Sittard-Geleen (; ) 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' ...

in the southeastern

Netherlands , Terminology of the Low Countries, informally Holland, is a country in Northwestern Europe, with Caribbean Netherlands, overseas territories in the Caribbean. It is the largest of the four constituent countries of the Kingdom of the Nether ...

. It was formed in 2001 from the former municipalities

Sittard Sittard (; ) is a city in the Netherlands, situated in the southernmost province of Limburg. The town is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen and has almost 37,500 inhabitants in 2016. In its east, Sittard borders the German municipal ...

Geleen Geleen (; ) is a city in the southern part of the province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg in the Netherlands. With 31,670 inhabitants in 2020, it is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen. Geleen is situated along the river Geleenbeek, a ri ...

and

Born Born may refer to: * Childbirth * Born (surname), a surname (see also for a list of people with the name) * ''Born'' (comics), a comic book limited series Places * Born, Belgium, a village in the German-speaking Community of Belgium * Born, Luxe ...

. The combined municipality has approximately 92,650 inhabitants (January 2024) and is thus the third most populated municipality in Limburg (after Maastricht with 125,000 and Venlo with 103,000 inhabitants). Since February 2020, the city has been governed by a coalition of CDA (''Christian Democrats''),

GroenLinks (, ; GL) is a Green politics, green List of political parties in the Netherlands, political party in the Netherlands. It was formed on 1 March 1989 from the merger of four Left-wing politics, left-wing parties: the Communist Party of the Neth ...

(''Green'') and the local parties GOB and Stadspartij. The highway connecting the centres of Sittard and Geleen, the Rijkswegboulevard, has been rebuilt to be a main route for cycling and walking. The cycling and walking provision is both generous and continuous. Side road junctions, or crossroads, are made 'subordinate'. The carriageways have been narrowed to one 3m lane in each direction. Parking places have been made, in small groups, at the side of the carriageways. These are made to be "not easy to use for larger vehicles," so the road centre is marked as a place for delivery vehicles to stop. To the west, Sittard-Geleen borders on

Belgium Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...

, while to the east, it borders on

Germany Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It lies between the Baltic Sea and the North Sea to the north and the Alps to the south. Its sixteen States of Germany, constituent states have a total popu ...

Population centres

Abshoven Abshoven (; ) is a hamlet in the municipality of Sittard-Geleen in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. It is located to the south of Munstergeleen Munstergeleen (; ) is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Limburg (Netherl ...

Broeksittard Broeksittard (; ) is a former village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is now a neighbourhood of the town Sittard, and part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen. It has partly kept its village character. Broeksittard was a separate municip ...

, Buchten, Einighausen,

, Graetheide,

Grevenbicht Grevenbicht (; ) is a village in the south-eastern Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Sittard-Geleen, Limburg, about 8 km north-west of Sittard, on the east bank of the Meuse river. In 1982, the municipality of Grevenbicht ...

, Guttecoven, Holtum,

Limbricht Limbricht (; locally spelled ) is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. Part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen, it is about three kilometres northwest of Sittard. The village was first mentioned in 1224 as de Lumburg. The etymology is ...

Munstergeleen Munstergeleen (; ) is a village in the Netherlands, Dutch province of Limburg (Netherlands), Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Sittard-Geleen, and it lies in the Western Mine Region (''Westelijke Mijnstreek'' in Dutch). History No on ...

, Windraak, Obbicht, Papenhoven, Schipperskerk and

Topography

''Dutch topographic map of the municipality''

Notable people

* Saint

Charles of Mount Argus Charles of Mount Argus (11 December 1821 – 5 January 1893), was a Dutch Passionist priest who served in 19th-century Ireland. He gained a reputation for his compassion for the sick and those in need of guidance. His reputation for healin ...

(1821 in Munstergeleen – 1893) a canonized Dutch

Passionist The Passionists, officially named the Congregation of the Passion of Jesus Christ (), abbreviated CP, are a Catholic clerical religious congregation of pontifical right for men, founded by Paul of the Cross in 1720, with a special emphasis on a ...

priest *

Frederic Adolph Hoefer Frederic Adolph Hoefer (14 April 1850 – 7 October 1938) was a Dutch lieutenant-general, militaria collector and archivist. He trained at the Koninklijke Militaire Academie and is notable for founding the Legermuseum and restoring Doorwerth Castl ...

