Maasmechelen (; ) 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' ...
located on the
Meuse
The Meuse or Maas 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 total length of .
History
From 1301, the upper ...
in the
Belgian province
A province is an administrative division within a country or sovereign state, state. The term derives from the ancient Roman , which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire, Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
of
Limburg.
It comprises the former municipalities of Mechelen-aan-de-Maas, Vucht, Leut, Meeswijk, Uikhoven, Eisden, Opgrimbie, Boorsem, and Kotem.
As a result of both Maasmechelen's location near the border and its coalmining history, quite a few of its current inhabitants are of Dutch, German, Polish or Mediterranean (mainly Italian) origin.
History
Prehistoric and Roman times
The
plateau
In geology and physical geography, a plateau (; ; : plateaus or plateaux), also called a high plain or a tableland, is an area of a highland consisting of flat terrain that is raised sharply above the surrounding area on at least one side. ...
of
Campine was built up during the
ice age
An ice age is a long period of reduction in the temperature of Earth's surface and atmosphere, resulting in the presence or expansion of continental and polar ice sheets and alpine glaciers. Earth's climate alternates between ice ages, and g ...
with deposits of sand and other material that the Meuse river had eroded in the upstream
Ardennes
The Ardennes ( ; ; ; ; ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, extending into Germany and France.
Geological ...
region. The higher elevation and the proximity of fertile river clay made this location an attractive one for the prehistoric tribes who established themselves here in the
2nd millennium BC
File:2nd millennium BC montage.jpg, 400x400px, From top left clockwise: Hammurabi, Babylonian king, best known for his Code of Hammurabi, code of laws; The gold Mask of Tutankhamun, funerary mask of Tutankhamun has become a symbol of ancient Egypt ...
and for the
Celt
The Celts ( , see Names of the Celts#Pronunciation, pronunciation for different usages) or Celtic peoples ( ) were a collection of Indo-European languages, Indo-European peoples. "The Celts, an ancient Indo-European people, reached the apoge ...
ic peoples who moved in the area in the 1st millennium BC.
In
Roman times, this region was at the border between the provinces of
Gallia Belgica
Gallia Belgica ("Belgic Gaul") was a Roman province, province of the Roman Empire located in the north-eastern part of Roman Gaul, in what is today primarily northern France, Belgium, and Luxembourg, along with parts of the Netherlands and German ...
and
Germania Inferior
''Germania Inferior'' ("Lower Germania") was a Roman province from AD 85 until the province was renamed ''Germania Secunda'' in the 4th century AD, on the west bank of the Rhine bordering the North Sea. The capital of the province was Colonia Cl ...
. The main Roman road crossed the river near
Maastricht
Maastricht ( , , ; ; ; ) is a city and a Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the capital city, capital and largest city of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. Maastricht is loca ...
, to the south. Settlements were built where Maasmechelen lies today to service the garrison that was maintained to protect the bridge in Maastricht.
Middle Ages
The few centuries that followed the fall of the Roman Empire were marked by a sharp decline in travel and trade. The
Franks
file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty
The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...
were now the new masters of the land. International commercial activities resumed on the river around the 7th century. This was also a time when the river progressively moved eastward. The Roman colonies that were originally built on the right bank of the river now found themselves on the left bank. The abundance of streams and wetlands favoured stockbreeding over agriculture. The feudal system and the practice of paying civil servants with land resulted in endless territory subdivisions. Some parcels, including Mechelen-aan-de-Maas and parts of Opgrimbie, were given to the abbey of
Saint Servatius in Maastricht. Other parcels came into the hands of local lords, who pledged allegiance to the
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor, originally and officially the Emperor of the Romans (disambiguation), Emperor of the Romans (; ) during the Middle Ages, and also known as the Roman-German Emperor since the early modern period (; ), was the ruler and h ...
. Yet other parts of the territory came into the possession of local religious communities. Churches and cloisters were built and enlarged to accommodate a growing population.
