Lommel () is 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' ...

and

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

in the Belgian province of Limburg. Lying in the Kempen, it has about 34,000 inhabitants and is part of the

arrondissement of Maaseik The Arrondissement of Maaseik (; ) is one of the three administrative Arrondissements of Belgium, arrondissements in the Provinces of Belgium, Province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg, Belgium. It is not a Arrondissements of Belgium#Judicial, judic ...

. Besides the residential town, Lommel also has a number of nature reserves, such as the nature reserve De Watering, the Lommel Sahara, and numerous forests and heathlands. Lommel is the third shopping city in Belgian Limburg with a commercial and shopping center ''De Singel''. Importantly, the silver sand that is mined here for the benefit of the glass industry. Some sand mining quarries are transformed into nature reserves and recreational areas, including Lommel Sahara. The city of Lommel is in the watershed of the basins of the

Scheldt The Scheldt ( ; ; ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of Netherlands, the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to Old Englis ...

, and

Meuse The Meuse or Maas 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 total length of . History From 1301, the upper ...

, and within these basins Nete Dommel respectively. Tamar, a

maternity home A maternity home, or maternity housing program, is a form of supportive housing provided to pregnant women. Maternity housing programs support a woman in need of a stable home environment to reach her goals in a variety of areas including educatio ...

for pregnant girls and unmarried mothers and their children run by the Congregation of Kindsheid Jesu, is located in Lommel. Despite its religious mission to help young women, Tamar was notorious for numerous scandals, including forced adoptions, unwanted sterilizations, and abuse of the women placed in its care.

Language

The dialect of Lommel is, despite its location in Limburg, part of the

East Brabantian East Brabantian ( or ) is one of the main divisions of the Brabantian dialect group recognized by the ''Woordenboek van de Brabantse dialecten''. East Brabantian dialects are mainly spoken in the eastern part of the province of North Brabant. Clas ...

, not the

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 ...

dialects, reflecting the particular history of the city.

Etymology

The name comes from Loemelo. Loem means moist, swampy and Lo is forest or woodland.

Demographic development

All historical data relating to the current municipality, including towns such as arose after the merger of January 1, 1977.

Politics

Structure

The city of Lommel is located in the

and the Limburg parliamentary constituency (which coincides with the

province A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...

of Limburg).

List of mayors of Lommel

* 1808 – 1813: Joannes Aerts, Catholic * 1813 – 1847: William Karel Koek Court, Catholic * 1847 – 1857: Jan Daels, Catholic * 1857 – 1861: Jan Van Leemput, Catholic * 1861 – 1863: Henry Alen, Catholic * 1863 – 1872: Peter Slegers, Catholic * 1872 – 1879: Peter Stevens, Catholic * 1879 – 1885: Jan Alen, Catholic * 1885 – 1890: Jan Vanden Boer, Catholic * 1891 – 1904: Peter Senders, Catholic * 1904 – 1921: François Van Ham, Catholic * 1921 – 1923: John Bouly, Catholic * 1924 – 1927: Peter Joosten, Catholic * 1927 – 1941: Joseph Tournier, liberal Catholics * 1941 – 1944: Peter Luykx, Flemish nationalist * 1944 – 1945: Joseph Tournier, liberal Catholics * 1945 – 1958: Henri Van Reempts, Catholic * 1959 – 1979: René Verhoeven, Catholic * 1979 – 1988: Staff Matthijs, Catholic * 1989 – 2006:

Louis Vanvelthoven Louis may refer to: People * Louis (given name), origin and several individuals with this name * Louis (surname) * Louis (singer), Serbian singer Other uses * Louis (coin), a French coin * HMS ''Louis'', two ships of the Royal Navy See also ...

, socialist * 2007 – 2018:

Peter Vanvelthoven Peter Karel Alexander Vanvelthoven (born 22 October 1962) is a Belgian politician and member of the SP.A. He is the son of politician . He became the Federal Minister for Employment, charged with the Informatisation of the State, in 2005 after ...

, socialist * 2019–present: Bob Nijs, Catholic

Results municipal elections since 1976

seats formed coalition '' 'bold' '' printed

Sporting events

Since 2017 the European Open a

Snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular Billiard table#Snooker and English billiards tables, billiards table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six Billiard table#Pockets 2, pockets: one at each corner and ...

ranking tournament of the

World Snooker Tour The World Snooker Tour (WST) is the main professional snooker tour, consisting of about 128 players competing on a circuit of up to 28 tournaments each season. It is administered by World Snooker Ltd, the commercial arm of professional snooker, ...

took place in Lommel. Lommel is home to the Belgian Motocross Grand Prix, part of the

Motocross World Championship The FIM Motocross World Championship is the premier championship of motocross racing, organized by the Fédération Internationale de Motocyclisme (FIM), divided into two distinct classes: MXGP and MX2. Race duration is 30 minutes plus two laps ...

. The track at Lommel is among the most famous in the motocross world and is known for its deep and unforgiving sand surface. Notable motocross racers such as Jeffrey Herlings and

Ryan Villopoto Ryan Daniel Villopoto (born August 13, 1988, in Fortuna, California) is an American former professional motocross and supercross racer who competed in the AMA Motocross Championships from 2005 to 2014; a four-time 450cc AMA Supercross Champion, a ...

have said that Lommel is the most physically demanding motocross track to ride in the world, and many top European motocross riders live in or around the city to hone their skills at the track.

Notable people

* Kevin Hulsmans, road bicycle racer * Peter Luykx, federal representative * Peter Maes, former footballer, coach of Sporting Lokeren * Roy Meeus (born 1989), professional

footballer A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby lea ...

* Wim Mennes, footballer * Pieter Mertens, road bicycle racer * Steve Ramon, motocross world champion * Kathleen Smet, triathlete * Dirk Swartenbroekx, DJ Buscemi * Johan Vansummeren, road bicycle racer * Marcel Vanthilt, musician, TV presenter *

, honorary-mayor, former chairman of the

Flemish Parliament The Flemish Parliament (Dutch language, Dutch: , formerly called Flemish Council or ''Vlaamse Raad'') constitutes the legislature, legislative power in Flanders for matters which fall within the competence of Flanders, both as a geographic reg ...

, mayor, former Belgian Minister for Employment and Informatisation * Steven Van Broeckhoven, windsurfer, two-time champion on the European Freestyle Pro Tour * Stefano Marzo, footballer

References

External links

Official websiteWebsite tourism Lommel
{{Authority control Municipalities of Limburg (Belgium)