Echt (; ) is a city in the Dutch

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 ...

of Echt-Susteren in the province of Limburg,

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 was a municipality itself until it merged with the municipality of Susteren on 1 January 2003. The municipality of Echt had about 19,300 inhabitants and an area of about 75,13 square km.

History

First recorded in the 7th century, Echt was a village, then within the County of Loon. Between 928 and 939 Gerberga of Saxony gave the estate of "Ettha" and its church to the

St Servatius Saint Servatius ( nl, Sint Servaas; french: Saint Servais; li, Sintervaos; hy, Սուրբ Սերվատիոս ''Surb Servatios'') (born in Armenia, died in Maastricht, traditionally on 13 May 384) was bishop of Tongeren —Latin: ''Atuatuca ...

community in Maastricht. In 1075/1076 Gerard I of Guelders, received the estate of Echt on loan from Albert III, Count of

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...

and deputy duke of Lower Lorraine. However, a charter from Emperor Henry IV from 1087 gives a different picture of this donation: according to the Godschalk van Aken, Gerard I of Guelders is said to have illegally taken possession of the church of Echt ("Echta") ("invaserat"), while this belonged to the St. Servatius Chapter. By judgment of the imperial court of Aachen ("Aquisgrani") the church of Echt was returned to the Maastricht chapter. The aldermen of Echt, who had their own seal, are mentioned first on 29 June 1259. A source from 1590 shows Echt as a "Minderstädteof" (small town) within the States of Upper Guelders. Small towns were legally and economically less privileged than large cities such as Roermond. Nevertheless, it had a wall with gates, a hospital and cloth hall. A city

moat A moat is a deep, broad ditch, either dry or filled with water, that is dug and surrounds a castle, fortification, building or town, historically to provide it with a preliminary line of defence. In some places moats evolved into more extensive ...

was constructed after the second half of the 13th century. In May 1397, during a war between Brabant and Gelderland, the people of

Liège Liège ( , , ; wa, Lîdje ; nl, Luik ; german: Lüttich ) is a major city and municipality of Wallonia and the capital of the Belgian province of Liège. The city is situated in the valley of the Meuse, in the east of Belgium, not far from b ...

destroyed the fortified town. In 1473 the city was conquered by Charles the Bold, while in 1497

Maximilian I Maximilian I may refer to: *Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor, reigned 1486/93–1519 *Maximilian I, Elector of Bavaria, reigned 1597–1651 *Maximilian I, Prince of Hohenzollern-Sigmaringen (1636-1689) *Maximilian I Joseph of Bavaria, reigned 1795� ...

took its castle. However, the city was recaptured by Guelders shortly thereafter. In 1556, during the Eighty Years' War, it was looted by mercenaries in the Spanish army. It then changed occupiers several times and suffered waves of destruction. Of the old fortifications only the canals were left by the end of the war. After significant depopulation caused by wars and plagues, Echt was usually considered to be a village. Only after 1630 was it again consistently referred to as

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 ...

, even by its own aldermen. At the Treaty of Utrecht, ending the

War of the Spanish Succession The War of the Spanish Succession was a European great power conflict that took place from 1701 to 1714. The death of childless Charles II of Spain in November 1700 led to a struggle for control of the Spanish Empire between his heirs, Phili ...

in 1713, Echt became part of the United Provinces together with Venlo and Montfort. In 1795 Guelders was finally conquered and incorporated by the French First Republic, and partitioned between the départements of Roer and Meuse-Inférieure

Sights

* Sint Landricuskerk, a

Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwide . It is am ...

hall church in Gothic style. *

Lilbosch Abbey Lilbosch Abbey ( nl, Abdij Lilbosch) is a monastery of the Trappists ( Cistercians of the Strict Observance) founded in 1883 and located in Lilboscherveld in Pepinusbrug, Echt, Limburg, in the Netherlands. The abbey is largely self-sufficient tha ...

( nl, Abdij Lilbosch) a

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

of the Trappists. * Carmelite Monastery, founded 1879, known for Edith Stein * Huis Verduynen, a moated mansion first mentioned in 1400 and rebuilt in 1667 * Sint-Rochus chapel, founded in 1686 and rebuilt in 1910 * Chapel of Our Lady, a 17h-century chapel File:Exterieur ZUIDGEVEL - Schilberg - 20268616 - RCE.jpg, Chapel of Our Lady File:Echt (Echt-Susteren) kerk noordwestzijde.JPG, Northwest side of the Saint Landricuskerk File:Echt, Limburg, hoekhuis Plats 8.JPG, Corner house in Echt File:Abdij Lilbosch (Echt-Susteren) kerk exterieur priesterkoor.JPG, Priests' choir in

Economy

From the late 19th century, Echt was the centre of an important roof tile industry. There are two business parks in Echt, namely De Berk, and De Loop.

