Sittard
Encyclopedia
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...
, which is the southernmost province 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...
.
On the east Sittard borders on Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
(municipality Selfkant
Selfkant
Selfkant is a municipality in the Heinsberg district, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is the most westerly municipality in Germany...
, in North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia
North Rhine-Westphalia is the most populous state of Germany, with four of the country's ten largest cities. The state was formed in 1946 as a merger of the northern Rhineland and Westphalia, both formerly part of Prussia. Its capital is Düsseldorf. The state is currently run by a coalition of the...
). It has some 48,400 inhabitants (including those of neighbouring villages Munstergeleen, Limbricht, Einighausen and Guttecoven). Sittard is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen
Sittard-Geleen
Sittard-Geleen is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It was formed in 2001 from the former municipalities Sittard, Geleen and Born....
. The city centre is located at 45 m above sea level.
History
Sittard was first mentioned in 1157. Sittard was granted city rightsCity 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....
by the Duke 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...
in 1243. In 1400 it was sold to the Duchy of Jülich
Duchy of Jülich
The Duchy of Jülich comprised a state within the Holy Roman Empire from the 11th to the 18th centuries. The duchy lay left of the Rhine river between the Electorate of Cologne in the east and the Duchy of Limburg in the west. It had territories on both sides of the river Rur, around its capital...
, and remained in its possession until 1794. Sittard was a small stronghold, until a great part of it was destroyed in 1677 during the Franco-Dutch War
Franco-Dutch War
The Franco-Dutch War, often called simply the Dutch War was a war fought by France, Sweden, the Bishopric of Münster, the Archbishopric of Cologne and England against the United Netherlands, which were later joined by the Austrian Habsburg lands, Brandenburg and Spain to form a quadruple alliance...
. Under French occupation
First French Empire
The First French Empire , also known as the Greater French Empire or Napoleonic Empire, was the empire of Napoleon I of France...
(1794-1814), Sittard was part of the Roer
Roer (département)
Roer is the name of a département of the First French Empire in present day Germany and the Netherlands. It was named after the river Rur, which flows through the département. It was formed in 1795, when the Southern Netherlands and the left bank of the Rhine were occupied by the French...
department. Since 1814, it has been 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...
, except for the years 1830-1839, when it joined the Belgian Revolution
Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....
.
Main sights
Sittard has a small historic city centre with numerous architectural monuments, including several old churches (St Peter's, St Michael's, Basilica of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) and a few half-timbered houses. The city has retained part of its city wall. On the south-eastern side of the city centre, the St RosaRose of Lima
Rose of Lima, , the first Catholic saint of the Americas, was born in Lima, Peru.-Biography:Saint Rose of Lima was born in the city of that name, the daughter of Gaspar Flores, a harquebusier from San German, Puerto Rico, and his wife, Maria de Oliva, who was a native of Lima. She was part of a...
chapel crowns the Kollenberg hill. Museum "Het Domein" is situated in a converted nineteenth century school building in the city centre. It focuses on contemporary art, urban history and archeology.
Economy
The SABICSABIC
SABIC is a diversified manufacturing company, active in chemicals and intermediates, industrial polymers, fertilizers and metals. It is the largest public company in Saudi Arabia as listed in Tadawul, but the Saudi government still owns 70% of its shares...
European head office and a large DSM
DSM (company)
DSM is a multinational life sciences and materials sciences-based company. DSM's global end markets include food and dietary supplements, personal care, feed, pharmaceuticals, medical devices, automotive, paints, electrical and electronics, life protection, alternative energy and bio-based materials...
office are based in Sittard. Both companies have large chemical production facilities in nearby Geleen
Geleen
Geleen is a city in the southern part of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. With 33,960 inhabitants, it is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen. Geleen is situated along the river Geleenbeek, a right tributary to the river Meuse. The town centre is situated at about 60 m above sea...
.
Education
There are several schools for professional education (hboVocational university
A vocational university is an institution of higher education and sometimes research, which provides both tertiary and sometimes quaternary education and grants academic degrees at all levels in a variety of subjects...
