Heusden-Zolder
Encyclopedia
Heusden-Zolder is a municipality
located in the Belgian
province of province of Limburg
near Hasselt
. On 1 January 2006 Heusden-Zolder had a total population of 30,769. The total area is 53.23 km² which gives a population density
of 578 inhabitants per km².
Heusden-Zolder was the result of the merger on 1 January 1977 of the two former municipalities of Heusden and Zolder, and currently consists of the former Heusden parishes of Heusden centre, Berkenbos and Eversel
, and the former Zolder parishes of Zolder centre, Boekt
, Viversel, Bolderberg and Lindeman.
Heusden-Zolder is home to almost 2,000 immigrants from all over the world. This is due to the (now closed) coal mine of Zolder. During the 1960s Belgian coal mines faced an enormous shortage of employees. To address this problem, foreigner labourers were encouraged to immigrate and work near the mines. After their closure (the mine in Zolder was the last one in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg to close in 1992) most of the immigrants chose to stay, which makes Heusden-Zolder a relatively multicultural place.
department (OCMW).
Heusden-Zolder has one hospital, the Sint-Franciscushospital, and one secondary school, the Sint-Franciscuscollege. The latter is split into two divisions: one in Heusden centre and one in Berkenbos. Heusden-Zolder also has a railway station, called "Zolder station".
Heusden-Zolder is also accessible via the Albert Canal
and the highway E314
.
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 province of 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...
near Hasselt
Hasselt
Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg...
. On 1 January 2006 Heusden-Zolder had a total population of 30,769. The total area is 53.23 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 578 inhabitants per km².
Heusden-Zolder was the result of the merger on 1 January 1977 of the two former municipalities of Heusden and Zolder, and currently consists of the former Heusden parishes of Heusden centre, Berkenbos and Eversel
Eversel
Eversel is a small village in Heusden that is part of the municipality of Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. It is located in the northwestern corner of the municipality.Eversel is also a Roman Catholic parish established in 1839...
, and the former Zolder parishes of Zolder centre, Boekt
Boekt
Boekt is a small village in Zolder that is part of the municipality of Heusden-Zolder, Belgium....
, Viversel, Bolderberg and Lindeman.
Heusden-Zolder is home to almost 2,000 immigrants from all over the world. This is due to the (now closed) coal mine of Zolder. During the 1960s Belgian coal mines faced an enormous shortage of employees. To address this problem, foreigner labourers were encouraged to immigrate and work near the mines. After their closure (the mine in Zolder was the last one in Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxemburg to close in 1992) most of the immigrants chose to stay, which makes Heusden-Zolder a relatively multicultural place.
Local infrastructure
The town hall, a large glass construction, is located in Zolder centre since the merger. As a compromise, the former town hall of Heusden is now used instead by the local social securitySocial security
Social security is primarily a social insurance program providing social protection or protection against socially recognized conditions, including poverty, old age, disability, unemployment and others. Social security may refer to:...
department (OCMW).
Heusden-Zolder has one hospital, the Sint-Franciscushospital, and one secondary school, the Sint-Franciscuscollege. The latter is split into two divisions: one in Heusden centre and one in Berkenbos. Heusden-Zolder also has a railway station, called "Zolder station".
Heusden-Zolder is also accessible via the Albert Canal
Albert Canal
The Albert Canal is a canal located in northeastern Belgium, named after King Albert I of Belgium. It connects the major cities Antwerp and Liège and the Meuse and Scheldt rivers. It has a depth of , a free height of and a total length of...
and the highway E314
European route E314
The European route E 314 is a road in Europe and a part of the United Nations International E-road network. Approximately long, it connects the Belgian university city of Leuven with Aachen, Charlemagne's capital during the early ninth century, and today a bustling commercial centre in...
.
Places of interest
- The Circuit Terlaemen, former home to the Formula OneFormula OneFormula One, also known as Formula 1 or F1 and referred to officially as the FIA Formula One World Championship, is the highest class of single seater auto racing sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile . The "formula" designation in the name refers to a set of rules with which...
Belgian Grand PrixBelgian Grand PrixThe Belgian Grand Prix is an automobile race, part of the Formula One World Championship....
and host of the 2007 Belgian Champ Car Grand Prix. Also the 1969 and 2002 UCI Road World ChampionshipsUCI Road World ChampionshipsThe UCI Road World Championships are the annual world championships for bicycle road racing organized by the Union Cycliste Internationale...
, the 2002 UCI Cyclo-cross World ChampionshipsUCI Cyclo-cross World ChampionshipsThe UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships sponsored by the Union Cycliste Internationale consists of both a men's and women's cyclo-cross world championship:* Men - UCI Cyclo-cross World Championships – Men's elite race...
and the 2003 Motocross des NationsMotocross des NationsThe Motocross des Nations is an annual team motocross race, where riders representing their country meet at what is billed as the "Olympics of Motocross"...
were held at this same location. - Meylandt Castle, a castle donated to Heusden-Zolder by the de Theux de MeylandtB. T. de Theux de MeylandtBarthélemy Théodore, Count de Theux de Meylandt was a Belgian Roman Catholic politician. He was born in the castle of Schabroek in Sint-Truiden on 26 February 1794...
family. It is currently used as an art school. - De Veen, an athletics stadiumStadiumA modern stadium is a place or venue for outdoor sports, concerts, or other events and consists of a field or stage either partly or completely surrounded by a structure designed to allow spectators to stand or sit and view the event.)Pausanias noted that for about half a century the only event...
that yearly hosts the KBC Night of AthleticsKBC Night of AthleticsThe KBC Night of Athletics is an annual athletics event at the Stadium De Veen in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium. It is official presented and sponsored by the KBC Bank.-Men:-Women:-External links:* *...
, the second most important athletics meeting in Belgium after the world famous Memorial Van DammeMemorial Van DammeMemorial van Damme is an annual athletics event at the King Baudouin Stadium in Brussels, Belgium that takes place in late August or early September...
in BrusselsBrusselsBrussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
.
Famous inhabitants
- Evil SuperstarsEvil SuperstarsEvil Superstars was a Belgian indie rock band led by Mauro Pawlowski. Among its members was Millionaire and Eagles of Death Metal guitarist Tim Vanhamel.-History:Evil Superstars was formed in 1992 in Heusden-Zolder, Belgium.The original members were:...
, indie rockIndie rockIndie rock is a genre of alternative rock that originated in the United Kingdom and the United States in the 1980s. Indie rock is extremely diverse, with sub-genres that include lo-fi, post-rock, math rock, indie pop, dream pop, noise rock, space rock, sadcore, riot grrrl and emo, among others...
band - Regi PenxtenRegi PenxtenRegi Penxten is a Belgian DJ and record producer, of numerous dance and trance projects in Belgium, including Milk Inc. and Sylver....
, Milk Inc.Milk Inc.Milk Inc. is a Euro House band that formed in the commercial house-scene in Belgium in 1996. The Discography of the band includes a total of six studio albums and thirty-four singles In 2006, to celebrate their 10th anniversary, Milk Inc...
and DJ - Sonja Claes, mayor
- Luc Nilis, football player
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...