Heerlen (; li, Heële ) 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 de ...

and a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

in the southeast 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 ...

. 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. Heerlen forms part of the city-region of Parkstad Limburg, an agglomeration with about 250,000 inhabitants and encompassing 8 municipalities. It is to the east of

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 north of the German city of Aachen. After its early Roman beginnings and a modest medieval period, Heerlen became a centre for the coal mining industry in the Netherlands in the late 19th century. In the 20th century, architect Frits Peutz played a major role in shaping the city as we know it today. His most famous design, and a distinctive building in the city centre, is the so-called Glaspaleis (''Glass Palace''), listed as one of the world's thousand most architecturally important buildings of the 20th century.

History

A habitation from the Michelsberg culture (4400 - 3500 BC) was excavated at the Schelsberg, near Heerlen, In 1997. Archeological finds from this period are rare in the Netherlands. The site is unique in the Netherlands, as it is the first excavated site with ditches and earth walls (earthworks). Even with these proofs of early habitation, the history of Heerlen properly starts with the arrival of the Romans. They founded a military settlement, named ''Coriovallum'' on the crossroad of two main roads: Boulogne sur Mer -

Cologne Cologne ( ; german: Köln ; ksh, Kölle ) is the largest city of the German western state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) and the fourth-most populous city of Germany with 1.1 million inhabitants in the city proper and 3.6 millio ...

and

Xanten Xanten (, Low Rhenish: ''Santen'') is a town in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the district of Wesel. Xanten is known for the Archaeological Park, one of the largest archaeological open air museums in the worl ...

- Aachen -

Trier Trier ( , ; lb, Tréier ), formerly known in English as Trèves ( ;) and Triers (see also names in other languages), is a city on the banks of the Moselle in Germany. It lies in a valley between low vine-covered hills of red sandstone in the ...

. In Heerlen and its surroundings a lot of evidence of Roman life has been excavated, especially Roman villas (country estates). The most notable archeological excavation from Roman times is the

Thermae In ancient Rome, (from Greek , "hot") and (from Greek ) were facilities for bathing. usually refers to the large Roman Empire, imperial public bath, bath complexes, while were smaller-scale facilities, public or private, that existed i ...

complex in the centre of Heerlen, a Roman bathhouse, discovered in 1940. In the Netherlands only a few of these have been found. It is a clear indication that Coriovallum/Heerlen was of some importance. A museum has been built over the Thermae and opened in 1977. The Thermenmuseum also houses other Roman finds from the area. Like many other Roman settlements in the Netherlands, Coriovallum was probably abandoned after the 3rd/4th century Roman retreat. Very little is known about Heerlen's history until the 10th century, when agricultural development continues once again in these parts of Europe. Farmhouses and mills are built across the valleys of Caumerbeek, Schandelerbeek and Geleenbeek and medieval Heerlen slowly takes shape. The oldest mention of Heerlen (as 'Herle') is in an official document dated 1065. Udo, bishop of Toul, documents some gifts. One of them is the allodium Heerlen, in the bishopry of Liege. Another allodium consists of a few chapels, which belong to the mother church in Voerendaal, close to Heerlen. Shortly after this, the allodium of Heerlen appears to be owned by the counts of Ahr-Hochstaden. Theoderich van Are (Udo van Toul's cousin) separated Heerlen from Voerendaal and chose Saint Pancratius as the patron saint of the church. The counts of Are where probably responsible for the construction of the Schelmentoren and the St-Pancratius church and also may have ordered the construction of a moated castle. Through these fortifications, Heerlen acquired some rights and freedoms, which gave it an elevated status over the surrounding countryside. Voerendaal, Hoensbroek, Schaesberg en Nieuwenhagen now fell under the legislation of the so-called "Land van Herle". In 1244 Heerlen came under the authority of the dukes of Brabant, but in 1388, along with Hoensbroek, it was given a separate status. During the

Eighty Years' War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Re ...

(1568–1648), Heerlen was disputed by the kingdom of Spain and the Dutch Protestant rebels and swapped sides several times. At the 1661 Partage Treaty, Heerlen became part of "Staat-Limburg", ruled by the States-General of the newly founded Dutch Republic. Being in the border region, close to the Spanish territories, it remained quite isolated until 1793, when the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

conquered Heerlen. After the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, it became part of the Netherlands province of Limburg (present-day Dutch and Belgian Limburg). In 1830, like most of Limburg, Heerlen sided with

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 ...

in the

Belgian Revolution The Belgian Revolution (, ) was the conflict which led to the secession of the southern provinces (mainly the former Southern Netherlands) from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and the establishment of an independent Kingdom of Belgium. ...

