Roermond
Encyclopedia
Roermond is a city, a municipality
, and a diocese
in the southeastern part of the Netherlands
.
The city of Roermond is a historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received city rights
in 1231. Roermond town centre has been designated as a conservation area
.
Through the centuries the town has filled the role of commercial centre, principal town in the duchy of Guelders
and since 1559 it has served as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Roermond. The skyline of the historic town is dominated by the towers of its two churches: St. Christopher Cathedral and Roermond Minster or 'Munsterkerk' in Dutch. In addition to important churches, the town centre has many listed buildings and monuments.
bordered by the Maas River to the west and Germany to the east.
ic inhabitants of this region used to live on both sides of the Roer river, invading Romans built a bridge (now called the Steene Brök, or stone bridge) and founded the first town at Roermond, now a suburb called Voorstad Sint Jacob.
. In 1213 Roermond was destroyed by Otto IV of Brunswick, the Holy Roman Emperor
and German King
. By 1232 the city had been rebuilt, and was given its own seal, own reign, own mint, and its own court.
The first mention of the monastery of the Franciscan Friars Minor, the Minderbroederklooster, was in 1309. In 1361, the Chapter
of the Holy Spirit moved from St. Odiliënberg
to Roermond.
Around 1350, Roermond became the capital of the "Overkwartier van Gelre" (Upper Quarter of Gelre
). In 1388, during the Hundred Years' War
, a siege by the French occurred. A battle for the outer fortifications Buiten Op, destruction of these fortifications and the old parish church followed.
In 1441, Roermond became a member of the Hanseatic League
, and by 1472 acquired the right to mint its own coins.
On 23 April 1568 the Battle of Rheindalen
occurred near Roermond, which signaled the start of the Eighty Years' War. In 1572, Roermond was occupied by the Dutch William the Silent
, but recaptured by the Spanish duke Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo
Under Spanish rule Roermond became a bastion of the Counter-Reformation
. On behalf of the Inquisition
people were encouraged to report suspects of witchcraft and heresy. In 1613, 64 presumed witches were burnt on the Galgeberg hill near the Kapel in het Zand in Roermond, the biggest witch trial
in the Netherlands ever.
In 1632 the Dutch Stadhouder Frederik Hendrik
conquered Venlo, Roermond and Maastricht during his famous "March along the Meuse". Attempts in the next years to annex Antwerp and Brussels
failed, however. The northern Dutch were disappointed by the lack of local support. The Counter-Reformation had firmly reattached the local population to Roman Catholicism
, and they now distrusted the Calvinist
Northerners even more than they loathed the Spanish occupiers.
Between 1632 and 1637, Roermond was under the control of the Dutch Republic
, and again from 1702 to 1716. Between 1716 and 1794, it was part of the Austrian Netherlands within the Habsburg Monarchy
.
, the French under General De Miranda conquered Roermond, but by 5 March 1793, was under Habsburg control again. The city was again occupied by the French on 5 April 1794 and officially became part of the French département Meuse-Inférieure
from 1795 to 1814. In 1814, during the War of the Sixth Coalition
Roermond was liberated by the Russians.
Roermond became part of the new Kingdom of the Netherlands
. The new province was to receive the name "Maastricht", after its capital. King William
, who did not want the name Limburg to be lost, insisted that the name be changed to Limburg. As such, the name of the new province derived from the old duchy of Limburg
that had existed until 1648 within the triangle Maastricht
- Liège - Aachen
.
When the Netherlands and Belgium
separated in 1830, there was support for adding Limburg to Belgium, but in the end (1839) the province was divided in two, with the eastern part going to the Netherlands and the western part to Belgium. From that time, Dutch Limburg was, as the new Duchy of Limburg, also part of the German Confederation
.
Between 1940 to 1945, during World War II
, the Germans occupied Roermond. The city was liberated on 1 March 1945 by the Recce Troop of the 35th US Infantry Division during Operation Grenade
. By the time of liberation 90% of all buildings were either damaged or destroyed. Restoration gave back the old city center its full glory.
On May 27, 1990, four Australia
n tourists were shot in the Roermond city centre, two of whom later died. Because they were driving around in a British car, terrorists linked to the IRA
thought they were British soldiers. Also see: IRA Attack in Roermond.
leading traffic underneath a part of the city and the shorter Swalmertunnel underneath Swalmen. However due to delays the tunnels only opened with 1 carriageway available and frequent closures. The tunnels grew infamous during the first weeks when numerous closures due to technical problems caused constant traffic jams. The tunnels are now fully operational. Another highway connection under construction is the German autobahn A52. The last 6 km stretch from Düsseldorf to the German-Dutch border was recently completed. The highway leads from Roermond straight to Düsseldorf.
Though the economy runs above average in the region and the city attracts new residents (mainly young people), the city itself still has a fairly high unemployment rate of 10.7% and the average income is lower than the national average.
