Geleen (; li, Gelaen ) is a city in the southern part of the 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 ...

in 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 ...

. With 31,670 inhabitants in 2020, it is part of the municipality of

Sittard-Geleen Sittard-Geleen (; li, Zittert-Gelaen ) is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It was formed in 2001 from the former municipalities Sittard, Geleen and Born. The combined municipality has approximately 92,518 inhabitants (March 2019) ...

. Geleen is situated along the river

Geleenbeek The Geleenbeek (; li, Gelaenbaek ) is a river in Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg, the Netherlands. Its source is near the village Benzenrade, part of the city of Heerlen. It flows generally northwest, along Nuth, Schinnen, Spaubeek, turns north at ...

, a right tributary to the river

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

. The Latin name for Geleenbeek is ''Glana'', meaning "clear river". The town centre is situated at about 60 m above sea level.

History

Until the end of the 19th century, Geleen was a very small village. Its population was 2,545 in 1899. The remains of one of the oldest prehistoric farms in the Netherlands were found here. In the 20th century the exploitation of

coal mines Coal mining is the process of extracting coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from ...

in this area (the state-owned coal mine "

Maurits Maurits is the Dutch equivalent of the masculine given name Maurice. People with the name include: Royalty * Prince Maurice of Nassau, (1567–1625), military leader of the Dutch Republic, son of William I of Orange * Count John Maurice of Nassau, ...

", the biggest in Europe, was located in Geleen) brought a fast population increase. During the 1960s and 1970s 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 ...

coal mines, which were all located in this part of the province, were closed. The state mining company

DSM DSM or dsm may refer to: Science and technology * Deep space maneuver * Design structure matrix or dependency structure matrix, a representation of a system or project * Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders ** DSM-5, the fifth ed ...

(privatised in 1989) remained active in Geleen, however, now purely as a chemicals producer. In July 2002, part of DSM's petrochemicals business, located on the manufacturing locations in Geleen and

Gelsenkirchen Gelsenkirchen (, , ; wep, Gelsenkiärken) is the 25th most populous city of Germany and the 11th most populous in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia with 262,528 (2016) inhabitants. On the Emscher River (a tributary of the Rhine), it lies ...

(Germany) were acquired by SABIC Europe.

Sports and events

* The soccer club

Fortuna '54 Fortuna Sittard (; li, Fortuna Zitterd ) is a football club in Sittard, Netherlands. The club currently plays its football in the 12,500 capacity Fortuna Sittard Stadion and features in the Eredivisie. The club was established through a merger o ...

, was the former soccer club of Geleen. * Geleen has a professional ice hockey team called the

Geleen Eaters Eaters Limburg (formerly known as the Geleen Smoke Eaters) are a professional ice hockey team based in Geleen, The Netherlands. They play in the BeNe League, the highest-level hockey league in the Netherlands and Belgium. Home games are played at ...

. * The handball club

Vlug en Lenig Vlug en Lenig is a Dutch handball club in Geleen. The club was founded on 1 September 1949. The men's team of V&L won the Dutch National Championship in 1982, 1983, 1984, 1986 and 2002. The club has participated in European club team tournament ...

is from Geleen. * The pop and rock festival

Pinkpop The Pinkpop Festival is an annual music festival held at Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is usually held on the Pentecost weekend (''Pinksteren'' in Dutch, hence the name). If Pentecost falls on an early date in May, the festival is held later in June. ...

, the oldest and longest running annual dedicated pop and rock music festival in the world, also has its roots in Geleen. It was held there from 1970 until 1986. This festival was held in the

Burgemeester Damen Sportpark Burgemeester Damen Sportpark is a park located in Geleen, Netherlands. It was the location of the Pinkpop Festival The Pinkpop Festival is an annual music festival held at Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is usually held on the Pentecost weekend (''Pin ...

, which includes the sports centre Glanerbrook. The nearby swimming pool was popular with the artists, who enjoyed themselves backstage. * In Geleen there's a yearly town

fair A fair (archaic: faire or fayre) is a gathering of people for a variety of entertainment or commercial activities. Fairs are typically temporary with scheduled times lasting from an afternoon to several weeks. Types Variations of fairs incl ...