. In 1839 however, as a result of an agreement between the main European powers (the London Conference), it became part of the Netherlands again. In the 19th century, Heerlen, like most of Limburg municipalities (Maastricht was an exception), did not partake in the Industrial Revolution and it remained largely agrarian until coal mining began in the late 19th/early 20th century. In March 1874,

coal Coal is a combustible black or brownish-black sedimentary rock, formed as stratum, rock strata called coal seams. Coal is mostly carbon with variable amounts of other Chemical element, elements, chiefly hydrogen, sulfur, oxygen, and nitrogen ...

had been found at the Valkenburgerweg. However, setting up a mine is a risky long-term investment and only very few private enterprises took up the challenge and bought a concession. In 1896 Heerlen got its first railway connection to allow the transportation of coal from these first coal mines. Development was still rather slow: In 1812 Heerlen had a population of 3497, in 1900 this was still only 6646. In 1901, the national government stepped in and bought all remaining unsold concessions and set up the State Mines. In a short period of time several large state-operated coalmines began production. The population rose sharply from 6646 in 1900 to 12,098 in 1910 to 32,263 in 1930. During these early expansion years many old buildings in the centre of Heerlen were demolished. The coalmines remained central to the development of Heerlen into a modern city until the early 1960s, the period during which mayor Van Grunsven was mayor of Heerlen. The golden years of coal mining ended in the late 1950s, after which production gradually diminished due to competition from cheaper Polish and American coal and the discovery of natural gas in the province of

Groningen Groningen (; gos, Grunn or ) is the capital city and main municipality of Groningen province in the Netherlands. The ''capital of the north'', Groningen is the largest place as well as the economic and cultural centre of the northern part of t ...

. In the period 1965–1975 the coal mines were closed altogether. In the area around Heerlen-Kerkrade-Brunssum and Sittard-Geleen 60,000 people lost their jobs. A difficult period of economic re-adjustment started. The Dutch government tried to ease the pain by moving several governmental offices (ABP, CBS) to Heerlen but even today the city has not fully recovered from the loss of tens of thousands of jobs. In the cityscape of modern-day Heerlen, there are very few reminders of the once omni-present mining industry. Most of the typical mounts of mining debris that surrounded the coal mines have been removed or transformed into green hills during an operation called ''van zwart naar groen'' (from black to green). Even the tallest mine chimney of Europe, 'Lange Lies' (tall Liz) and her older brother 'Lange Jan' (tall John), once major landmarks, were demolished. One of the few remaining mining buildings (shaft 2 of the Oranje Nassau I) now houses the Dutch Mine Museum.

Geography

Heerlen is located at in the province of Limburg in the southeast of the

on the border with

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany (FRG),, is a country in Central Europe. It is the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany lies between the Baltic and North Sea to the north and the Alps to the sou ...

. It is situated in the COROP region of South Limburg and is part of the agglomeration Parkstad Limburg, formerly known as Oostelijke Mijnstreek. Heerlen is bordered by the Dutch municipalities of Simpelveld (in the south), Voerendaal and Nuth (west), Schinnen (northwest),

Brunssum Brunssum (; li, Broensem) is a municipality and a town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. The municipality of Brunssum has residents as of . Brunssum was a center of coal mining until 1973. Population centres Topography Histor ...

(north), Landgraaf and Kerkrade (east), and the German municipality of Aachen (southeast). Heerlen's high elevation makes it one of the highest cities above sea level in the Netherlands.

Economy

Heerlen houses the biggest furniture strip of Europe, with m² floorspace after the opening of the biggest ( m²)

IKEA IKEA (; ) is a Dutch multinational conglomerate based in the Netherlands that designs and sells , kitchen appliances, decoration, home accessories, and various other goods and home services. Started in 1943 by Ingvar Kamprad, IKEA has been ...

of the

Benelux The Benelux Union ( nl, Benelux Unie; french: Union Benelux; lb, Benelux-Unioun), also known as simply Benelux, is a Political union, politico-economic union and formal international intergovernmental cooperation of three neighboring states in ...

on 27 August 2008. On 1 October 2008, the world's first minewater power station was opened in Heerlen. It will be used to heat and cool 200 homes, along with shops, a supermarket, a library and large office buildings.