-Nijmegen) passes east of the city, partly through tunnels. Eastwards the German A52
leads to Düsseldorf
. Westbound the provincial road N280 leads towards Weert
and connects to the A2
towards Eindhoven.
Roermond has a train station
with half-hourly fast trains across the country to:
In addition there are commutertrains with half-hourly service to:
The municipality of Swalmen
also has a train station serving commuter trains on the line Roermond-Venlo twice hourly.
For regional transport there is a bus station with city and regional lines to nearby villages and towns. There is also a bus connection to Heinsberg
in Germany. There are no long-distance coach services.
, the valley of the Leu
(Leudal
) and the Swalm
and Roer rivers, provide woodlands, heath and meadows. The Meinweg also contains a small amount of wildlife including a small group of vipers, the only venomous snake to live in the Netherlands. To the west the Meuse River
and its lake area, known as "Maasplassen", offer opportunities for water recreation.
(IRA) killed three British Airmen and injured three others in a double attack. At the market in Roermond, near the border between Germany and the Netherlands, IRA members opened fire on a vehicle in which three men from the Royal Air Force Regiment based at RAF Wildenrath
were sleeping. SAC Ian Shinner was killed and his two companions were wounded. Half an hour later, the second attack killed two British Airmen and injured another, who had spent a few hours in a Dutch disco, around fifty kilometers from the border shared with Germany.
In a separate attack two years later two Australian nationals were killed. The two men were lawyers on holiday, whom the IRA shot believing they were off-duty British Army
soldiers. It is believed that the killings led to a drop in support for the IRA in Australia and led to Prime Minister John Howard
refusing to meet Gerry Adams
from Sinn Féin on a visit there in 2000.
It was not uncommon for British soldiers based in this area to be attacked. On 2 June 1990, Major Michael Dillon-Lee a Royal Artillery
officer was shot and killed by three attackers in nearby Dortmund
while returning from a social event with his wife. The Provisional Irish Republican Army
(IRA) issued a statement in Dublin claiming responsibility. On 9 July 1989 IRA shot the West German wife of a British soldier while she sat in a parked car in nearby Dortmund
. This was the first time a non-British citizen was killed by the IRA in West Germany. On 26 October 1989 A British Airman and his 6-month-old daughter were shot and killed by the IRA in nearby Mönchengladbach
.
since 1756. Following this earthquake, the water levels of numerous wells located in the Lower Rhine Embayment showed significant coseismic anomalies.
The Roer Valley, which crosses three countries (Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany), is bounded by two north-northwest, south-southeast trending Quaternary normal fault systems. The eastern boundary is defined by the Peel boundary fault, along which the 1992 Roermond earthquake occurred, and the western boundary is defined by the Feldbiss fault zone, which is partly located in Belgium. Evidence of recent tectonic activity along the Feldbiss fault zone is visible on seismic profiles that show more than 600 m of offset in Neogene deposits. Although Ahorner demonstrated the existence of the Rhenish seismoactive zones and recommended a comprehensive analysis of Quaternary structures and background seismicity, coseismic movements were considered to be improbable, and active faults remain largely unidentified.
In everyday life in Limburg around 1900 the Dutch language was of less importance. Everything was done in Limburgs. Newspapers in the 19th century were sometimes written in German
in some parts of Limburg
German was the language used in church and education. In this time Maastricht
still had a very strong connection with French-speaking areas around Liège. Van Beurden's poem was used on purpose to force the people of Limburg into speaking Dutch. Proof of this is the very un-Limburg part in the anthem, the reference to the Dutch Royal family. In 1900 the people in Limburg had to swear their allegiance to the Dutch royal family of the House of Orange-Nassau
in a "aanhankelijkheidsverklaring aan het Oranjehuis" and had to start using Dutch instead of Limburgs.
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...
, and a diocese
Diocese
A diocese is the district or see under the supervision of a bishop. It is divided into parishes.An archdiocese is more significant than a diocese. An archdiocese is presided over by an archbishop whose see may have or had importance due to size or historical significance...
in the southeastern part of the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
The city of Roermond is a historically important town, on the lower Roer at the east bank of the Meuse river. It received city rights
City rights in the Netherlands
City rights are a medieval phenomenon in the history of the Low Countries. A liegelord, usually a count, duke or similar member of high nobility, granted a settlement he owned certain town privileges that settlements without city rights did not have....
in 1231. Roermond town centre has been designated as a conservation area
Conservation area
A conservation areas is a tract of land that has been awarded protected status in order to ensure that natural features, cultural heritage or biota are safeguarded...
.
Through the centuries the town has filled the role of commercial centre, principal town in the duchy of Guelders
Guelders
Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...
and since 1559 it has served as the seat of the Roman Catholic Diocese of Roermond. The skyline of the historic town is dominated by the towers of its two churches: St. Christopher Cathedral and Roermond Minster or 'Munsterkerk' in Dutch. In addition to important churches, the town centre has many listed buildings and monuments.
