Rijkhoven is a village in the Bilzen 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 ...

History

The village was first mentioned in 1076 as Rudenchoven. It used to be part of the

County of Loon The County of Loon ( , , ) was a county in the Holy Roman Empire, which corresponded approximately with the Belgian province of Limburg. It was named after the original seat of its count, Loon, which is today called Borgloon. During the middle a ...

. In 1220 the chapel of Alden Biesen was given to the

Teutonic Order The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...

who establish a commandery. In 1870, Rijkhoven became an independent municipality. In 1971, the municipality merged with Kleine- en Grote-Spouwen into Spouwen. In 1977, Spouwen merged into Bilzen. The

Alden Biesen Castle Alden Biesen is a 16th-century castle in Belgium, located in the small village of Rijkhoven in the municipality of Bilzen Bilzen () is a city and a municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. In 2021, Bilzen had a total populatio ...

is located near the village, and was the commandery of the Teutonic Order. The current building has been constructed between the mid-16th century and the late 18th century.

Notable people

Johan Capiot Johan Capiot (born 12 April 1964 in Rijkhoven, Belgium) is a former professional road racing cyclist. He was a professional rider from 1986 to 2000. Major results ;1986 :1st, Stage 3, Danmark Rundt ;1987 :1st, Veenendaal–Veenendaal :1st, S ...

(1964), road racing cyclist. *

Steve Stevaert Steve Stevaert (; born Robert Stevaert ; 12 April 1954 – 2 April 2015) was a Belgian politician of the Flemish Socialist Party: the SP.A. Biography Stevaert was born on 12 April 1954 in Rijkhoven in Belgium. After his studies at the "Hoger R ...

(1954–2015), former Governor of Limburg.

References

External links

Bilzen Populated places in Limburg (Belgium) Former municipalities of Limburg (Belgium) {{LimburgBE-geo-stub