Mines

Schatgebouw van schacht 1 met hijsinstallatie - Heerlen - 20341387 - RCE

List of mines which were located in what is now Heerlen: *

Oranje Nassau I The Oranje Nassau I was a Dutch coal mine located in Heerlen. The mine was in operation from 1899 until 1974. The Oranje Nassau I was the oldest and second largest of the four Oranje Nassau Mijnen-mines. Close to the mine there were several coal ...

, 1899–1974, now used in the Minewater Project *

Oranje Nassau III The Oranje Nassau III was a Dutch coal mine located in Heerlen. The mine was in operation from 1914 until 1973. It was the third of four mines collectively known as the Oranje Nassau Mijnen The Oranje Nassau Mijnen was a coal mine company, e ...

, 1917–1973, now used in the Minewater Project *

Oranje Nassau IV The Oranje Nassau IV (located in Heerlerheide, Heerlen), the last and smallest mine exploited by the Oranje Nassau Mijnen, started its life as a ventilation shaft for Oranje Nassau III. In 1910 the construction of a mine shaft was started. Ho ...

, 1927–1966 *

Staatsmijn Emma The Staatsmijn Emma was a Dutch coal mine located in (now part of Brunssum) and Hoensbroek (now part of Heerlen). The mine was in operation from 1911 till 1973. The second-largest mine in the Netherlands, it had the highest production of all Dut ...

, 1911–1973

Education

Among the educational institutes in Heerlen is Hogeschool Zuyd, which is a University of Applied Sciences with branches in Heerlen, Sittard and

. Also based in Heerlen is the administrative office of the Open University of the Netherlands ( Open Universiteit or OU in Dutch), which is a university for distance learning with tens of thousands of students throughout the Netherlands. Heerlen was also the location of the now-defunct University of Theology and Pastorate ( Universiteit van Theologie en Pastoraat or UTP in Dutch), which had to close down due to lack of students. Jokingly it was said that Heerlen was the location of the biggest (OU) and the smallest (UTP) university of the Netherlands.

Health care

Health care in Heerlen (and the rest of the Parkstad Limburg) is provided by Stichting Gezondheidszorg Oostelijk Zuid-Limburg (G.O.Z.L.). Zuyderland Medisch Centrum Parkstad (Zuyderland Medical Center Parkstad), is the name of the different hospitals in the Parkstad, and is part of G.O.Z.L. Until 2015 these hospitals were called Atrium Medisch Centrum Parkstad. Zuyderland location Heerlen was previously known as De Wever ziekenhuis named after Frans de Wever, who in 1904, together with mgr. Joseph Savelberg, founded the first hospital in Heerlen (at its foundation in 1904 called Maria Hilfspital, and after a few years renamed St. Joseph hospital until the De Wever was opened in 1968).

Architecture

The city's best-known architect is Frits Peutz. His legacy consists of at least 10 landmark buildings in Heerlen. In 1935 Heerlen's most famous landmark building, the Glaspaleis, was built next to the medieval church in the centre of the then modest town. It was commissioned by the merchant Peter Schunck and it was quite an extraordinary step for this conservative businessman to ask the young Heerlen-based architect Peutz to design the new Schunck department store. It is one of the most outstanding examples of early

Modernism Modernism is both a philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new forms of art, philosophy, ...

in The Netherlands but it was only recognized as such at a fairly late stage (after it had been badly maimed). In the 1990s it was added to a prestigious list of the world's ''1000 most important buildings of the 20th century'' created by the

International Union of Architects The International Union of Architects (French: ''Union internationale des Architectes''; UIA) is the only international non-governmental organization that represents the world's architects, now estimated to number some 3.2 million in all. Abou ...

