Halen
Encyclopedia
Halen is a municipality
located in the Belgian
province of Limburg
, to the east of Hasselt
. On January 1, 2006 Halen had a total population of 8,624. The total area is 36.29 km² which gives a population density
of 238 inhabitants per km².
During the First World War, on August 12, 1914, the Battle of Haelen
took place here near the river crossing of the Gete
.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
located in the Belgian
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
province of Limburg
Limburg (Belgium)
Limburg is the easternmost province of modern Flanders, which is one of the three main political and cultural sub-divisions of modern Belgium. It is located west of the river Meuse . It borders on the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg and the Belgian provinces of Liège, Flemish Brabant...
, to the east of Hasselt
Hasselt
Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg...
. On January 1, 2006 Halen had a total population of 8,624. The total area is 36.29 km² which gives a population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 238 inhabitants per km².
During the First World War, on August 12, 1914, the Battle of Haelen
Battle of Haelen
The Battle of Haelen was a cavalry battle on the Western Front at the beginning of World War I. It took place on August 12, 1914 between German forces led by Georg von der Marwitz and the Belgian forces led by Leon De Witte and resulted in a tactical victory for the Belgians.-Strategic...
took place here near the river crossing of the Gete
Gete
The Gete is a river in Belgium which flows south to north. It is a left tributary of the Demer.The Gete is formed by the confluence of the rivers Grote Gete and Kleine Gete near Budingen. From Budingen the river continues for 12 km to the city of Halen, where it flows into the Demer...
.