) in the city, including faculties of the Hogeschool Zuyd and Fontys Hogescholen. Large schools for secondary education
Secondary education
Secondary education is the stage of education following primary education. Secondary education includes the final stage of compulsory education and in many countries it is entirely compulsory. The next stage of education is usually college or university...
in Sittard are 'Trevianum' (havo
Hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijs
The havo or hoger algemeen voortgezet onderwijs is a stream in the secondary educational system of the Netherlands. It has five grades and is generally attended from age twelve to seventeen...
and vwo
Voorbereidend Wetenschappelijk Onderwijs
Voorbereidend wetenschappelijk onderwijs or pre-university secondary education is the highest variant in the secondary educational system of the Netherlands. After leaving elementary school students are enrolled in different types of secondary schools, according to their academic ability...
) and 'Da Capo' (vmbo
Voorbereidend middelbaar beroepsonderwijs
The vmbo education is a school track in the Netherlands. It lasts four years, from the age of twelve to sixteen. It combines vocational training with theoretical education in languages, mathematics, history, arts and sciences...
).
Sport
Sittard is the home of the professional football club Fortuna SittardFortuna Sittard
Fortuna Sittard is a football club in Sittard, Netherlands. The club currently plays its football in the 12,500 capacity Trendwork Arena and features in the Dutch Eerste Divisie. The club was a merger of former clubs 'Fortuna 54' and 'Sittardia' to merge as the Fortuna Sittard Combinatie on July 1,...
and of the internationally well known handball club Sittardia
Sittardia
Sittardia is a Dutch handball team.Sittardia is one of the most successful handball teams in Dutch handball history. They won the Dutch National Championship in 1966, 1968, 1969, 1970, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1979, 1987, 1990, 1993, 1994, 1997 and 1999. In 2007, they nearly became...
.
The biggest Kennedy march
Kennedy march
A Kennedy march is a long-distance march of , named after former American president John F. Kennedy.- Origin :John F. Kennedy came into the Presidential office with a goal of improving the health of the nation as part of his New Frontier...
of the Netherlands starts and ends in Sittard.
Well known natives
- Eddy Beugels, cyclism
- Rens BlomRens BlomRens Blom is a former Dutch athlete competing in pole vault.-Biography:He achieved the result of 5.75 as early as in 2000, but five years passed without much progression. However, on June 8, 2004 in Zaragoza he set the current Dutch record with 5.81...
, athletics - Mike van DiemMike van DiemMike van Diem 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...
, film director - Jo Erens, singer
- Toon HermansToon HermansAntoine G. T. "Toon" Hermans was a noted Dutch comedian, singer and writer. He was born in Sittard, now part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen....
, comedian - Wim HofWim HofWim Hof is a Dutch world record holder, adventurer and daredevil, commonly nicknamed the Iceman for his ability to withstand extreme coldness. He holds eighteen world records including a world record for longest ice bath. In 2007, he attempted, but failed , to climb Mount Everest wearing nothing...
, Iceman - Francine HoubenFrancine HoubenFrancine Houben is a leading Dutch architect. She is a founding partner and the creative director of Mecanoo Architecten, Delft, The Netherlands....
, architect, director of MecanooMecanooMecanoo is a firm of architects based in Delft, The Netherlands. The Delft based office of Mecanoo was officially founded in 1984 by Francine Houben, Henk Döll, Roelf Steenhuis, Erick van Egeraat and Chris de Weijer. The firm is directed by its original founder architect Prof. ir. Francine M.J.... - Jan NoltenJan NoltenJan Nolten was a Dutch professional road bicycle racer. Nolten participated in five Tours de France, and won two stages.- Palmarès :1952*...
, cyclism - Jan Notermans, soccer
- Huub StevensHuub StevensHubertus "Huub" Jozef Margaretha Stevens is a Dutch football manager and former defender.- Playing career :...
, soccer - Arnold VanderlydeArnold VanderlydeArnold Petrus Maria Vanderlyde is a former boxer from the Netherlands, who participated in three Summer Olympics and won three bronze medals in the heavyweight division , starting in 1984 in Los Angeles, California. He started boxing at age fifteen...
, boxer - Joost Zweegers, singer and pianist of NovastarNovastarNovastar is a Belgian band, led by a born Dutch singer and pianist Joost Zweegers. The band is popular in Belgium and the Netherlands. Novastar is known for its deep, emotional ballads, and the pure, high voice of Zweegers.-Biography:...