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 a

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 ...

in the

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, and German *Ancient Belgian language, an extinct language ...

province of Limburg. The Kempen city has about 34,000 inhabitants and is part of the electoral district and the judicial district Lommel Neerpelt. Besides residential town of 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 Sand mining is the extraction of sand, mainly through an open pit (or sand pit) but sometimes mined from beaches and inland dunes or dredged from ocean and river beds. Sand is often used in manufacturing, for example as an abrasive or in concr ...

quarries are transformed into nature reserves and recreational areas, including Lommel Sahara. The city of Lommel is the watershed of the basins of the

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

, and

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) 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 ...

, and within these basins Nete Dommel respectively.

Language

The dialect of Lommel – the Lommel – is part of the East Brabant, and not to the West Limburg dialects, reflecting the particular history of the place.

Etymology

The name comes from Lommel 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 electoral district

Neerpelt Neerpelt (, literally ''Lower Pelt'') is a town in Pelt and a former municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. In 2018, the municipality had a total population of 17,174. The total area is 42.78 km². Effective 1 January 201 ...

(which is identical to the county district Neerpelt) and the electoral district Hasselt Tongeren-Maaseik (same as the constituency 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 John is a common English name and surname: * John (given name) * John (surname) John may also refer to: New Testament Works * Gospel of John, a title often shortened to John * First Epistle of John, often shortened to 1 John * Seco ...

, Catholic * 1924 – 1927: Peter Joosten, Catholic * 1927 – 1941: Joseph Tournier, liberal Catholics * 1941 – 1944:

Peter Luykx Peter Luykx (born 6 May 1964 in Neerpelt) is a Belgian politician and is affiliated to the N-VA. He was elected as a member of the Belgian Chamber of Representatives The Chamber of Representatives (Dutch: , french: link=no, Chambre des repr ...

, Flemish nationalist * 1944 – 1945: Joseph Tournier, liberal Catholics * 1945 – 1958:

Henri Van Reempts Henri is an Estonian, Finnish, French, German and Luxembourgish form of the masculine given name Henry. People with this given name ; French noblemen :'' See the ' List of rulers named Henry' for Kings of France named Henri.'' * Henri I de Mo ...

, Catholic * 1959 – 1979: René Verhoeven, Catholic * 1979 – 1988:

Staff Matthijs Staff may refer to: Pole * Staff, a weapon used in stick-fighting ** Quarterstaff, a European pole weapon * Staff of office, a pole that indicates a position * Staff (railway signalling), a token authorizing a locomotive driver to use a particu ...

, Catholic * 1989 – 2006: Louis Vanvelthoven, socialist * 2007 – 2018: Peter Vanvelthoven, socialist * 2019–present: Bob Nijs, Catholic

Results municipal elections since 1976

seats formed coalition '' 'bold' '' printed

Sport events

Since 2017 the European Open a

Snooker Snooker (pronounced , ) is a cue sport played on a rectangular table covered with a green cloth called baize, with six pockets, one at each corner and one in the middle of each long side. First played by British Army officers stationed in Ind ...

ranking tournament of the

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

took place in Lommel.

Notable people from Lommel

Kevin Hulsmans Kevin Hulsmans (born 11 April 1978 in Lommel) is a Belgians, Belgian former professional road bicycle racer, who rode professionally between 2000 and 2015. Major results ;2000 :1st Stage 9 Niedersachsen-Rundfahrt ;2002 :1st Stage 1 Circuit Fran ...

, road bicycle racer *

, federal representative * Peter Maes, former soccer player, 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 ...

* Wim Mennes, soccer player * Pieter Mertens, road bicycle racer * Steve Ramon, motocross world champion * Kathleen Smet, athlete in triathlon * Dirk Swartenbroekx, DJ Buscemi * Johan Vansummeren, road bicycle racer *

Marcel Vanthilt Marcel Céline Gerard Edgard Vanthilt (; born 24 August 1957) is a Belgian singer and television presenter.Heerema,Y.Marcel Vanthilt – Presentator Marcel Vanthilit NCRV-gids 1, 5 till 11 January 2008. Retrieved 29 April 2011. Early life Mar ...

, musician,

TV presenter A television presenter (or television host, some become a "television personality") is a person who introduces, hosts television programs, often serving as a mediator for the program and the audience. Nowadays, it is common for people who garner ...

* Louis Vanvelthoven, honorary-mayor, former chairman of the

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

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

References

External links

Official websiteWebsite tourism LommelSteven van Broeckhoven´s profile on efpt.net
{{Authority control Municipalities of Limburg (Belgium)