Geography
Roermond is situated in the middle of the province of LimburgLimburg (Netherlands)
Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...
bordered by the Maas River to the west and Germany to the east.
Population centres
The community of Roermond consists of the following population centres:- Roermond
- MaasnielMaasnielMaasniel is a neighbourhood of Roermond in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located east of the city centre.Maasniel used to be a separate village. It was a separate municipality until 1959, when it was merged with Roermond.-External links:*...
- LeeuwenLeeuwenLeeuwen is a former village and municipality in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is now divided into the two villages of Beneden-Leeuwen and Boven-Leeuwen.Leeuwen was a separate municipality until 1818, when it was merged with Wamel....
- Asenray
- Herten
- Merum
- OolOOLOOL may refer to:* Olivia O'Leary, Irish journalist, writer and current affairs presenter* Optimum Online, an Internet service provider in the United States* Gold Coast Airport in Gold Coast City, Queensland, Australia* Object-oriented language...
- SwalmenSwalmenSwalmen is a town in the south-eastern Netherlands. The town is situated between the German border and the Meuse river .Until 1 January 2007, Swalmen was a separate municipality, covering the villages Swalmen, Asselt and Boukoul...
(since 2007) - Boukoul (since 2007)
- Asselt (since 2007)
History
Where before CeltCelt
The Celts were a diverse group of tribal societies in Iron Age and Roman-era Europe who spoke Celtic languages.The earliest archaeological culture commonly accepted as Celtic, or rather Proto-Celtic, was the central European Hallstatt culture , named for the rich grave finds in Hallstatt, Austria....
ic inhabitants of this region used to live on both sides of the Roer river, invading Romans built a bridge (now called the Steene Brök, or stone bridge) and founded the first town at Roermond, now a suburb called Voorstad Sint Jacob.
Guelders
Around 1180-1543, Roermond belonged to the duchy of GueldersGuelders
Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...
. In 1213 Roermond was destroyed by Otto IV of Brunswick, the Holy Roman Emperor
Holy Roman Emperor
The Holy Roman Emperor is a term used by historians to denote a medieval ruler who, as German King, had also received the title of "Emperor of the Romans" from the Pope...
and German King
Kingdom of Germany
The Kingdom of Germany developed out of the eastern half of the former Carolingian Empire....
. By 1232 the city had been rebuilt, and was given its own seal, own reign, own mint, and its own court.
The first mention of the monastery of the Franciscan Friars Minor, the Minderbroederklooster, was in 1309. In 1361, the Chapter
Chapter (religion)
Chapter designates certain corporate ecclesiastical bodies in the Roman Catholic, Anglican and Nordic Lutheran churches....
of the Holy Spirit moved from St. Odiliënberg
St. Odiliënberg
Sint Odiliënberg is a small village in central Limburg, in the Netherlands, east of the river Maas in the Roer valley. It is one of the six villages in the municipality of Roerdalen....
to Roermond.
Around 1350, Roermond became the capital of the "Overkwartier van Gelre" (Upper Quarter of Gelre
Upper Guelders
Upper Guelders or Spanish Guelders was one of the four quarters in the Imperial Duchy of Guelders. In the Dutch Revolt, it was the only quarter that did not secede from the Habsburg Monarchy to become part of the Seven United Netherlands, but remained under Spanish rule during the Eighty Years'...
). In 1388, during the Hundred Years' War
Hundred Years' War
The Hundred Years' War was a series of separate wars waged from 1337 to 1453 by the House of Valois and the House of Plantagenet, also known as the House of Anjou, for the French throne, which had become vacant upon the extinction of the senior Capetian line of French kings...
, a siege by the French occurred. A battle for the outer fortifications Buiten Op, destruction of these fortifications and the old parish church followed.
In 1441, Roermond became a member of the Hanseatic League
Hanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
, and by 1472 acquired the right to mint its own coins.
Spanish Netherlands
Between 1543-1702 the area was part of the Spanish Netherlands.On 23 April 1568 the Battle of Rheindalen
Battle of Rheindalen
The Battle of Dahlen was fought on April 23, 1568, between a Dutch rebel army led by Joost de Soete, Lord of Villers, and a Spanish army commanded by Sancho Dávila y Daza. As a part of William of Orange's planned invasion, the Dutch rebels were trying to conquer the town of Roermond when the...
occurred near Roermond, which signaled the start of the Eighty Years' War. In 1572, Roermond was occupied by the Dutch William the Silent
William the Silent
William I, Prince of Orange , also widely known as William the Silent , or simply William of Orange , was the main leader of the Dutch revolt against the Spanish that set off the Eighty Years' War and resulted in the formal independence of the United Provinces in 1648. He was born in the House of...
, but recaptured by the Spanish duke Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo
Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo, 4th Duke of Alba
Fadrique Álvarez de Toledo y Enríquez de Guzmán, 4th Duke of Alba, Grandee of Spain, , , was a commander in the Spanish army during the Eighty Years' War....