Nature and landscape

Echt is located on the Maas river, at a height of about 28 meters. To the west of Echt are industrial estates, a motorway and the Juliana Canal. To the east, the hamlets of Schilberg and Hingen and the church village of Pey are attached to Echt. Other nearby hamlets include Gebroek, Slek and Ophoven to the south, Aasterberg to the west, and Berkelaar to the north.

Transportation

* Echt is near the A2 and A73 highways. * Echt railway station is served by NS: Dutch Railways (''Dutch: Nederlandse Spoorwegen'') * Echt has its own quay on the Juliana Canal.

Notable people

Piet van den Brekel Piet van den Brekel (21 July 1932 – 18 July 1999) was a Dutch professional racing cyclist. He rode in the 1956 Tour de France The 1956 Tour de France was the 43rd edition of the Tour de France, taking place from 5 to 28 July. It consis ...

(1932–1999) a Dutch racing cyclist *

Annefleur Bruggeman Annefleur Bruggeman (born 27 July 1997) is a Dutch handball player for TSV Bayer 04 Leverkusen (handball), Bayer Leverkusen. Bruggeman made 16 appearances for the Dutch youth national team. She participated at the 2016 Women's Junior World Handba ...

(born 1997) a Dutch handball player * Rob Ehrens (born 1957) a Dutch equestrian *

Maud Hawinkels Maud Hawinkels (born 24 September 1976) is a Dutch television presenter. Career Hawinkels was born in Echt and grew up in Genhout. She started training as a camera woman and eventually became the presenter of the VARA programs ''Honk'' and ''FF w ...

(born 1976) a Dutch TV presenter * Adrian van Hooydonk (born 1964) a Dutch automobile designer *

Theo van der Leeuw Theo van der Leeuw (born 9 April 1949) is a Dutch former road cyclist. He competed in the 1973 Tour de France, where he finished 70th overall. That same year he participated in the World Road Race Championships, but was unable to finish. Major ...

(born 1949) a Dutch racing cyclist *

Ien Lucas Ien Lucas (born 1955, Echt, the Netherlands) is a Dutch visual artist. Lucas creates her abstract paintings on canvas or wood using acrylic paint and a range of other materials regularly used in modern art. Her series of works called 'notes' d ...

(born 1955) a Dutch visual artist *

Ria Oomen-Ruijten Ria Oomen-Ruijten (born 6 September 1950 in Echt, Limburg) is a Dutch politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) who has been serving as a member of the Senate since 9 June 2015. Oomen is a former Member of the European Parliament. As ...

(born 1950) a Dutch politician *

Ben Scheres Bernardus Johannes Godefridus Scheres (Ben) Scheres (born 10 July 1960 in Echt, Netherlands, Echt) is a Dutch developmental biologist. He is Professor of Plant Developmental Biology at Wageningen University. Scheres studied phytopathology at Wagen ...

(born 1960) a Dutch developmental biologist *

Laurence Stassen Laurence Jeanne Arnoldine Joseph Stassen (born 8 February 1971, in Sittard) is an independent Dutch politician and a former freelance television presenter of the regional broadcasting TV Limburg. There she presented the program sponsored ''Limburg ...

(born 1971) a Dutch politician * Edith Stein (1891–1942) a German Jewish philosopher who converted to Catholicism and became a nun *

Sef Vergoossen Josephus Gerardus Dominicus "Sef" Vergoossen (, born 5 August 1947 in Echt) is a former Dutch football manager. Biography Vergoossen began his managerial career in 1978 with VVV-Venlo, managing the club for 12 years until 1989, after which he ...

(born 1947) a Dutch football manager *

Jacques Verheyen Jacobus Hubertus (Jacques) Verheyen (5 February 1911 – 20 August 1989) was a Dutch glazier and painter. Life and work Verheyen, also Verheijen,Pieter A. Scheen, Scheen, P.A. (1969) ''Lexicon Nederlandse Beeldende Kunstenaars 1750-1950''. 's-Gr ...

(1911–1989) a Dutch glazier and painter * Frans Wackers (born 1939) a medical doctor and research scientist

References

External links

{{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2003 Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands) Former municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands) Echt-Susteren