(1850 in Sittard – 1938) a Dutch lieutenant-general, militaria collector and archivist * Godfrid Storms (1911 in Sittard – 2003) a Dutch professor of Old and Middle English Literature * Willy Dols (1911 in Sittard – 1944) a Dutch linguist,

dialectologist Dialectology (from Greek , ''dialektos'', "talk, dialect"; and , '' -logia'') is the scientific study of dialects: subsets of languages. Though in the 19th century a branch of historical linguistics, dialectology is often now considered a sub-fiel ...

and

phonologist Phonology (formerly also phonemics or phonematics: "phonemics ''n.'' 'obsolescent''1. Any procedure for identifying the phonemes of a language from a corpus of data. 2. (formerly also phonematics) A former synonym for phonology, often prefer ...

Toon Hermans Antoine Gerard Theodore "Toon" Hermans (17 December 1916 – 22 April 2000) was a noted Dutch comedian, singer and writer. Hermans was also beloved in Flanders and performed in Belgium, Germany, Austria, with an attempt at a 1968 Broadway show ...

(1916 in Sittard – 2000) a Dutch comedian, singer and writer *

Settela Steinbach Anna Maria (Settela) Steinbach (23 December 1934, Buchten – 31 July 1944) was a Dutch girl who was gassed in Nazi Germany's Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. Initially identified as a Dutch Jew, her personal identity and association ...

(1934 in Buchten – 1944) a Dutch girl who was gassed in

Auschwitz-Birkenau Auschwitz, or Oświęcim, was a complex of over 40 Nazi concentration camps, concentration and extermination camps operated by Nazi Germany in Polish areas annexed by Nazi Germany, occupied Poland (in a portion annexed into Germany in 1939) d ...

* Thea Fleming (born 1942 in Sittard) a Dutch film actress * Rein Willems (born 1945 in Geleen) President of

Royal Dutch Shell Shell plc is a British multinational oil and gas company, headquartered in London, England. Shell is a public limited company with a primary listing on the London Stock Exchange (LSE) and secondary listings on Euronext Amsterdam and the New ...

2003–2007 * Paul Derrez (born 1950 in Sittard) a visual artist, a jewelry designer, gallery owner and collector *

Jan Cremers Jan M.B. Cremers (May 3, 1952 Limbricht) is a Dutch sociologist and former politician of the Labour Party (PvdA) who served as a Member of the European Parliament from 2008 until 2009. Political and academic career He studied organisational ...

(born 1952 in Limbricht) a former Dutch politician and sociologist * Wim Heldens (born 1954 in Sittard) a Dutch realist painter *

Francine Houben Francine Marie Jeanne Houben (; born 2 July 1955)Francine Houben, Architect/Urbanist ...

(born 1955 in Sittard) a Dutch architect *

Mike van Diem Mike van Diem (born 1959, in Druten, grew up in Sittard) is a Dutch film director. In 1990, his short film ''Alaska'' won a Golden Calf for best short film and the Student Academy Award for best foreign student film in the drama category. In 1 ...

(born 1959, grew up in Sittard) a Dutch film director *

Rineke Dijkstra Rineke Dijkstra Royal Photographic Society#Distinctions and qualifications, HonFRPS (born 2 June 1959) is a Dutch photographer. She lives and works in Amsterdam.Laurence Stassen Laurence Jeanne Arnoldine Joseph Stassen (born 8 February 1971, in Sittard) is an independent (politician), independent Netherlands, Dutch politician and a former freelance television presenter of the regional broadcasting TV Limburg (Netherlands) ...

(born 1971 in Sittard) an independent politician and a former freelance TV presenter * Caspar Poyck (born 1973 in Sittard) a Dutch-American actor, public speaker and chef IMDb Database
retrieved 12 October 2019 * Myrthe Hilkens (born 1979 in Geleen) a Dutch journalist, non-fiction writer and politician * Mo'Jones (formed 2000 in Sittard) is a funk, soul and pop band

Sport

* Leo Horn (1916 in Sittard – 1995) an international football referee, newspaper columnist, and textile manufacturer *

Jan Krekels Jan Jozef Alfons Franciscus Krekels (born 26 August 1947) is a retired cyclist from the Netherlands. He became Olympic champion in the 100 km team time trial in 1968 with Joop Zoetemelk, René Pijnen and Fedor den Hertog; at the same Games ...

(born 1947 in Sittard) a retired cyclist, 1968 Olympic champion in the 100 km team time trial *

Huub Stevens Hubertus Jozef Margaretha "Huub" Stevens (; born 29 November 1953) is a Dutch former professional Manager (association football), football manager and player. Playing career Stevens was born in Sittard. While active, he played for Fortuna Sittar ...

(born 1953 in Sittard) a football manager and former defender with 397 club caps *

Wilbert Suvrijn Wilbert Suvrijn (born 26 October 1962) is a Dutch former professional footballer. Mainly a central defender, he could also operate as a defensive midfielder. Club career Suvrijn was born in Sittard, Limburg. In his country, he represented hom ...