(one week after

Whitsun Whitsun (also Whitsunday or Whit Sunday) is the name used in Britain, and other countries among Anglicans and Methodists, for the Christian High Holy Day of Pentecost. It is the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Ho ...

). * Stage 5 of Eneco

Tour of Benelux The Benelux Tour (previously known as the Eneco Tour and the BinckBank Tour) is a road bicycle racing stage-race that is part of the UCI World Tour. The race was established in 2005 and was originally known as the Eneco Tour, named after the orig ...

road bicycle racing Road bicycle racing is the cycle sport discipline of road cycling, held primarily on Road surface, paved roads. Road racing is the most popular professional sport, professional form of bicycle racing, in terms of numbers of competitors, events and ...

and part of the

UCI ProTour The UCI ProTour was a series of road bicycle races in Europe, Australia and Canada organised by the UCI (International Cycling Union). Created by Hein Verbruggen, former president of the UCI, it comprises a number of 'ProTour' cycling teams, e ...

finished in Geleen on August 16, 2013.

Places of interest

* Ruins of

Jansgeleen Castle Jansgeleen Castle, now erroneously called ''Sint-Jansgeleen'' or ''Sint Jansgeleen'', was a medieval castle in the little village of Spaubeek, in the Dutch province of Limburg. Spaubeek is located in the municipality of Beek, about 3 km south ...

, with restored

outer bailey An outer bailey or outer ward is the defended outer enclosure of a castle.Friar, Stephen (2003). ''The Sutton Companion to Castles'', Sutton Publishing, Stroud, 2003, p. 22. It protects the inner bailey and usually contains those ancillary bui ...

and water mill (Sint-)Jansmolen, to the south-east of Geleen, on the territory of the municipality of Beek. * Sint-Janskluis, former hermitage from 1699. * De Biesenhof, recently restored historical farmhouse. *

Parish church A parish church (or parochial church) in Christianity is the church which acts as the religious centre of a parish. In many parts of the world, especially in rural areas, the parish church may play a significant role in community activities, ...

Sint Marcellinus and Petrus of Oud-Geleen. * Drossaerdhuis at Geenstraat. * Monument at Geenstraat (near train station Geleen-Lutterade) in memory of the

martyr A martyr (, ''mártys'', "witness", or , ''marturia'', stem , ''martyr-'') is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate, a religious belief or other cause as demanded by an externa ...

sister

Aloysia ''Aloysia'' is a genus of flowering plants in the verbena family, Verbenaceae. They are known generally as beebrushes.

, the Jewish-Catholic Louise Löwenfels. * Main building of

Staatsmijn Maurits Staatsmijn Maurits was a state-owned coal mine in Geleen, Netherlands. In 1911 the Dutch Government bought the concessions "Maasvelden". In 1912 and 1913 drillings were carried out by the Internationale Bohrgesellschaft Erkelenz in the areas west ...

. * Restored former brickyard Plinthos, the present office of park De Graven, at Daniken (near train station Geleen-Oost). * Foroxity cinema: the largest cinema in

. * Zuyderland Medical Centrum: a fairly recent hospital with modern architecture. *

, the location of the

Pinkpop Festival The Pinkpop Festival is an annual music festival held at Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is usually held on the Pentecost weekend (''Pinksteren'' in Dutch, hence the name). If Pentecost falls on an early date in May, the festival is held later in June. ...

from 1970 to 1986.

Transportation

Geleen is served by two railway stations: Geleen-Lutterade, on the line

Sittard Sittard (; ) is a city in the Netherlands, situated in the southernmost province of Limburg. The town is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen and has almost 37.500 inhabitants in 2016. In its east, Sittard borders the German municipali ...

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 ...

, and Geleen Oost, on the line

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. ...

. Geleen is also served by two motorways: A2 Amsterdam-Maastricht, exit Urmond, and A76 Antwerp-Aachen, exit Geleen.

Notable people

* Jasper Adams (born 1989), Dutch handball player * Benjamin van den Broek (born 1987), Dutch-born New Zealand footballer *

Charles of Mount Argus Charles of Mount Argus (11 December 1821 – 5 January 1893), was a Dutch Passionist priest who served in 19th-century Ireland. He gained a reputation for his compassion for the sick and those in need of guidance. His reputation for healings ...