(only 13 buildings in the Netherlands are on that list). It encouraged the city administrators to buy the dilapidated building and make plans for its renovation. The renovation has now been completed and it now houses several of the city's cultural institutions, including a museum of modern art. The renovated Glaspaleis has become a symbol of the revived Heerlen after the closing of the coalmines. Although many interesting buildings were demolished around 1900, some older buildings still exist in the centre of Heerlen, for instance, a Romanesque style 12th-century church ( Pancratiuskerk), and a former prison tower from around the same period ( Schelmentoren). Other buildings worth mentioning are a Neoclassical chapel ( Grafkapel de Loë built in 1848, the only remaining Neoclassical building in Heerlen), and a former mansion annex pharmacy, left in almost the same state as after its 1801–1828 expansion (

Huis de Luijff The Hui people ( zh, c=, p=Huízú, w=Hui2-tsu2, Xiao'erjing: , dng, Хуэйзў, ) are an East Asian ethnoreligious group predominantly composed of Chinese-speaking adherents of Islam. They are distributed throughout China, mainly in the ...

). In other parts of Heerlen, especially near the numerous small rivers around Heerlen, many older buildings can be found, noticeably a couple of watermills (like the Weltermolen (14th century), Eikendermolen (15th century),

Oliemolen The Oliemolen (literally Oilmill) is a 16th-century watermill located at the foot of a steep hill in the Aambos, Heerlen in the Netherlands. The name already tells us much about its function, extracting oil, but this was not always the case as ...

(16th century), and Schandelermolen (17th century)), some

castle A castle is a type of fortified structure built during the Middle Ages predominantly by the nobility or royalty and by military orders. Scholars debate the scope of the word ''castle'', but usually consider it to be the private fortified r ...

s (for instance Hoensbroek Castle oldest part 1380, Kasteel Terworm 15th century) and old farms ( Geleenhof (dating back to Roman days), Benzeraderhof (13th century), Hoeve Den Driesch (14th century), Overste Douvenrade (largely destroyed and rebuilt in 1779) and Hoeve de Bek (1796)).

Architects with significant work

Here follows a list of architects who have built important landmarks in Heerlen, and those landmarks. *

A van Beers A, or a, is the first letter and the first vowel of the Latin alphabet, used in the modern English alphabet, the alphabets of other western European languages and others worldwide. Its name in English is ''a'' (pronounced ), plural ''ae ...

Huize Op de Berg Huize County (, old name: ''Dongchuan 東川'') is a county-level city, under the jurisdiction of Qujing Qujing () is a prefecture-level city in the east of Yunnan province, China, bordering Guizhou province to the east and the Guangxi Zhuang ...

(1897) *

Johan Kayser Johan * Johan (given name) * ''Johan'' (film), a 1921 Swedish film directed by Mauritz Stiller * Johan (band), a Dutch pop-group ** ''Johan'' (album), a 1996 album by the group * Johan Peninsula, Ellesmere Island, Nunavut, Canada * Jo-Han, a ...

, (1842, Harlingen – 1917): Chapel Savelberg Convent (1878–1879, style:

Neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...

) * Jan Stuyt (1868–1934)):

Ambachtsschool A vocational school is a type of educational institution, which, depending on the country, may refer to either secondary or post-secondary education designed to provide vocational education or technical skills required to complete the tasks ...

(1913, style: Hollands ClassicismeBeschrijving route
) * J. Pauw: Former library (1917, style: Amsterdam School) * Dirk Roosenburg (1887–1962): Former office Oranje Nassau mine (1928, style:

International style International style may refer to: * International Style (architecture), the early 20th century modern movement in architecture *International style (art), the International Gothic style in medieval art *International Style (dancing), a term used in ...

) * Dirk Brouwer (3 November 1899 – 1941): Former

HEMA Hema may refer to: * Hemā (mythology), a figure from Polynesian mythology * HEMA (store), a Dutch chain of stores * Hema (supermarket) (盒马), a supermarket chain in China * Hema maps, an Australian map publisher * Hema people, an ethnic group ...

building (1939, style: International style) * Frits Peutz (7 April 1896 – 24 October 1974): Glaspaleis (1933, style: International style),

Monseigneur Schrijnen Retreat House The Monseigneur Schrijnen Retreat House was designed by the famed architect Frits Peutz (best known for the Glaspaleis) in 1932, and named after the 18th bishop of Roermond Laurentius Josephus Antonius Hubertus Schrijnen ( Venlo 30 July 1861 ...

(1932), townhall (1940), municipal theatre * Gerrit Rietveld, (

Utrecht Utrecht ( , , ) is the fourth-largest city and a municipality of the Netherlands, capital and most populous city of the province of Utrecht. It is located in the eastern corner of the Randstad conurbation, in the very centre of mainland Nethe ...