Under Spanish rule Roermond became a bastion of the Counter-Reformation
Counter-Reformation
The Counter-Reformation was the period of Catholic revival beginning with the Council of Trent and ending at the close of the Thirty Years' War, 1648 as a response to the Protestant Reformation.The Counter-Reformation was a comprehensive effort, composed of four major elements:#Ecclesiastical or...
. On behalf of the Inquisition
Inquisition
The Inquisition, Inquisitio Haereticae Pravitatis , was the "fight against heretics" by several institutions within the justice-system of the Roman Catholic Church. It started in the 12th century, with the introduction of torture in the persecution of heresy...
people were encouraged to report suspects of witchcraft and heresy. In 1613, 64 presumed witches were burnt on the Galgeberg hill near the Kapel in het Zand in Roermond, the biggest witch trial
Witch-hunt
A witch-hunt is a search for witches or evidence of witchcraft, often involving moral panic, mass hysteria and lynching, but in historical instances also legally sanctioned and involving official witchcraft trials...
in the Netherlands ever.
In 1632 the Dutch Stadhouder Frederik Hendrik
Frederick Henry, Prince of Orange
Frederick Henry, or Frederik Hendrik in Dutch , was the sovereign Prince of Orange and stadtholder of Holland, Zeeland, Utrecht, Guelders, and Overijssel from 1625 to 1647.-Early life:...
conquered Venlo, Roermond and Maastricht during his famous "March along the Meuse". Attempts in the next years to annex Antwerp and Brussels
Brussels
Brussels , officially the Brussels Region or Brussels-Capital Region , is the capital of Belgium and the de facto capital of the European Union...
failed, however. The northern Dutch were disappointed by the lack of local support. The Counter-Reformation had firmly reattached the local population to Roman Catholicism
Roman Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the world's largest Christian church, with over a billion members. Led by the Pope, it defines its mission as spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ, administering the sacraments and exercising charity...
, and they now distrusted the Calvinist
Calvinism
Calvinism is a Protestant theological system and an approach to the Christian life...
Northerners even more than they loathed the Spanish occupiers.
Between 1632 and 1637, Roermond was under the control of the Dutch Republic
Dutch Republic
The Dutch Republic — officially known as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands , the Republic of the United Netherlands, or the Republic of the Seven United Provinces — was a republic in Europe existing from 1581 to 1795, preceding the Batavian Republic and ultimately...
, and again from 1702 to 1716. Between 1716 and 1794, it was part of the Austrian Netherlands within the Habsburg Monarchy
Habsburg Monarchy
The Habsburg Monarchy covered the territories ruled by the junior Austrian branch of the House of Habsburg , and then by the successor House of Habsburg-Lorraine , between 1526 and 1867/1918. The Imperial capital was Vienna, except from 1583 to 1611, when it was moved to Prague...
.
French Period
On 11 December 1792, during the French Revolutionary WarsFrench Revolutionary Wars
The French Revolutionary Wars were a series of major conflicts, from 1792 until 1802, fought between the French Revolutionary government and several European states...
, the French under General De Miranda conquered Roermond, but by 5 March 1793, was under Habsburg control again. The city was again occupied by the French on 5 April 1794 and officially became part of the French département Meuse-Inférieure
Meuse-Inférieure
Meuse-Inférieure is the name of a département of the First French Empire in present Belgium, Netherlands and Germany. It is named after the river Meuse. Its capital was Maastricht....
from 1795 to 1814. In 1814, during the War of the Sixth Coalition
War of the Sixth Coalition
In the War of the Sixth Coalition , a coalition of Austria, Prussia, Russia, the United Kingdom, Portugal, Sweden, Spain and a number of German States finally defeated France and drove Napoleon Bonaparte into exile on Elba. After Napoleon's disastrous invasion of Russia, the continental powers...
Roermond was liberated by the Russians.
Kingdom of the Netherlands
After the Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814
The Anglo-Dutch Treaty of 1814 was a treaty signed between Great Britain and the Netherlands in London on August 13, 1814...
Roermond became part of the new Kingdom 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...
. The new province was to receive the name "Maastricht", after its capital. King William
William I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
, who did not want the name Limburg to be lost, insisted that the name be changed to Limburg. As such, the name of the new province derived from the old duchy of Limburg
Duchy of Limburg
The Duchy of Limburg, situated in the Low Countries between the river Meuse and the city of Aachen, was a state of the Holy Roman Empire. Its territory is now divided between the Belgian provinces of Liège and Limburg , the Dutch province of Limburg , and a small part of North Rhine-Westphalia in...
that had existed until 1648 within the triangle Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
- Liège - Aachen
Aachen
Aachen has historically been a spa town in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. Aachen was a favoured residence of Charlemagne, and the place of coronation of the Kings of Germany. Geographically, Aachen is the westernmost town of Germany, located along its borders with Belgium and the Netherlands, ...
.
