Eigenbilzen is a village and former municipality in the

Bilzen Bilzen () is a city and a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. In 2021, Bilzen had a total population of 32,536. The total area is 75.90 km² which gives a population density of 426 inhabitants per km². Bilzen consi ...

municipality of the Limburg province in the

Flemish Community The Flemish Community ( nl, Vlaamse Gemeenschap ; french: Communauté flamande ; german: Flämische Gemeinschaft ) is one of the three institutional communities of Belgium, established by the Belgian constitution and having legal responsibilit ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. Eigenbilzen was an independent municipality until 1977 when it merged into Bilzen.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1096 as Eigenbilesen. Prehistoric and Roman remains have been discovered in the area. In 1871 a

tumulus A tumulus (plural tumuli) is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds or '' kurgans'', and may be found throughout much of the world. A cairn, which is a mound of stones ...

was discovered at the Kannesberg which dated from 400 B.C. Furthermore three Roman villas, and a Roman cemetery were discovered. The Roman road connecting

Tongeren Tongeren (; french: Tongres ; german: Tongern ; li, Tóngere ) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg, in the southeastern corner of the Flemish region of Belgium. Tongeren is the oldest town in Belgium, as the on ...

Maastricht Maastricht ( , , ; li, Mestreech ; french: Maestricht ; es, Mastrique ) is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital and largest city of the province of Limburg. Maastricht is located on both sides of the ...

used to pass through the village. was built in 1423. In 1680, the family of de Heusch de Zangerye became manor of the village, and resided in the castle. The castle was torn down in the early 19th century. In 1864, the Hasselt-Maastricht railway was opened with a station for Eigenbilzen. The railway line was closed for passengers in 1954, and goods in 1992. In 1977, the municipality merged into Bilzen.

Near the village is the Zangerheimolen, a former overshot water mill. The original mill dated from before 1390. The mill was in use as a

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separated ...

and sawing mill. The current building dates from 1865, and was transformed into a residential house in 1925.

Nature

Eigenbilzen is located on the edge of the

Campine The Campine (French ) or De Kempen ( Dutch ) is a natural region situated chiefly in north-eastern Belgium and parts of the south-eastern Netherlands which once consisted mainly of extensive moors, tracts of sandy heath, and wetlands. It encom ...

region. About half the area used to be covered in heath, but in the early 19th century much of the heath turned into a forest. De Hoefaert is a nature reserve north of the

Albert Canal The Albert Canal (, ) is a canal located in northeastern Belgium, which was named for King Albert I of Belgium. The Albert Canal connects Antwerp with Liège, and also the Meuse river with the Scheldt river. It also connects with the Dessel ...

and an important habit for songbirds and birds of prey.

Notable people

Guido Brepoels Guido Brepoels (born 7 June 1961) is a former Belgian Belgian may refer to: * Something of, or related to, Belgium * Belgians, people from Belgium or of Belgian descent * Languages of Belgium, languages spoken in Belgium, such as Dutch, French, ...

(1961), football player * Gerty Christoffels (1958-2020), television presenter * Guy Swennen (1956), politician and former Senator

References

External links

{{commons category
Village website
(in Dutch) Bilzen Populated places in Limburg (Belgium) Former municipalities of Limburg (Belgium)