(1821–1893), Dutch Passionist priest and Saint * Rick Geenen (born 1988), Dutch footballer * Myrthe Hilkens (born 1979), Dutch journalist, non-fiction writer and politician *

Wil Jacobs Wil Jacobs (born 7 June 1960) is a Dutch retired handball player. Career Jacobs started playing handball at the age of 14 at Vlug en Lenig. As a youth international, he participated in the Junior World Championships in 1979 (Denmark) and 1981 ( ...

(born 1960), Dutch handball player *

Pierre Kerkhoffs Pieter Johannes Elisabeth Kerkhoffs (26 March 1936 – 19 October 2021), known as Pierre Kerkhoffs, was a Dutch footballer who played at both professional and international levels as a striker. Kerkhoffs played club football for SC Enschede a ...

(1936–2021), Dutch footballer * Paul Kusters (born 1966), Dutch cartoonist *

Paul van Loon Paul van Loon (born 17 April 1955) is a Dutch writer of children's literature. His best-known books are the series about ' and the series '. A musical and a movie have also been made of both. The series ' also became one of his best known works ...

(born 1955), Dutch children's author *

Jean Nelissen Jean Nelissen (2 June 1936, Geleen, Netherlands – 1 September 2010, Maastricht, Netherlands Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is th ...

(1936–2010), Dutch sports journalist *

Maartje Paumen Maartje Yvonne Helene Paumen (born 19 September 1985) is a former Dutch field hockey player. She is currently assistant coach for Dutch club MOP. She previously played for Dutch clubs Oranje Zwart and HC Den Bosch and Belgian club Royal Antwerp. ...

(born 1985), Dutch field hockey player * Gabriëlle Popken (born 1983), Dutch politician * Roel Rothkrans (born 1979), Dutch handball player * Ton Raven (born 1957), Dutch politician *

Pim Rietbroek Pim Rietbroek (born 2 April 1942) is a Dutch retired handball player. As a player, he collected one cap for the Netherlands men's national handball team.

(born 1942), Dutch handball player and coach *

René Shuman René Shuman (born 5 December 1967) is a Dutch singer, guitarist, composer and producer. Shuman gained national fame through his performance in Henny Huisman's ''Soundmixshow''. He came in second with Elvis Presley's repertoire, a rendition of t ...

(born 1967), Dutch singer *

Inger Smits Inger Smits (born 17 September 1994) is a Dutch handball player for Borussia Dortmund and the Dutch national team. She represented the Netherlands at the 2019 World Women's Handball Championship. Her father and brothers Kay and Jorn are also ...

(born 1994), Dutch handball player *

Jorn Smits Jorn Smits (born 3 September 1992) is a Dutch handball player for TTH Holstebro and the Dutch national team. Career Initially, Smits first practiced football at the age of 6, but his cousin asked him to participate in handball training during th ...

(born 1992), Dutch handball player *

Kay Smits Kay Kirsten Evert Smits (born 31 March 1997) is a Dutch handball player for SC Magdeburg and the Dutch national team. He represented the Netherlands at the 2020 European Men's Handball Championship. His father , sister Inger and brother Jorn ...

(born 1997), Dutch handball player *

Henk Steevens Henk Steevens (4 October 1931 in Geleen – 29 May 2020) was a Dutch cyclist. He was professional from 1953 to 1955. Steevens won the GP of Aken and the Grote Continental Prijs of Hannover. He was named together with Sjefke Janssen and Jan Nolt ...

(1931–2020), Dutch cyclist

Gallery

File:Markt Geleen.JPG, Geleen market File:StJansGeleen-004.jpg,

File:Geleen (oud) - Marcelienstraat 18-2.jpg, Marcelienstraat in Geleen File:Geleen Marcellinus en Petruskerk.jpg, Marcellinus en Petruskerk in Oud-Geleen File:Geleen (oud) - Leurstraat 4.jpg, Huis Maes in Geleen File:Huis Corten.jpg, Huis Corten File:Woonhuis Molenstraat 33 Geleen.jpg, House in Geleen File:Huis ten Dijcken vanaf vijver.jpg, File:Terborch.JPG, File:Geleen beeld De Sjöt 4.jpg, Sculpture ''De Sjöt''

References

External links

*
Official website of Sittard-Geleen
{{Authority control Mining communities in the Netherlands Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2001 Former municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands) Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands) Sittard-Geleen