When the Netherlands and Belgium
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...
separated in 1830, there was support for adding Limburg to Belgium, but in the end (1839) the province was divided in two, with the eastern part going to the Netherlands and the western part to Belgium. From that time, Dutch Limburg was, as the new Duchy of Limburg, also part of the German Confederation
German Confederation
The German Confederation was the loose association of Central European states created by the Congress of Vienna in 1815 to coordinate the economies of separate German-speaking countries. It acted as a buffer between the powerful states of Austria and Prussia...
.
Between 1940 to 1945, during World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the Germans occupied Roermond. The city was liberated on 1 March 1945 by the Recce Troop of the 35th US Infantry Division during Operation Grenade
Operation Grenade
During World War II, Operation Grenade was the plan for the U.S. 9th Army to cross the Roer river in February 1945.On 9 February, the U.S...
. By the time of liberation 90% of all buildings were either damaged or destroyed. Restoration gave back the old city center its full glory.
On May 27, 1990, four Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n tourists were shot in the Roermond city centre, two of whom later died. Because they were driving around in a British car, terrorists linked to the IRA
Irish Republican Army
The Irish Republican Army was an Irish republican revolutionary military organisation. It was descended from the Irish Volunteers, an organisation established on 25 November 1913 that staged the Easter Rising in April 1916...
thought they were British soldiers. Also see: IRA Attack in Roermond.
Main sights
Roermond's old city centre is home to several historic monuments, including:- Minster church (Munsterkerk)
- Stateroom of city hall
- The old cemetery
- Kapel in 't Zand
- Roermond City Hall
- St. Christopher Cathedral
- Carolus chapel
- National IndiëmonumentNational IndiëmonumentThe National East Indies monument 1945-1962 in Roermond commemorates the more than 6200 Dutch servicemen who died in either the former Dutch East Indies or New Guinea.The monument also comprises a monument to the Dutch civilians who died during that period....
- Kasteeltje Hattem
- Rattentoren
- The Galgeberg is a small hill in Roermond. It is in the Kapel in 't Zand-area of Roermond. "Galgeberg" is Dutch for "gallows hill". Once criminals were hanged or burned here. For instance in 1613, 64 witches were burned here; it was the biggest witchtrial in the NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
ever.
Crime
Roermond is known as a relatively unsafe place, a problem many cities close to the border have to cope with. In 2006 the city ranked as 3rd most criminal city in the Netherlands. outscoring Amsterdam. In 2007 Roermond managed to improve its reputation dropping down to a 9th place (though this figure is combined with the district of Swalmen, which had its own score in 2006). Efforts are being put in place to limit the petty crimes (especially car/house burglaries).Economy
Though Roermond grew and expanded steadily over the years to come it was not until the start of the 21st century that Roermond saw another boost coming. This recent growth was mainly caused by the construction of the highway A73 circling Roermond on the east-side. The highway was planned to open in January 2007 with the 2.5 km long RoertunnelRoertunnel
The Roertunnel is a 2.45 km long land tunnel in Roermond, Netherlands. Currently it is the longest land tunnel for road traffic in the Netherlands and upon final completion, it will be compliant to the 2014 safety standard for tunnels in the Netherlands....
leading traffic underneath a part of the city and the shorter Swalmertunnel underneath Swalmen. However due to delays the tunnels only opened with 1 carriageway available and frequent closures. The tunnels grew infamous during the first weeks when numerous closures due to technical problems caused constant traffic jams. The tunnels are now fully operational. Another highway connection under construction is the German autobahn A52. The last 6 km stretch from Düsseldorf to the German-Dutch border was recently completed. The highway leads from Roermond straight to Düsseldorf.
Though the economy runs above average in the region and the city attracts new residents (mainly young people), the city itself still has a fairly high unemployment rate of 10.7% and the average income is lower than the national average.
Transport
Access roads to Roermond have been upgraded recently providing direct access to the Dutch and German highway network. From north to south the A73 (MaastrichtMaastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
-Nijmegen) passes east of the city, partly through tunnels. Eastwards the German A52
Bundesautobahn 52
is an autobahn in western Germany. It starts at the Dutch-German border near the community of Niederkrüchten, district of Viersen. From Elmpt it runs northeast....
leads to Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf
Düsseldorf is the capital city of the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia and centre of the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region.Düsseldorf is an important international business and financial centre and renowned for its fashion and trade fairs. Located centrally within the European Megalopolis, the...
. Westbound the provincial road N280 leads towards Weert
Weert
Weert is a municipality and city in the southeastern Netherlands. As of 2010, Weert had a population of 48,405. It lies on the Eindhoven–Maastricht railway line, and is also astride the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal.- Population centres :* Altweerterheide...
and connects to the A2
A2 motorway (Netherlands)
The A2 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. It is one of the busiest highways in the Netherlands. The road connects the city of Amsterdam, near the interchange Amstel, with the Belgian border, near Maastricht and Liège , and the Belgian road A25....
towards Eindhoven.