24 June 1888- Utrecht 26 June 1964): house on Zandweg (1961–1964) * Jo Coenen (born 1949 in Heerlen-Hoensbroek): Library and entrance Stadsgalerij (1983, 1989)

Transport

Heerlen has three railway stations: * Heerlen * Heerlen Woonboulevard * Hoensbroek From Heerlen one can travel to Eindhoven, Utrecht, Amsterdam, Maastricht/Liège, Kerkrade and towards Aachen/Köln in Germany.

Sports

The GP Heerlen is a February cyclo-cross race held in Heerlen.

People from Heerlen

A chronological list of notable ''Heerlenaren'' (inhabitants of Heerlen): FdeWever1

Public thinking & Public Service

* M. Sattonius Iucundus (third century), Roman politician *

Theoderich van Are Theoderich of Are (German language, German: ''Dietrich von Are'', Dutch language, Dutch: ''Dirk van Are''; 1087–1126) was the first count of Are (the area around Ahrweiler in present-day Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany). Theoderich was a nephew of ...

(1087–1126) the first count of Are (Germany) * Anna Sophia van Schönborn (1696–1760) a Countess of Hoensbroek, the ''blauwe dame'' * Jacob Derk Carel van Heeckeren (1730–1795) a politician from a Dutch noble family * Christian Quix (1773–1844) a Roman Catholic priest and director of the Aachen city library * Jan Gerard Kemmerling (1776–1818), Mayor of Heerlen *

Egidius Slanghen Egidius Slanghen (23 August 1820 – 12 October 1882) was the mayor of Hoensbroek (now part of Heerlen) from 11 March 1855 till his death and a historian. Before being mayor of Hoensbroek, he was, thanks to mediation by the count Jean Bapriste d ...

(1820–1882), politician and historian * Joseph Savelberg (1827–1907), Roman Catholic priest *

Henri Sarolea Henri Sarolea (18 January 1844, Maastricht – 12 September 1900, Heerlen), was a Dutch railway entrepreneur and contractor who settled in Heerlen after having worked on the railways in the Dutch East Indies (now Indonesia). His house in Heerl ...

(1844–1900), a Dutch railway entrepreneur and contractor * Frans de Wever (1869–1940), general practitioner * Frederik van Iterson (1877-1957) a Dutch mechanical engineering professor, developed the

power station A power station, also referred to as a power plant and sometimes generating station or generating plant, is an industrial facility for the generation of electric power. Power stations are generally connected to an electrical grid. Many p ...

natural draught

cooling tower A cooling tower is a device that rejects waste heat to the atmosphere through the cooling of a coolant stream, usually a water stream to a lower temperature. Cooling towers may either use the evaporation of water to remove process heat and ...

Marcel van Grunsven Marcellus Franciscus Gerardus Maria "Marcel" van Grunsven (4 December 1896, Gennep - 24 July 1969, Heerlen) was mayor of Heerlen from 1926 to 1961. He led Heerlen through the Great Depression, the Second World War, and the booming mining years. ...

(1896–1969), Mayor of Heerlen from 1926 to 1961 *

Maximilian von Fürstenberg Baron Maximilian Louis Hubert Egon Vincent Marie Joseph von Fürstenberg-Stammheim (also known as Maximilien de Fürstenberg; 23 October 1904 – 22 September 1988) was a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church and was Prefect of the Congregatio ...

(1904–1988) a cardinal of the Roman Catholic Church * Pierre Schunck (1906–1993) family owned Schunck department store and worked in the Dutch resistance *

Theo Bemelmans Theodore Aloysius Maria (Theo) Bemelmans (born 24 February 1943) is a Dutch computer scientist and Emeritus Professor of Administrative Information Systems and Automation at the Eindhoven University of Technology. Biography Born in Heerlen, B ...

(born 1943), a Dutch computer scientist and academic * Klaas de Vries (born 1943), a retired Dutch politician and jurist * Maud de Boer-Buquicchio (born 1944) a Dutch jurist and United Nations special rapporteur *

Jo Ritzen Jozef Marie Mathias "Jo" Ritzen (born 3 October 1945) is a retired Dutch politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) and economist. Ritzen worked as researcher at the Delft Institute of Technology from July 1969 until June 1972 and at the Erasmus U ...