(born 1962 in Sittard) a retired Dutch footballer with 341 club caps *

Lambert Schuurs Lambert Schuurs (born 15 October 1962) is a Dutch retired handball player and ultra-long distance runner. He is the Netherlands' record international player with 312 caps. Career Handball Schuurs made his debut for the senior team of hometown h ...

(born 1962 in Sittard) a retired handball player and ultra-long-distance runner *

Arnold Vanderlyde Arnold Petrus Maria Vanderlyde (born 24 January 1963) is a Dutch former amateur boxer, who participated in three Summer Olympics (1984, 1988 and 1992) and won three bronze medals in the heavyweight division (≤91 kg). He started boxing at ...

(born 1963 in Sittard) a former Dutch boxer, who participated in three Summer Olympics (1984, 1988 and 1992) and won three bronze medals *

Wil Boessen Wil Boessen (born 3 May 1964) is a Dutch football manager and a former player. He is the manager of side Jong PSV. Club career Born in Sittard, Boessen played a large part of his career for local side Fortuna Sittard. He also had spells at FC ...

(born 1964 in Sittard) a Dutch retired football player with 397 club caps and manager *

Ton Caanen Ton Caanen (born 18 March 1966) is a Dutch football manager. Managerial career Caanen was born in Geleen, Netherlands. Aside from a few years in the amateur Dutch leagues, he never played professional football. He got his start as a manager i ...

(born 1966 in Geleen) a Dutch football manager. *

Rens Blom Rens Blom (; born 1 March 1977) is a Dutch retired track and field athlete who competed in the pole vault. He is the 2005 world champion and former Dutch record holder with personal bests of 5.81 m outdoor and 5.75 m indoor. Life Bl ...

(born 1977 in Munstergeleen) a Dutch pole vaulter, competed in the

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

and

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

* Maartje Paumen (born 1985 in Geleen) a former Dutch field hockey player, twice gold medallist at the

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

and

2012 Summer Olympics The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and also known as London 2012, were an international multi-sport event held from 27 July to 12 August 2012 in London, England, United Kingdom. The first event, the ...

, silver medallist at the

2016 Summer Olympics The 2016 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Rio 2016, were an international multi-sport event held from 5 to 21 August 2016 in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, with preliminary events i ...

* Benjamin van den Broek (born 1987 in Geleen) a New Zealand international footballer with 275 club caps *

Rob Bontje Johannes Cornelius Bontje, known as Rob Bontje (born 12 May 1981) is a Dutch professional volleyball player, a former member of the Netherlands national team, and a participant in the Olympic Games Athens 2004. Honours Clubs * FIVB Club World ...

(born 1981 in Grevenbicht) a volleyball player, competed at the

2004 Olympic Games The 2004 Summer Olympics (), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad (), and officially branded as Athens 2004 (), were an international multi-sport event held from 13 to 29 August 2004 in Athens, Greece. The Games saw 10,625 athletes ...

Sjoerd Winkens Sjoerd Winkens (born 4 May 1983) is a Dutch former professional footballer who played as a left back. Winkens started his career with MVV Maastricht Maatschappelijke Voetbal Vereniging Maastricht (), commonly known as MVV Maastricht (, ) or s ...

(born 1983 in Geleen) a former professional footballer with over 300 club caps *

Dominick Muermans Dominick Muermans (born 17 July 1984 in Geleen, Netherlands) is a Dutch racing driver. Dominick raced full-time in the Atlantic Championship in the 2008 season. Since 2008, he has raced in the Superleague Formula, in the 2008 season he raced f ...

(born 1984 in Geleen) a Dutch racing driver *

Perr Schuurs Perr Schuurs (born 26 November 1999) is a Dutch professional footballer who plays as a centre-back for club Torino. Club career Fortuna Sittard Schuurs made his senior league debut for Sittard on 14 October 2016 in an Eerste Divisie 2–0 home ...

(born 1999 in Nieuwstadt) a Dutch football player

Twin and partner cities

Hasselt Hasselt (, , ) is the capital and largest City status in Belgium, city of the Provinces of Belgium, province of Limburg (Belgium), Limburg in the Flemish Region of Belgium. As of 1 August 2023, Hasselt had a total population of 80,846. The old ...

, Belgium

Notes

References

External links

*
Official website
{{Authority control South Limburg (Netherlands) Municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands) Municipalities of the Netherlands established in 2001 Belgium–Netherlands border crossings Germany–Netherlands border crossings