Wijlre ( or ; li, Wielder) is a village in the
Dutch province of
Limburg. It is located in 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 p ...
.
History
The village was first mentioned in 1075 as Wilere, and means "farm or hamlet". Wijlre developed in the Middle Ages between the
Geul
The Geul (, ; german: Göhl ; french: la Gueule) is a river in Belgium and in the Netherlands, where it is a right-bank tributary to the river Meuse.
Geography
The source of the Geul is at about above sea level in northeastern Belgium near ...
and the flank of the Ubachsberg. It became an independent parish in 1262.
Wijlre Castle was built shortly after 1652 on the location of medieval fortified building. Three servant's wings with
mansard roofs were added in the 18th century. The garden were designed in 1810. In 1939, a
casemate
A casemate is a fortified gun emplacement or armored structure from which guns are fired, in a fortification, warship, or armoured fighting vehicle.Webster's New Collegiate Dictionary
When referring to antiquity, the term "casemate wall" mean ...
was built near the entrance to the castle.
The Catholic St Gertrudis Church was built between 1835 and 1839 as a replacement of its 13th century predecessor. In 1896, the church was enlarged by
Pierre Cuypers
Petrus Josephus Hubertus "Pierre" Cuypers (16 May 1827 – 3 March 1921) was a Dutch architect. His name is most frequently associated with the Amsterdam Central Station (1881–1889) and the Rijksmuseum (1876–1885), both in Amsterdam. ...
. Between 1924 and 1925, the eastern side with tower was added.
Wijlre was home to 420 people in 1840.
In 1853, a joint railway station with
Gulpen
Gulpen (; li, Gullepe ) is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is approximately midway between the Dutch city of Maastricht and the German city of Aachen.
Gulpen was a separate municipality until 1999, when it merged with Wittem. ...
opened on the
Aachen to
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...
railway line. The station closed in 1988. In 1871,
Brand Brewery was founded in Wijlre.
Wijlre was a separate municipality until 1982, when it was merged with
Gulpen
Gulpen (; li, Gullepe ) is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is approximately midway between the Dutch city of Maastricht and the German city of Aachen.
Gulpen was a separate municipality until 1999, when it merged with Wittem. ...
.
Notable people
*
Antoon Coolen (1897-1961), author
Gallery
File:Wijlre-Oude gemeentehuis (2).jpg, Former town hall
File:Brand Bierbrouwerij Wijlre.jpg, Brand brewery
File:Wijlre, de Sint Gertrudiskerk RM39736 foto3 2014-09-28 14.36.jpg, St Gertrudis Church
File:Overzicht van de achtergevel van het omgrachte kasteel met meerdere terassen en dakruiter, gezien vanuit het park aan de overzijde - Wijlre - 20408854 - RCE.jpg, Wijlre castle
See also
*
Brand Brewery
References
External links
*
*
{{Authority control
Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands)
Former municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands)
Gulpen-Wittem