19th and 20th century
The aftermath of the
French Revolution brought a series of dramatic changes that include the dismantlement of most religious organizations, the closing of churches, and the reorganization of the territory into new administrative entities. During the 19th century, the area had still an unmistakable rural character.
On May 20, 1901, André Dumont found commercial-grade coal in neighbouring
As. This led to the exploitation of coal mines in
Eisden from 1923 to 1987. A
garden city and a new church dedicated to
Saint Barbara
Saint Barbara (; ; ; ), known in the Eastern Orthodox Church as the Great Martyr Barbara, was an Early Christianity, early Christian Greek saint and martyr. There is no reference to her in the authentic early Christian writings nor in the origin ...
, also known as the mining cathedral, were built there. The industrial development attracted workers from all over Europe, which accounts for the numerous international restaurants still found today in Eisden.
Attractions
*The largest part of the natural reservation ''
Nationaal Park Hoge Kempen'' is located on Maasmechelen's territory. It was established to protect the unique fauna and flora of the plateau of Campine.
*The ''Eisdense cité'', a 20th-century garden city with typical cottage-like houses in a park setting, still bear witness to the city's mining history. One of the houses has been converted into a museum.
*Maasmechelen Village, an outlet shopping center was built near the old mining district. In 2010, 2.5 million visitors were counted.
*A functional
windmill
A windmill is a machine operated by the force of wind acting on vanes or sails to mill grain (gristmills), pump water, generate electricity, or drive other machinery.
Windmills were used throughout the high medieval and early modern period ...
dating from 1801 was recently restored and is open to the public every other Sunday.
*A small
carnival
Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
Carnival typi ...
museum can also be visited right next to the city's main square.
Events
*The
carnival
Carnival (known as Shrovetide in certain localities) is a festive season that occurs at the close of the Christian pre-Lenten period, consisting of Quinquagesima or Shrove Sunday, Shrove Monday, and Shrove Tuesday or Mardi Gras.
Carnival typi ...
and parade, where masked people entertain numerous visitors, occur every year on November 11, starting at 11:11 am.
Sports
* Well known sports personalities from the Maasmechelen region are:
** athlete
Patrick Stevens, a
sprinter (olympic finalist on 200 meters in 1996)
**
judoka
is an unarmed gendai budō, modern Japanese martial art, combat sport, Olympic sport (since 1964), and the most prominent form of jacket wrestling competed internationally.『日本大百科全書』電子版【柔道】(CD-ROM version of Encyc ...
Heidi Rakels.
*Maasmechelen hosts the
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
club named
K. Patro Maasmechelen.
*The town is also the home of the ' (Devils Hill Circuit) at Opgrimbie, a well attended international
Rallycross
Rallycross is a form of sprint style motorsport held on a mixed-surface circuit (racing), racing circuit using modified production touring automobile, cars or prototype racing cars. It began in the 1960s as a cross between rallying and autocross ...
venue.
*
Cyclo-cross Maasmechelen which is part of the
UCI Cyclo-cross World Cup is held in
Hoge Kempen National Park.
Famous inhabitants
*
Katerine Avgoustakis, singer and winner of “Star Academy” in 2005 (b. 1983)
*
Logan Bailly, footballer
*
Ruben Bemelmans
Ruben Bemelmans (; born 14 January 1988) is a Belgians, Belgian coach and former professional tennis player. He has a career-high Association of Tennis Professionals, ATP ranking of world No. 84 in singles, achieved on 28 September 2015, and wo ...
, tennis player
*
Luca Brecel, snooker player
*
Nico Claesen, former footballer
*
Davy De Fauw, footballer
*
Heidi Rakels, judoka
*
Murat Selvi, professional footballer
*
Dré Steemans, TV host
*
Leandro Trossard, professional footballer
References
External links
Official website- Only available in
DutchMaasmechelen villageWebsite Jumelagecomité
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Limburg (Belgium)