Kerkrade ( ) (Limburgish: Kirchroa) is a town and a municipality in
the southeastern Netherlands
.It is the western half of the divided region and de facto city, taken
together with the eastern half, the German town
of Herzogenrath
, which was the original name of the municipality
under the Holy Roman
Empire. The two towns, taken together and including
outlying suburban "villages", the divided municipality (the border
was drawn right through the town centre) have a combined population
approaching 100,000.
History
The
history of Kerkrade is closely linked with that of the adjacent
town of Herzogenrath, just across the German border. Herzogenrath began as
a settlement, called Rode, near the river Worm
(or Wurm in
German) in the 11th century. In 1104
Augustinian monks founded an abbey, called
Kloosterrade, to the west of this settlement.
It was called
's-Hertogenrode or
's-Hertogenrade
(Dutch:
the Duke's Rode) after the
duchy of Brabant took control over the
region; in French it was called
Rolduc (Rode-le-duc). As
is the case for many parts of the
Southern Netherlands, the place changed
hands several times in the last few centuries. It was under
Spanish control from 1661,
Austrian between 1713 and 1785
and
French between 1795 and 1813.
In 1815, when the kingdom of the Netherlands was formed (see
Vienna Congress), the border was
drawn through Herzogenrath, the western part being Kerkrade.
In the 18th century the monks of Rolduc began small-scale
coal mines. More modern exploitation by others
started in 1860, causing Kerkrade to grow significantly, especially
as a consequence of the permanent settlement of mainly
Southern-European miners in this Northern-European place. When the
Willem Sophia mine was opened around 1900, the town grew even more
rapidly, absorbing old villages like Chèvremont. In the decades
following 1960, all the mines in Limburg were closed.
One of the oldest buildings in the municipality is Oud Ehrenstein,
a castle the origins of which lie in the 14th century.
The border along Nieuwstraat/Neustraße street
One part of the border between the Netherlands and Germany runs
along the middle of the street Nieuwstraat/Neustraße. Because of
relatively unrestricted cross-border travel within the
European Union, this border was for many
years marked only with a low wall, about 30 cm high, running
along the length of the street. There was a separate 2-way road on
each side, and cars had to pass through the official crossing
points, but pedestrians could readily step over the wall (although
there were signs informing of the border). In 1991, it was decided
to remove the wall completely. Nieuwstraat/Neustraße is now a
single two-way road, with the extra space now occupied with trees
and bicycle lanes. The border is unmarked, and is crossed even when
going round a roundabout or overtaking a vehicle. (See
Schengen treaty.)
Population centres
Like many larger municipalities, Kerkrade has outlying
neighborhoods and housing developments, in a word,
suburbs which are bedroom communities outside the
business district of the entity.
Music
Internationally Kerkrade is known as the town, where every fourth
year (last was in 2009) the quadra-annual event promoted as the
World Music Contest is held.
During three weeks amateur, as well as professional, military bands
and similar orchestras from many countries meet to compete in their
category and division.
Natives of Kerkrade
Transportation
There are 4 stations in Kerkrade:
Miscellaneous information
The building of a dam in the Anstel, a brook flowing west of
Kerkrade, has led to the formation of a reservoir with an area of
about 20 ha. This and its surroundings are very rich in flora and
fauna.
Kerkrade is the home of the
football club
Roda
JC.
The
patron saint of Kerkrade is
Saint Barbara, who is also the patron
saint of miners.
References
- Stenvert, R. et al. (2003). Monumenten in Nederland:
Limburg, p. 173–178. Zwolle: Waanders Uitgevers. ISBN
90-400-9623-6.
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