Diest
Encyclopedia
Diest is a city
and municipality
located in the Belgian
province of Flemish Brabant
. Situated in the northeast of the Hageland
region, Diest neighbours the provinces of Antwerp
to its North, and Limburg
to the East and is situated around 60km from Brussels. The municipality comprises the city of Diest proper and the towns of Deurne, Kaggevinne, Molenstede, Schaffen en Webbekom. As of January 1, 2006, Diest had a total population of 22,845. The total area is 58.20 km² which gives a population density
of 393 inhabitants per km².
(as did Breda in the Netherlands, Dillenburg in Germany and Orange in France) which was also the family of the Princes of Orange
who at the end of the Napoleonic Wars
became in 1815 the kings and queens of the Netherlands
after the termination of the Dutch republic
at the hands of revolutionary forces in 1795. The most famous representative of the House of Orange was William I of Orange-Nassau. Also known as William the Silent (1533-1584), who led the revolt of the United Provinces against Spain.
Diest is a small town surrounded by high ramparts, which are partially preserved.
The market of Diest is surrounded by picturesque houses from the 16th to 18th Century. The townhall is also located here, in the basement of the city museum. Exhibits in the museum include the armour of Philip of Orange and a portrait of René of Orange-Nassau and his wife Anna of Lorraine.
St. Sulpitiuskerk
St. Sulpitius church is also located at the Grote Markt. It was built in 1417-1534 from brown sandstone, typical of this period. The grave of Philip of Orange can be found here. After the death of his father William I of Orange-Nassau, he became Lord of the city.
Town Centre
The house "Hof van Nassau" in the centre is worth a visit, along with Gothic Church of our Lady (built 1253-1288) which has an award-winning pulpit. In the Sint Jan Berchmansstraat you can visit the "Gulden Maan" house and the delivery room of St. John Berchmans.
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...
and municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
located in the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
province of Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant
Flemish Brabant is a province of Flanders, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Belgian provinces of Antwerp, Limburg, Liège, Walloon Brabant, Hainaut and East Flanders. Flemish Brabant also completely surrounds the Brussels-Capital Region. Its capital is Leuven...
. Situated in the northeast of the Hageland
Hageland
The Hageland is a landscape in the Flemish Region of Belgium, situated in the eastern part of the Province of Flemish Brabant and extending into a western tip of the Province of Limburg. It is mainly comprised between the cities of Aarschot, Leuven, Tienen and Diest, and largely coincides with the...
region, Diest neighbours the provinces of Antwerp
Antwerp (province)
Antwerp is the northernmost province both of the Flemish Region, also called Flanders, and of Belgium. It borders on the Netherlands and the Belgian provinces of Limburg, Flemish Brabant and East Flanders. Its capital is Antwerp which comprises the Port of Antwerp...
to its North, and Limburg
Limburg (Belgium)
Limburg is the easternmost province of modern Flanders, which is one of the three main political and cultural sub-divisions of modern Belgium. It is located west of the river Meuse . It borders on the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg and the Belgian provinces of Liège, Flemish Brabant...
to the East and is situated around 60km from Brussels. The municipality comprises the city of Diest proper and the towns of Deurne, Kaggevinne, Molenstede, Schaffen en Webbekom. As of January 1, 2006, Diest had a total population of 22,845. The total area is 58.20 km² which gives a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 393 inhabitants per km².
History
Between 1499 and 1795 the town was controlled by the House of NassauHouse of Nassau
The House of Nassau is a diversified aristocratic dynasty in Europe. It is named after the lordship associated with Nassau Castle, located in present-day Nassau, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. The lords of Nassau were originally titled Count of Nassau, then elevated to the princely class as...