(born 1945), a retired Dutch politician economist * Jo Coenen (born 1949) a Dutch architect and urban planner * Loek Hermans (born 1951), a retired Dutch politician and businessman * Wiel Arets (born 1955), a Dutch architect and industrial designer * Ellen 't Hoen (born 1960) an international medical activist and academic * Frans Timmermans (born 1961), politician,

Vice-President of the European Commission A Vice-President of the European Commission is a member of the European Commission who leads the commission's work in particular focus areas in which multiple European Commissioners participate. Currently, the European Commission has a total of ...

* Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert (born 1973), a Dutch politician, Minister of Defence 2012-2017 * Gijs Tuinman (born 1979)

Royal Netherlands Army The Royal Netherlands Army ( nl, Koninklijke Landmacht) is the land branch of the Netherlands Armed Forces. Though the Royal Netherlands Army was raised on 9 January 1814, its origins date back to 1572, when the was raised – making the Dut ...

officer, recipient of the Military Order of William

The Arts

Fotothek df roe-neg 0006440 2 035 Agnes Giebel (Sängerin)

* Wilhelm of Herle (fl 1350–1370), painter *

Jan Michiel Dautzenberg Johan Michiel Dautzenberg (6 December 1808, in Heerlen – 4 February 1869, in Elsene) was a Belgian writer. Professionally he was successively secretary, clerk, teacher, private tutor, and bookkeeper. He wrote poems on nature, songs, novels, p ...

(1808–1869), Belgian writer *

L. O. Wenckebach Ludwig Oswald Wenckebach (16 June 1895, in Heerlen – 3 November 1962, in Noordwijkerhout) was a Dutch sculptor, painter, and medallist. He was the son of the anatomist Karel Frederik Wenckebach and nephew and pupil of the graphic designer an ...

(1895–1962) a Dutch sculptor, painter and medallist * Agnes Giebel (1921–2017), a German classical soprano * Thomas Bernhard (1931–1989), an Austrian playwright and novelist * Harrie Geelen (born 1939) a Dutch illustrator, film director, animator and poet * Margriet Ehlen (born 1943), a Dutch poet, composer and conductor * Hein van der Heijden (born 1958) a Dutch stage, TV and film actor IMDb Database
retrieved 26 February 2020 * Tamara Hoekwater (born 1972), a Dutch pop singer * Dennis "Seregor" Droomers (born 1980), singer and guitarist of symphonic black metal band Carach Angren * Simone Simons (born 1985), singer of Dutch

symphonic metal Symphonic metal is a cross-generic style designation for the symphonic subsets of heavy metal music subgenres. It is used to denote any metal band that makes use of symphonic or orchestral elements. The style features the heavy drums and guita ...

band Epica

Sport

* Tinus Osendarp (1916–2002) a Dutch sprinter, twice bronze medallist at the

1936 Summer Olympics The 1936 Summer Olympics ( German: ''Olympische Sommerspiele 1936''), officially known as the Games of the XI Olympiad ( German: ''Spiele der XI. Olympiade'') and commonly known as Berlin 1936 or the Nazi Olympics, were an international multi- ...

* René Hofman (born 1961) a retired Dutch footballer with 400 club caps * Guido Görtzen (born 1970) a volleyball player, team gold medallist in the 1996 Summer Olympics * Ger Senden (born 1971) a retired Dutch footballer, played 411 games with Roda JC * Fernando Ricksen (1976–2019) a Dutch professional footballer with 452 club caps * Eugène Martineau (born 1980) a Dutch decathlete * Shirley Kocaçınar (born 1986), a Turkish-Dutch women's football forward * Danny Hoesen (born 1991) a Dutch footballer for Ajax *

Jessica Blaszka Jessica Blaszka (born 5 August 1992 in Heerlen) is a retired Netherlands, Dutch Wrestling, wrestler who wrestled mainly in the 48 kg Wrestling weight classes, weight class. She is a bronze medalist at the World Wrestling Championships and a ...

(born 1992) a Dutch female wrestler * Jules Szymkowiak (born 1995) a Dutch racing driver

References

External links

* *
Thermae Museum

Oral History Project Heerlen Vertelt

{{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Mining communities in the Netherlands Municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands) Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands) Roman sites in the Netherlands Germania Inferior South Limburg (Netherlands)