Spaubeek
Encyclopedia
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...
province 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...
. It is located in the municipality of Beek
Beek
Beek is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. The municipality of Beek has two railway stations - Beek-Elsloo railway station in the west, and Spaubeek railway station in the east of the municipality...
, about 3 km south of the town of 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...
.
Spaubeek was a separate municipality until 1982, when it was merged with Beek.
Jansgeleen Castle
The history of Spaubeek was closely connected to that of the Jansgeleen Castle, nowadays called Sint Jansgeleen. This castle, built as House Spaubeek at a bench in the small GeleenGeleen
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...
river in the 13th century, was the first seat of the former County of Geleen in the 16th century. It got its name Heer Jansgelene after one of the former owners, Lord Jan Rode van Opsinnich in the 15th century, but was later erroneously renamed as Sint Jansgeleen after St. John the Baptist.
The castle, already in a bad shape at the end of the 19th century, and further damaged by the mine galleries of the nearby big Maurits
Maurits
The Dutch name Maurits is used to indicate the following:* Prince Maurits of Orange-Nassau, van Vollenhoven * Prince Maurice of Nassau, was the son of William I of Orange...
mine at Geleen in the 1920s, was finally demolished in the 1930s. Only the buildings of the water mill (Jansmolen, hence Sint Jansmolen) and the forecourt (16th century) have remained, now both provincial monuments.