(as did Breda in the Netherlands, Dillenburg in Germany and Orange in France) which was also the family of the Princes of Orange
House of Orange-Nassau
The House of Orange-Nassau , a branch of the European House of Nassau, has played a central role in the political life of the Netherlands — and at times in Europe — since William I of Orange organized the Dutch revolt against Spanish rule, which after the Eighty Years' War...
who at the end of the Napoleonic Wars
Napoleonic Wars
The Napoleonic Wars were a series of wars declared against Napoleon's French Empire by opposing coalitions that ran from 1803 to 1815. As a continuation of the wars sparked by the French Revolution of 1789, they revolutionised European armies and played out on an unprecedented scale, mainly due to...
became in 1815 the kings and queens of the Netherlands
Kingdom of the Netherlands
The Kingdom of the Netherlands is a sovereign state and constitutional monarchy with territory in Western Europe and in the Caribbean. The four parts of the Kingdom—Aruba, Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Sint Maarten—are referred to as "countries", and participate on a basis of equality...
after the termination of the Dutch republic
Batavian Republic
The Batavian Republic was the successor of the Republic of the United Netherlands. It was proclaimed on January 19, 1795, and ended on June 5, 1806, with the accession of Louis Bonaparte to the throne of the Kingdom of Holland....
at the hands of revolutionary forces in 1795. The most famous representative of the House of Orange was William I of Orange-Nassau. Also known as William the Silent (1533-1584), who led the revolt of the United Provinces against Spain.
Diest is a small town surrounded by high ramparts, which are partially preserved.
Sightseeing
Grote MarktThe market of Diest is surrounded by picturesque houses from the 16th to 18th Century. The townhall is also located here, in the basement of the city museum. Exhibits in the museum include the armour of Philip of Orange and a portrait of René of Orange-Nassau and his wife Anna of Lorraine.
St. Sulpitiuskerk
St. Sulpitius church is also located at the Grote Markt. It was built in 1417-1534 from brown sandstone, typical of this period. The grave of Philip of Orange can be found here. After the death of his father William I of Orange-Nassau, he became Lord of the city.
Town Centre
The house "Hof van Nassau" in the centre is worth a visit, along with Gothic Church of our Lady (built 1253-1288) which has an award-winning pulpit. In the Sint Jan Berchmansstraat you can visit the "Gulden Maan" house and the delivery room of St. John Berchmans.
Personalities
- Saint John BerchmansJohn BerchmansSaint John Berchmans was a Jesuit seminarian and is a saint in the Roman Catholic Church. He is the patron saint of altar servers.-Early life:...
(1599–1621), Jesuit seminarian, born in Diest. A young Jesuit born in Diest and died in Rome in 1621. His tomb is in St. Ignatius Church in Rome. He was canonized in 1888. - Timmy SimonsTimmy SimonsTimmy Simons is a Belgian football central defender and defensive midfielder who plays for FC Nuremberg in the German Bundesliga. Simons' former clubs include Lommel, Club Brugge, and PSV Eindhoven. He won the Belgian Golden Shoe in 2002 while playing for Club Brugge.In the summer 2005 he decided...
, footballer, played 82 times for the Belgian national team (as of March 24, 2011) - BaronBaronBaron is a title of nobility. The word baron comes from Old French baron, itself from Old High German and Latin baro meaning " man, warrior"; it merged with cognate Old English beorn meaning "nobleman"...
Bob StouthuysenBob StouthuysenBaron Robert "Bob" Stouthuysen is a Belgian businessman. He is honorary president of the Vlaams Economisch Verbond and of Janssen Pharmaceutica. He lives in Kasterlee in the Campine region of Flanders.-Education:...
(b. 10 March 1929), businessman. - Omer VanaudenhoveOmer VanaudenhoveOmer Rudolphe Jean, Viscount Vanaudenhove was a Belgian liberal politician, burgomaster and minister. A businessman, Vanaudenhove was an owner of a shoe factory...
(1913–1994), liberal politician - Peter van DiestPeter van DiestPeter van Diest was a medieval writer from the Low Countries. The late 15th century morality play Elckerlijc is attributed to him....
, writer, probable author of the play ElckerlijcElckerlijcElckerlijc is a Dutch morality play which was written somewhere around the year 1470 and was originally printed in 1495. It was extremely successful and may have been the original source for the English play Everyman, as well as many other translations for other countries... - Liliane Saint-PierreLiliane Saint-PierreLiliane Saint Pierre is a Belgian singer of Dutch language.Saint Pierre was born in Molenstede, Flemish Brabant. She started her career in the 1960s when she was 13 years old and her great hit was We gotta stop sung in Dutch. She has sung several songs in English and Dutch. At that time she sang...
, singer. - The Scabs, rock band of the 1980s and 1990s.
- Philip William of Orange is buried in the church of Saint Sulpice.
External links
- Official website - Only available in DutchDutch languageDutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...