Roermond has a train station
Roermond railway station
Roermond is a railway station located in Roermond, The Netherlands. The station was opened on 21 November 1865 and is located on the Maastricht–Venlo railway and the Weert–Roermond railway. The services are operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen and Veolia...
with half-hourly fast trains across the country to:
- Southbound: SittardSittardSittard is a city in the Dutch province of Limburg, which is the southernmost province of the Netherlands.On the east Sittard borders on Germany . It has some 48,400 inhabitants . Sittard is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen...
-Maastricht-HeerlenHeerlenHeerlen is a city and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. The municipality is the second largest in the province of Limburg. It forms part of Parkstad Limburg, , an agglomeration of about 220,000 inhabitants.After its early Roman beginnings and a rather modest medieval period, Heerlen... - Northwestbound: WeertWeertWeert is a municipality and city in the southeastern Netherlands. As of 2010, Weert had a population of 48,405. It lies on the Eindhoven–Maastricht railway line, and is also astride the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal.- Population centres :* Altweerterheide...
-Eindhoven onwards to AmsterdamAmsterdamAmsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
.
In addition there are commutertrains with half-hourly service to:
- Northeastbound: VenloVenloVenlo is a municipality and a city in the southeastern Netherlands, next to the German border. It is situated in the province of Limburg.In 2001, the municipalities of Belfeld and Tegelen were merged into the municipality of Venlo. Tegelen was originally part of the Duchy of Jülich centuries ago,...
-Nijmegen - Southbound: Sittard-Maastricht
The municipality of Swalmen
Swalmen
Swalmen is a town in the south-eastern Netherlands. The town is situated between the German border and the Meuse river .Until 1 January 2007, Swalmen was a separate municipality, covering the villages Swalmen, Asselt and Boukoul...
also has a train station serving commuter trains on the line Roermond-Venlo twice hourly.
For regional transport there is a bus station with city and regional lines to nearby villages and towns. There is also a bus connection to Heinsberg
Heinsberg
Heinsberg is the capital of the district Heinsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is situated near the border with the Netherlands, on the river Wurm, approx...
in Germany. There are no long-distance coach services.
Events
Roermond hosts several festivals, including a Liberation Day festival on May 5 and the dance festival Solar Weekend.Nature and recreation
Roermond is encircled by a green belt, which offers many opportunities for hiking and cycling. To the east nature reserves, such as the Meinweg National ParkMeinweg National Park
Meinweg National Park is a national park in Limburg, Netherlands. It is about 1800 hectares in size and was established in 1995. It is a part of the German-Dutch border park Maas-Swalm-Nette, covering 10,000 hectares ....
, the valley of the Leu
Leu
Leu may refer to:* Leu, a commune in Dolj County, Romania* Leucine, amino acid abbreviated Leu* LEU, Low-Enriched Uranium* Moldovan leu, the standard of currency in Moldova* Romanian leu, the standard of currency in Romania...
(Leudal
Leudal
Leudal is a municipality in the Dutch province of Limburg. It was formed on January 1, 2007 in a merger of the municipalities of Heythuysen, Haelen, Hunsel, and Roggel en Neer....
) and the Swalm
Swalm
The Swalm is a small river in Germany and the Netherlands, tributary to the river Meuse. Its source is near Wegberg, in the district Heinsberg, south-west of Mönchengladbach, in North Rhine-Westphalia . The Swalm flows through Wegberg and Brüggen before flowing into the Meuse just across the...
and Roer rivers, provide woodlands, heath and meadows. The Meinweg also contains a small amount of wildlife including a small group of vipers, the only venomous snake to live in the Netherlands. To the west the Meuse River
Meuse River
The Maas or Meuse is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea...
and its lake area, known as "Maasplassen", offer opportunities for water recreation.
Notable natives
- Johannes MurmelliusJohannes MurmelliusJohannes Murmellius was a Dutch teacher and humanist, known for numerous textbooks, and his spreading of humanism, particularly in the Prince-Bishopric of Münster.-Life:...
(ca 1480-1517), humanist - Pierre CuypersPierre CuypersPetrus Josephus Hubertus Cuypers was a Dutch architect. His name is most frequently associated with the Amsterdam Central Station and the Rijksmuseum , both in Amsterdam. More representative for his oeuvre, however, are numerous churches, of which he designed more than 100...
(1827–1921), architect - Henry LuytenHenry LuytenHenry Luyten was a Dutch-born Belgian painter.-Biography:Hendrik Luyten was born in Roermond, the Netherlands as the son of Francis Hubert Luyten and Johanna Hendrica de Bee . He studied at the Royal Academy of Fine Arts in Antwerp, Belgium from 1878...
(1859–1945), painter - Louis RaemaekersLouis RaemaekersLouis Raemaekers was a Dutch painter and cartoonist for the Amsterdam Telegraaf during World War I, noted for his anti-German stance....
(1869–1956), painter - Charles Ruijs de BeerenbrouckCharles Ruijs de BeerenbrouckJhr. Charles Joseph Maria Ruijs de Beerenbrouck was a Dutch nobleman and Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 1918 to 1925 and again from 1929 to 1933...
