Helden (; ) is a

village A village is a human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand. Although villages are often located in rural areas, the term urban v ...

located in 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 southeastern

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. The village dates back to the tenth century at least, and a local variation of

Limburgish Limburgish ( or ; ; also Limburgian, Limburgic or Limburgan) refers to a group of South Low Franconian Variety (linguistics), varieties spoken in Belgium and the Netherlands, characterized by their distance to, and limited participation ...

is still spoken by some of the population. Helden and twin city Panningen previously belonged to the Helden

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' ...

, but in 2010 they joined other municipalities to form the new municipality of

Peel en Maas Peel or Peeling may refer to: Places Australia * Peel (Western Australia) * Peel, New South Wales * Peel River (New South Wales) Canada * Peel Parish, New Brunswick * Peel, New Brunswick, an unincorporated community in Peel Parish * Peel R ...

History

The village was first mentioned in 1144 as "apud Helden", and means "hill". Until 1279, it was part of the . In 1674, it was sold to

Gelderland Gelderland ( , ), also known as Guelders ( ) in English, is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands, located in the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Nethe ...

as an independent ''

heerlijkheid A ''heerlijkheid'' (a Dutch language, Dutch word; pl. ''heerlijkheden''; also called ''heerschap''; Latin: ''Dominium'') was a landed estate that served as the lowest administrative and Judiciary, judicial unit in rural areas in the Dutch-speaking ...

'', which before 1800 was the lowest administrative and

judicial The judiciary (also known as the judicial system, judicature, judicial branch, judiciative branch, and court or judiciary system) is the system of courts that adjudicates legal disputes/disagreements and interprets, defends, and applies the law ...

unit in rural areas in these parts. After the occupation by Gelderland, Helden was sold to

Prussia Prussia (; ; Old Prussian: ''Prūsija'') was a Germans, German state centred on the North European Plain that originated from the 1525 secularization of the Prussia (region), Prussian part of the State of the Teutonic Order. For centuries, ...

. Under Prussia, Helden developed a small industry. Only after the

Napoleonic wars {{Infobox military conflict , conflict = Napoleonic Wars , partof = the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars , image = Napoleonic Wars (revision).jpg , caption = Left to right, top to bottom:Battl ...

of 1814 did Helden belong to the Kingdom of the Netherlands. But not for long, as Belgium's Independence changed Helden with a large part of

going to the state of Belgium. The Catholic St Lambertus Church is a three-aisled basilica-like church. The nave and choir date from the 15th century. The church was restored after a fire in 1885. In 1944, the tower which probably dated from the 14th century was blown up. The church was restored from 1952 to 1953, and a more modest tower was added. Helden was home to 341 people in 1840. It was an independent municipality, however the town hall was located in Panningen. In 2010, it was merged into

References

External links

Official Website
* Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2010 Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands) Former municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands) Peel en Maas {{LimburgNL-geo-stub