Oirsbeek is a village in the southeast of the Netherlands, part of the municipality of
Beekdaelen
Beekdaelen (; li, Baekdale ) is a municipality in the province of Limburg, situated in the southern Netherlands. It was formed as a merger of Nuth, Onderbanken and Schinnen.
Beekdaelen has 35,853 inhabitants. It does not have a capital. The tow ...
.
Between 1839 and 1982, Oirsbeek was a separate municipality.
The Sint Lambertuskerk, a
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
, was built in 1951 by
Frits Peutz
F.P.J. Peutz (7 April 1896 – 24 October 1974) was a Dutch (Limburgian) architect.
Biography
Peutz was born in a Catholic family in Uithuizen in Groningen, a mostly Protestant province in the north of the Netherlands. In 1910 he was sent to the ...
on the remains of two older churches: the original church built in 1514 and a second church built in 1830.
It is unknown where the name Oirsbeek originates from. It is certain that the name has to do with the creek ("beek" is Dutch for creek) that used to flow through the village. "Oir" could come from "Oer" (meaning iron-rich dirt) which is found in the area. The creek was called "vloot" by people from Oirsbeek in the past. Currently it runs through a tube in the ground under the "Grachtstraat". From there it flows in the direction of Wolfhagen, part of the village of Schinnen.
Oirsbeek used to be one of 4 suburbs, "Gracht", "Klein-Doenrade", "Oirsbeek" and "Oppeven".
Hells Angels
Until 2004 a famous chapter of the Hells Angels Holland, The Nomads, had its clubhouse in Oirsbeek. On 11 February 2004 the chairman and two members were killed by the other members in the clubhouse. The dead bodies were found two days later in a small river near
Echt-Susteren
Echt-Susteren (; li, Ech-Zöstere ) is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. Echt-Susteren was created in 2003 by merging the former municipalities of Echt and Susteren.
Echt-Susteren is situated in a Euregional area. In the west the mu ...
. This tragedy was world news for some time. Many Hells Angels from all over the world came to the funeral of the three members in
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 municipal ...
. The event was broadcast live on Dutch television.
Gallery
image:Lambertuskerk oirsbeek.jpg, St. Lambertuskerk, Oirsbeek
File:Oirsbeek, Fatimagrot.jpg, Fatima cave
File:Schepenbank oirsbeek.jpg, ''schepenbank'' (predecessor of the town hall)
File:Oirsbeek-Raadhuisstraat 10.JPG, House in Oirsbeek
References
External links
Village of Oirsbeek
{{Authority control
Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands)
Former municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands)
Beekdaelen