(1873–1936), Prime Minister of the Netherlands - Louis BeelLouis BeelLouis Joseph Maria Beel was a Dutch politician of the defunct Catholic People's Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal . He served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from July 3, 1946 until August 7, 1948 and again from December 22, 1958 until May 19, 1959...
(1902–1977), Prime Minister of the Netherlands - Jo CalsJo CalsJozef Maria Laurens Theo "Jo" Cals was a Dutch politician of the defunct Catholic People's Party now merged into the Christian Democratic Appeal...
(1914–1971), Prime Minister of the Netherlands - Marleen GorrisMarleen GorrisMarleen Gorris is a writer-director from the Netherlands. Gorris is known as an outspoken feminist and supporter of gay and lesbian issues which is reflected in much of her work....
(born 1948), film director - Han Gootzen (born 1958), table tennis player, won men's doubles at nationals of 1979 and 1980
- Cor Lambregts (born 1958), distance runner, who excelled from 1500 metres through marathon, and cross country; many national titles; olympian in 1984
- Anna WoodAnna Wood (kayaker)Anna Wood is a Dutch-born Australian sprint canoer who competed from the early 1980s to the early 2000s...
(born 1966), kayaker - Rogier WassenRogier WassenRogier Wassen is a Dutch tennis player who competes regularly on the ATP Tour as a doubles player.Wassen reached his highest doubles ranking on the ATP Tour on 10 September 2007 when he became world no. 24. The right-hander has won three ATP doubles titles...
(born 1976), tennis player - Harrie GommansHarrie GommansHarrie Gommans is a Dutch professional footballer who currently plays in Belgium for Waasland-Beveren, as a striker.-Career:...
(born 1983), footballer - Rico VonckRico VonckRico Vonck is a darts player, currently residing in Posterholt. He qualified for the 2007 PDC World Darts Championship having finished second in the DDF rankings...
(born 1987), darts player
IRA attacks against British Forces personnel
On 1 May 1988 the Provisional Irish Republican ArmyProvisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA) killed three British Airmen and injured three others in a double attack. At the market in Roermond, near the border between Germany and the Netherlands, IRA members opened fire on a vehicle in which three men from the Royal Air Force Regiment based at RAF Wildenrath
RAF Wildenrath
The former Royal Air Force Station Wildenrath, commonly known as RAF Wildenrath, was a Royal Air Force military airbase which opened on 15 January 1952. Wildenrath was the first of four 'Clutch' stations built for the RAF in Germany during the early 1950s...
were sleeping. SAC Ian Shinner was killed and his two companions were wounded. Half an hour later, the second attack killed two British Airmen and injured another, who had spent a few hours in a Dutch disco, around fifty kilometers from the border shared with Germany.
In a separate attack two years later two Australian nationals were killed. The two men were lawyers on holiday, whom the IRA shot believing they were off-duty British Army
British Army
The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
soldiers. It is believed that the killings led to a drop in support for the IRA in Australia and led to Prime Minister John Howard
John Howard
John Winston Howard AC, SSI, was the 25th Prime Minister of Australia, from 11 March 1996 to 3 December 2007. He was the second-longest serving Australian Prime Minister after Sir Robert Menzies....
refusing to meet Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams
Gerry Adams is an Irish republican politician and Teachta Dála for the constituency of Louth. From 1983 to 1992 and from 1997 to 2011, he was an abstentionist Westminster Member of Parliament for Belfast West. He is the president of Sinn Féin, the second largest political party in Northern...
from Sinn Féin on a visit there in 2000.
It was not uncommon for British soldiers based in this area to be attacked. On 2 June 1990, Major Michael Dillon-Lee a Royal Artillery
Royal Artillery
The Royal Regiment of Artillery, commonly referred to as the Royal Artillery , is the artillery arm of the British Army. Despite its name, it comprises a number of regiments.-History:...
officer was shot and killed by three attackers in nearby Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
while returning from a social event with his wife. The Provisional Irish Republican Army
Provisional Irish Republican Army
The Provisional Irish Republican Army is an Irish republican paramilitary organisation whose aim was to remove Northern Ireland from the United Kingdom and bring about a socialist republic within a united Ireland by force of arms and political persuasion...
(IRA) issued a statement in Dublin claiming responsibility. On 9 July 1989 IRA shot the West German wife of a British soldier while she sat in a parked car in nearby Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
. This was the first time a non-British citizen was killed by the IRA in West Germany. On 26 October 1989 A British Airman and his 6-month-old daughter were shot and killed by the IRA in nearby Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach
Mönchengladbach , formerly known as Münchengladbach, is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located west of the Rhine half way between Düsseldorf and the Dutch border....
.
Earthquake
On 13 April 1992, an MW 5.4 earthquake occurred near the city of Roermond in a focal depth of about 17 km. This so-called Roermond earthquake was the strongest event in Western EuropeWestern Europe
Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
since 1756. Following this earthquake, the water levels of numerous wells located in the Lower Rhine Embayment showed significant coseismic anomalies.
