 km southwest of Kerkrade. Until 1982, it was a separate municipality.
History
Bocholtz dates back to th ...
*
Saint Remigius Church
The Saint Remigius Church (Dutch: ''Sint-Remigiuskerk'') is a Roman Catholic church building in Simpelveld, The Netherlands. It is a neoroman cross shaped church with three naves, a tower with a waisted top, and a round apse. It is completely mad ...
in Simpelveld
The city also has two monasteries, these are
* the
Loreto monastery and
*
Huize Damiaan, which has been home to The International Butler Academy since 2015.
Regional language
Simpelveld is part of The Netherlands and therefore the official language is Dutch. A lot of people also speak Simpelvelds, a
regional language
*
A regional language is a language spoken in a region of a sovereign state, whether it be a small area, a federated state or province or some wider area.
Internationally, for the purposes of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Lan ...
that depending on the definition belongs to
Ripuarian or
Limburgish
Limburgish ( li, Limburgs or ; nl, Limburgs ; german: Limburgisch ; french: Limbourgeois ), also called Limburgan, Limburgian, or Limburgic, is a West Germanic language spoken in the Dutch and Belgian provinces of Limburg (Netherlands), L ...
. It is also referred to as
Southeast Limburgish
Southeast Limburgish (Dutch: ''Zuidoost-Limburgs'', Ripuarian: ''Süüdoß-Limburjesch''), also referred to as Southern Meuse-Rhenish, is a subdivision of what recently has been named Meuse-Rhenish. Both terms denote a rather compact grouping of ...
.
Notable people
*
Step Vaessen
Stephanie "Step" Vaessen (born 11 February 1965) is a Dutch broadcast journalist, currently working as a Berlin correspondent for Al Jazeera English.
Early life
Vaessen is of Netherlands, Dutch origin and was born in Simpelveld in the province o ...
(born 1965) a Dutch broadcast journalist, currently working as a Moscow correspondent for
Al Jazeera English
Al Jazeera English (AJE; ar, الجزيرة, translit=al-jazīrah, , literally "The Peninsula", referring to the Qatar Peninsula) is an international 24-hour English-language news channel owned by the Al Jazeera Media Network, which is own ...
*
Ralph Hamers
Ralph Adrianus Joseph Gerardus Hamers (born 25 May 1966) is a Dutch businessman who is the UBS Group CEO.
He was the chief executive officer (CEO) of Dutch bank ING Group from October 2013 until June 2020.
Early life
Ralph Hamers was born on 25 ...
(born 1966) a Dutch businessman, the chief executive officer (CEO) of
UBS Group
*
(born 1970, Simpelveld) a Dutch social psychologist and academic
See also
*
List of mayors of Simpelveld
This is a list of mayors of Simpelveld, Netherlands.
In 1794 the Southern Netherlands were occupied by France and eventually annexed on 1 October 1795. By law of 22 August 1795 the region was divided into municipalités de canton. All villages wit ...
Gallery
File:Simpelveld, de Sint-Remigiuskerk RM33584 foto8 2016-07-10 16.38.jpg, Saint Remigius Church
The Saint Remigius Church (Dutch: ''Sint-Remigiuskerk'') is a Roman Catholic church building in Simpelveld, The Netherlands. It is a neoroman cross shaped church with three naves, a tower with a waisted top, and a round apse. It is completely mad ...
File:Station Simpelveld 29-08-2018 10-10-05.jpg, Station Simpelveld
File:Baanheiwkped08.JPG, Limburgs, De Boanhei
File:Simpelveld, aerial view.JPG, Aerial view of Simpelveld
References
External links
*
*
Municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands)
Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands)
South Limburg (Netherlands)
{{LimburgNL-geo-stub