Geleen (original) (raw)

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City in Limburg, Netherlands

Geleen
City
The Krawinkel neighbourhoodThe Krawinkel neighbourhood
Flag of GeleenFlagCoat of arms of GeleenCoat of arms
Geleen is located in NetherlandsGeleenGeleenLocation in the NetherlandsShow map of NetherlandsGeleen is located in Limburg, NetherlandsGeleenGeleenLocation in the province of Limburg in the NetherlandsShow map of Limburg, Netherlands
Coordinates: 50°58′N 5°50′E / 50.967°N 5.833°E / 50.967; 5.833
Country Netherlands
Province Limburg
Municipality Sittard-Geleen
Area[1]
• Total 19.64 km2 (7.58 sq mi)
Elevation[2] 32 m (105 ft)
Population (2021)[1]
• Total 31,245
• Density 1,591/km2 (4,120/sq mi)
Time zone UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST) UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code 6160-6167[1]
Dialing code 046
Major roads A76, A2, N276, N294

Geleen (Dutch pronunciation: [ɣəˈleːn]; Limburgish: Gelaen [ɣəˈlɛːn]) is a city in the southern part of the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. With 31,670 inhabitants in 2020, it is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen. Geleen is situated along the river Geleenbeek, a right tributary to the river Meuse. The Latin name for Geleenbeek is Glana, meaning "clear river". The town centre is situated at about 60 m above sea level.

Until the end of the 19th century, Geleen was a very small village. Its population was 2,545 in 1899.[3] The remains of one of the oldest prehistoric farms in the Netherlands were found here. In the 20th century the exploitation of coal mines in this area (the state-owned coal mine "Maurits", the biggest in Europe, was located in Geleen) brought a fast population increase. During the 1960s and 1970s the Dutch coal mines, which were all located in this part of the province, were closed. The state mining company DSM (privatised in 1989) remained active in Geleen, however, now purely as a chemicals producer. In July 2002, part of DSM's petrochemicals business, located on the manufacturing locations in Geleen and Gelsenkirchen (Germany) were acquired by SABIC Europe.

Sint-Janskluis from 1699

Topographic map of Geleen, March 2014

Geleen is served by two railway stations: Geleen-Lutterade, on the line Sittard-Maastricht, and Geleen Oost, on the line Sittard-Heerlen.

Geleen is also served by two motorways: A2 Amsterdam-Maastricht, exit Urmond, and A76 Antwerp-Aachen, exit Geleen.

  1. ^ a b c "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2021". Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  2. ^ "Postcodetool for 6061AA". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. 24 July 2019. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved 25 April 2022.
  3. ^ "Volkstelling 1899: Limburg" (XLS).
  4. ^ Gammon, John (17 June 2011). "Six In A Row For Pinkpop". London, U.K.: Pollstar. Archived from the original on 13 August 2014. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  5. ^ "Pinkpop is langstlopende popfestival ter wereld" [Pinkpop is longest running pop festival in the world]. geschiedenis.vpro.nl/ (in Dutch). VPRO independent Dutch public broadcaster. 18 May 2010. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
  6. ^ "About Luise Löwenfels". Joods Monument. Retrieved 18 May 2021.

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