Diest () is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

and

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 ...

located in the

Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct languag ...

province of Flemish Brabant. Situated in the northeast of the

Hageland The Hageland is a landscape in the Flemish Region of Belgium, situated in the eastern part of the Province of Flemish Brabant. It is mainly comprised between the cities of Aarschot, Leuven, Tienen and Diest, and probably coincides to some extent w ...

region, Diest neighbours the provinces of Antwerp to its North, and

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 ...

to the East and is situated around 60 km from Brussels. The municipality comprises the city of Diest proper and the towns of Deurne, Kaggevinne, Molenstede, Schaffen and Webbekom. As of January 1, 2006, Diest had a total population of 22,845. The total area is 58.20 km² which gives a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical ...

of 393 inhabitants per km².

History

Between 1499 and 1795 the town was controlled by the

House of Nassau The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled "Count ...

(as were Breda in the Netherlands, Dillenburg in Germany and Orange in France) which was also the family of the

Princes of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The title ...

who at the end of the

Napoleonic Wars The Napoleonic Wars (1803–1815) were a series of major global conflicts pitting the French Empire and its allies, led by Napoleon I, against a fluctuating array of European states formed into various coalitions. It produced a period of Fren ...

became in 1815 the kings and queens 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 ...

after the termination of the Dutch republic at the hands of revolutionary forces in 1795. The most famous representative of the House of Orange was William I of Orange-Nassau. Also known as William the Silent (1533-1584), who led the revolt of the United Provinces against Spain. His son Philip William - who unlike his father remained a pious Catholic throughout his life - is buried in Diest. In his will Philip William commanded that the city's parish church of Saint Sulpice should celebrate a yearly

Requiem Mass A Requiem or Requiem Mass, also known as Mass for the dead ( la, Missa pro defunctis) or Mass of the dead ( la, Missa defunctorum), is a Mass of the Catholic Church offered for the repose of the soul or souls of one or more deceased persons, ...

for his soul. Diest is surrounded by high ramparts, which are partially preserved.

Attractions

The Grote Markt (Grand Square) is the central square of Diest and is surrounded by picturesque houses from the 16th to 18th Century. The city hall, which was designed in the 18th century by

Willem Ignatius Kerricx Willem Ignatius Kerricx (Antwerp, baptized on 22 April 1682 - Antwerp, 4 January 1745) was a Flemish sculptor, painter, draftsman, architect, engineer, playwright and author active in Antwerp in the first half of the 18th century.< ...

, is also located here. In its basement is located the city museum. Exhibits in the museum include the armour of Philip of Orange and a portrait of René of Orange-Nassau and his wife Anna of Lorraine. The church of St. Sulpitius is also located on the Grote Markt. It was built in 1417-1534 from brown sandstone, typical of this period. The grave of Philip of Orange can be found here. After the death of his father William I of Orange-Nassau, he became Lord of the city. In the turret on the church a famous carillon made by Pieter Hemony in 1671. Town Centre: The house "Hof van Nassau" in the centre is worth a visit, along with the Gothic church of Our Lady (built 1253-1288) which has an impressive pulpit and high altar. In the Sint Jan Berchmansstraat is the "Gulden Maan" , the house where St.

John Berchmans John Berchmans ( nl, Jan Berchmans ; 13 March 1599 – 13 August 1621) was a Jesuit scholastic and is a saint in the Catholic Church. In 1615, the Jesuits opened a college at Mechelen and Berchmans was one of the first to enroll. His spiritual ...

was born.

Citadel of Diest

The is the only brick citadel left in Flanders. The citadel was built between 1845 and 1843 on the Allerheiligenberg. The construction of the Citadel was the dominant final piece in the transformation of Diest into a fortified city, as the city walls and gates had been built prior. The whole structure is purely geared towards military functionality, with the only embellishment being the bluestone gate in neoclassical style. The citadel is located on the hills on the

Demer The Demer is an long river in eastern Belgium, right tributary of the Dijle. It flows through the Belgian provinces Limburg and Flemish Brabant. Its source is near Tongeren. It flows into the river Dijle in Werchter, Rotselaar municipality. ...

. Major Laurillard-Fallot (1787-1842) was responsible for its design. The structure has the shape of a bastioned pentagon with sides of about 190 meters. The whole was surrounded by a dry moat and in front of the gate was a drawbridge. The citadel is located on a site of 28ha and the buildings themselves cover an area of 10,200 m².Stad Dies
De citadel van Diest
17 July 2021 On August 26, 1895, the Royal Decree appeared declassifying the core fortress. The citadel served for a few more years as a barrage fortress to protect the railroad but suffered the same fate on April 20, 1906. After the declassification, a disciplinary company was stationed in the citadel. From 1930 to 1940, it housed a depot of the Third Army Corps. The Germans used the citadel during

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 vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

