Geleen
Encyclopedia
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 level.
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 all Dutch
coalmines, that were all located in this part of this province, were closed. The State mining company DSM
(privatised in 1989) however remained active in Geleen, now purely as a chemicals producer
. In July 2002, DSM's petrochemicals business, located on the manufacturing locations in Geleen and Gelsenkirchen
(Germany) were acquired by SABIC Europe
.
, 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.
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...
in 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...
. With 33,960 inhabitants, it 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....
. Geleen is situated along the river Geleenbeek
Geleenbeek
The Geleenbeek is a small river in Limburg, the Netherlands. Its source is near the village Benzenrade, part of the city of Heerlen. It flows generally northwest, along Nuth, Schinnen, Spaubeek, turns north at Geleen, flows through the centre of Sittard, and further north through Nieuwstadt until...
, a right tributary to the river Meuse
Meuse
Meuse is a department in northeast France, named after the River Meuse.-History:Meuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...
. The town centre is situated at about 60 m above sea level.
History
Until the end of the 19th century, Geleen was a small village. The remains of one of the oldest prehistoric farms in the Netherlands were found here.In the 20th century the exploitation of coal mines
Coal mining
The goal of coal mining is to obtain coal from the ground. Coal is valued for its energy content, and since the 1880s has been widely used to generate electricity. Steel and cement industries use coal as a fuel for extraction of iron from iron ore and for cement production. In the United States,...
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 all Dutch
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...
coalmines, that were all located in this part of this province, were closed. The State mining company 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...
(privatised in 1989) however remained active in Geleen, now purely as a chemicals producer
Chemical industry
The chemical industry comprises the companies that produce industrial chemicals. Central to the modern world economy, it converts raw materials into more than 70,000 different products.-Products:...
. In July 2002, DSM's petrochemicals business, located on the manufacturing locations in Geleen and Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen
Gelsenkirchen is a city in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is located in the northern part of the Ruhr area. Its population in 2006 was c. 267,000....
(Germany) were acquired by SABIC Europe
SABIC
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...
.
Sports and events
- The soccer club Fortuna '54Fortuna SittardFortuna 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,...
, was the former soccer club of Geleen.
- Also the Rock festival PinkpopPinkpopPinkpop Festival, or Pinkpop for short, is an annual festival held at Landgraaf, Netherlands. It is held annually on the Pentecost weekend...
has its roots in Geleen. This festival was held in a park, including well known sports centre Glanerbrook. The nearby swimming pool was popular with some of the artists, that enjoyed themselves backstage.
- In Geleen there's a yearly town fairFairA fair or fayre is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods, to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated carnival or funfair entertainment. It is normally of the essence of a fair that it is temporary; some last only an afternoon while others may ten weeks. ...
(one week after WhitsunWhitsunWhitsun is the name used in the UK for the Christian festival of Pentecost, the seventh Sunday after Easter, which commemorates the descent of the Holy Spirit upon Christ's disciples...
).
Transportation
Geleen is served by two railway stations: Geleen-LutteradeGeleen-Lutterade railway station
Geleen-Lutterade is a railway station located in Geleen and Lutterade, The Netherlands. The station was opened in 1862 and is located on the Maastricht–Venlo railway. The station is operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen. The station was originally called Geleen but later changed to Lutterade...
, on the line Sittard
Sittard
Sittard 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
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...
, and Geleen Oost
Geleen Oost railway station
Geleen Oost is a railway station located in Geleen, The Netherlands. The station was opened in 1896 and is located on the Sittard–Herzogenrath railway. The station is operated by Nederlandse Spoorwegen...
, on the line Sittard
Sittard
Sittard 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...
-Heerlen
Heerlen
Heerlen 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...
.
Geleen is also served by two motorways: 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....
Amsterdam-Maastricht, exit Urmond, and A76
A76 motorway (Netherlands)
The A76 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. It is located entirely in the Dutch province of Limburg.The road is 27 kilometer in length. The A76 motorway connects the Belgian border near Stein with Geleen, Heerlen and the German border near Simpelveld...
Antwerp-Aachen, exit Geleen.