Product Code Database
Lanaken (; ) is a municipality located in the Belgium province of Limburg. On January 1, 2007, the municipality of Lanaken had a total population of 24,724. Its area is 59.00 km2 which gives a population density of 415 inhabitants per km2.
Lanaken is located on the Belgium-Netherlands border, bordering Maastricht directly. In the 2006 census, some 20 percent of the inhabitants turned out to have the Dutch nationality. A number of neighbourhoods in Lanaken is characterized by these immigrants' numerous villas and exclusive landhouses.
Lanaken consists of the following villages: Lanaken proper, Rekem, Neerharen, Gellik, Veldwezelt, Smeermaas and Kesselt. Also located in Lanaken are the hamlets Briegden and Herbricht and the old village centre Oud-Rekem.
The Veldwezelt-Hezerwater Palaeolithic archaeological site is located in the municipality.
In the Middle Ages, the domain of Lanaken probably belonged to the emperor of the Holy Roman Empire. From the 12th century Lanaken was part of the Seignory of Pietersheim of Loon, whose lords founded the Abbey of Hocht around 1186. In 1106 the patronage right of the parish church was given to the Maastricht chapter of St. Servaas.
In 1808 the present borough was formed, merging Lanaken with Smeermaas, Hocht, Pietersem, Ca(u)berg, Bessemer and Briegden. In 1839, as a result of the Belgian revolution and subsequent Treaty of London, the municipality was split into a Belgian and a Dutch part (Caberg). Caberg then became an independent parish. Smeermaas received its own church in 1870. The borough of Bessemer was later incorporated into the municipality of Zutendaal.
From 1824-1829 the South Willemsvaart was built, and from 1930-1934 the Briegden-Neerharen canal. These canals cut through the territory of Lanaken. In 1856 followed the Hasselt-Maastricht railroad line, which was closed to passenger traffic in 1954.
On October 4, 1914, during World War I, the center of Lanaken was set on fire by the Germans, partly in retaliation for the resistance of a Belgian volunteer group led by Mayor Edgard de Caritat de Peruzzis. The castles of de Caritat de Peruzzis and Alicebourg were then blown up.
On May 10, 1940, during World War II, German planes bombed the barracks of de Caritat de Peruzzis killing Captain-Commander Henri Giddelo and five other soldiers.
In 1957, the Saint Barbara Hospital in Lanaken was established by the Limburg mines to enable research and combat occupational diseases, especially dust lung, which mostly affected the miners of the Kempen coal basin.
On January 1, 1977, Lanaken merged with the surrounding municipalities of Gellik, Neerharen, Rekem and Veldwezelt to form the present municipality of Lanaken.
Marked walks through this area start both at Pietersheim Castle and at the parking lot near the Saint-Barbara Hospital.
In 2006, four 100 meter high wind turbines were built to provide electricity to the Celanese factory. Later on 8 more have been built.
The pulp and paper company Sappi operates a large mill on the outskirts of the town and is an important source of employment for the town's residents. In October 2023, Sappi announced the closure of their facility in Lanaken.
Lanaken is part of the Albert Canal Economic Network together with 24 other municipalities through which the canal runs.
|
|