The Roer Valley, which crosses three countries (Belgium, The Netherlands, and Germany), is bounded by two north-northwest, south-southeast trending Quaternary normal fault systems. The eastern boundary is defined by the Peel boundary fault, along which the 1992 Roermond earthquake occurred, and the western boundary is defined by the Feldbiss fault zone, which is partly located in Belgium. Evidence of recent tectonic activity along the Feldbiss fault zone is visible on seismic profiles that show more than 600 m of offset in Neogene deposits. Although Ahorner demonstrated the existence of the Rhenish seismoactive zones and recommended a comprehensive analysis of Quaternary structures and background seismicity, coseismic movements were considered to be improbable, and active faults remain largely unidentified.
Floods
As a city near to and surrounded by water and close to two rivers, the Maas and the Roer, Roermond often has to defend itself against floods. The worst floods were in 1993 and 1995.| Year | Water level (mNAP Normaal Amsterdams Peil Normaal Amsterdams Peil or Amsterdam Ordnance Datum is a vertical datum in use in large parts of Western Europe. Originally created for use in the Netherlands, it was adopted by Prussia in 1879 under the name Normalnull, and in 1955 by other European countries.Mayor Johannes Hudde of Amsterdam in... ) |
At | Damage | Remarks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December 1643 | 49.7 | Maastricht Maastricht Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border... |
Highest level ever in Limburg Limburg (Netherlands) Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to... |
|
| December 1880 | 20.71 | Roermond | ||
| March 1910 | 46.1 | Maastricht | ||
| March 1920 | 20.6 | Roermond | ||
| January 1926 | 42.92 | Maastricht | 80 million Dutch guilders damage, 14,000 refugees | Largest flood disaster in Limburg, breakthrough of dikes. |
| July 1980 | Roermond | |||
| 1984 | Roermond | |||
| December 1993 | 45.8 | Borgharen | 245 million guilders damage | |
| January 1995 | 45.71 | Borgharen | 500 million guilders damage, 210,000 people evacuated | Longest high water ever in Limburg |
Anthem
Roermond has had its own anthem since 1912. The text was written by A. F. van Beurden, the music is by H. Tijssen, who also composed the Limburg Anthem (Waar in 't bronsgroen eikenhout).In everyday life in Limburg around 1900 the Dutch language was of less importance. Everything was done in Limburgs. Newspapers in the 19th century were sometimes written in German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
in some parts of Limburg
Limburg (Netherlands)
Limburg is the southernmost of the twelve provinces of the Netherlands. It is located in the southeastern part of the country and bordered by the province of Gelderland to the north, Germany to the east, Belgium to the south and part of the west, andthe Dutch province of North Brabant partly to...
German was the language used in church and education. In this time Maastricht
Maastricht
Maastricht is situated on both sides of the Meuse river in the south-eastern part of the Netherlands, on the Belgian border and near the German border...
still had a very strong connection with French-speaking areas around Liège. Van Beurden's poem was used on purpose to force the people of Limburg into speaking Dutch. Proof of this is the very un-Limburg part in the anthem, the reference to the Dutch Royal family. In 1900 the people in Limburg had to swear their allegiance to the Dutch royal family of the House of Orange-Nassau
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...
in a "aanhankelijkheidsverklaring aan het Oranjehuis" and had to start using Dutch instead of Limburgs.
Sources
- Johnston, A. C., "Seismic moment assessment of earthquakes in stable continental regions", II, Historical seismicity, Geophys. J. Int., 125, 639, 1996.
- Geluk, M. C., E. J. T. Duin, M. Dusar, R. H. B. Rijkers, M. W. van Den Berg, and P. van Rooijen, "Stratigraphy and tectonics of the Roer Valley Graben", Geol. Mijnbouw, 73, 129, 1994.
- Paulissen, E., J. Vandenberghe, and F. Gullentops, "The Feldbiss fault in the Maas Valley bottom (Limburg, Belgium)", Geol. Mijnbouw, 64, 79, 1985.
- Rosenhauer, W., and L. Ahorner, "Seismic hazard assessment for the Lower Rhine Embayment before and after the 1992 Roermond earthquake", Geol. Mijnbouw, 73, 415, 1994.
- van den Berg, M.W., "NeotectonicsNeotectonicsNeotectonics is a subdiscipline of tectonics. It is the study of the motions and deformations of the Earth's crust which are current or recent in geologic time. The term may also refer to the motions/deformations in question themselves. The corresponding time frame is referred to as the...
of the Roer Valley rift system. Style and rate of crustal deformation inferred from syn-tectonic sedimentation", Geol. Mijnbouw, 73, 143, 1994. - van den Berg, M.W., et al., "Patterns and velocities of recent crustal movements in the Dutch part of the Roer Valley rift system", Geol. Mijnbouw, 73, 157, 1994.