, and after the surrender, the Allies used it for a short time as a prison. In 1946, National Defense Department placed the citadel at the disposal of the city, and 63 emergency houses were built there. Three years later, all kinds of renovation works to prepare the citadel as accommodation for the First Parachute Battalion began. They arrived on 2 August 1953. In 1968, the two city fronts of the citadel were partially demolished to make way for new buildings.Vlaanderen onroerend erfgoed 19de-eeuwse verdedigingsgordel Diest
accessed 17 July 2021 Since 1996 the citadel has been a protected monument. Together with the other parts of the Diestsesteenweg defence works, Fort Leopold, the Schaffensepoort, and the guard-locks of the Zichem and Leuven gates, it provides a good idea of the military architecture of the second quarter of the 19th century. In 2011, the citadel became vacant. The future of the citadel has not yet been determined. The city of Diest started looking for a new destination for the site. In 2012, the city council of Diest decided to build a new hospital on the site. This new building were projected to be ready by 2023 in an agreement in principle between "stad Diest" and the "vzw Vereniging Diestse Ziekenhuizen". These plans were dropped in 2017 and a new destination is being sought for this listed site. The citadel is home to various sports clubs, cultural associations, educational institutions and youth work. The municipality has made plans for better access with a new staircase and elevator. This should also make the citadel more attractive to tourists. In cooperation with private parties, the municipality will make plans for the further development of the citadel.

Twin towns – sister cities

Diest is twinned with: *

Buren Buren () is a town and municipality in the Betuwe region of the Netherlands. Buren has 27,168 inhabitants as of 1 January 2022. Geography Buren is located in Gelderland, a province of the Netherlands. It is part of the landscape of Betuwe, a ...

(

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 ...

) * Breda (

) * Steenbergen (

) *

Dillenburg Dillenburg, officially Oranienstadt Dillenburg, is a town in Hesse's Gießen region in Germany. The town was formerly the seat of the old Dillkreis district, which is now part of the Lahn-Dill-Kreis. The town lies on the German- Dutch holiday road ...

(

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

) *

Orange Orange most often refers to: *Orange (fruit), the fruit of the tree species '' Citrus'' × ''sinensis'' ** Orange blossom, its fragrant flower *Orange (colour), from the color of an orange, occurs between red and yellow in the visible spectrum * ...

(

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...

)

Notable people from Diest

* Saint

(1599–1621), Jesuit seminarian, born in Diest, canonized in 1888 * Martin Valvekens (1604–1682) Franciscan friar, historian * Luís Cruls (1848-1908), astronomer *

Timmy Simons Timmy Simons (born 11 December 1976) is a Belgian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. He was known for his tireless work ethic and penalty-taking ability, having scored 48 competitive goals through penalties, mi ...

, footballer, played 82 times for the Belgian national team (as of March 24, 2011) * Baron Bob Stouthuysen (b. 10 March 1929), businessman *

Omer Vanaudenhove Omer Rudolphe Jean, Viscount Vanaudenhove (3 December 1913 – 26 November 1994) was a Belgian liberal politician, mayor and minister. A businessman, Vanaudenhove was an owner of a shoe factory. He was burgomaster of Diest (1947–1955 and 1974� ...

(1913–1994), liberal politician * Peter van Diest, writer, probable author of the play ''

Elckerlijc ''Elckerlijc'' (also known as ''Elckerlyc'') is a morality play from the Low Countries which was written in Dutch somewhere around the year 1470. It was first printed in 1495. The play was extremely successful and may have been the original sou ...

'' *

Liliane Saint-Pierre Liliane Saint-Pierre (born Liliane Louise Keuninckx, 18 December 1948) is a Belgian pop singer. Hailing from Flanders, she sings mostly in Dutch. She competed at Eurovision Song Contest 1987 with the song " Soldiers of Love". Biography Liliane ...

, singer * The Scabs, rock band of the 1980s and 1990s *

Philip William, Prince of Orange Philip William, Prince of Orange (19 December 1554 in Buren, Gelderland – 20 February 1618) was the eldest son of William the Silent by his first wife Anna van Egmont. He became Prince of Orange in 1584 and Knight of the Golden Fleece in 1599. ...

is buried in the church of Saint Sulpice *

Marleen Renders Marleen Renders (born 24 December 1968, in Diest) is a retired female long-distance runner from Belgium, who represented her native country thrice at the Summer Olympics: in 1988, 1996 and 2000. In 1995 she won the Antwerp Marathon, in 1998 t ...

, Olympic athlete *

Marieke Vervoort Marieke Vervoort (10 May 1979 – 22 October 2019) was a Belgian Paralympic athlete with reflex sympathetic dystrophy. She won several medals at the Paralympics, and she received worldwide attention in 2016 when she revealed that she was consid ...

, paralympic athlete * Bruno Versavel, football player

Images

File:Diest15.jpg, Saint Sulpitius church File:Diest Ingang Begijnhof.jpg, Entrance to the beguinage File:Diest.jpg, Great market File:Diest, monumentaal straatzicht3 2009-08-29 16.57.JPG, "Monumental" houses

References

External links

*
Official website
- Only available in

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 ...

Bookwork about Diest
- Only available in

{{Authority control Municipalities of Flemish Brabant