Gemert Bakel

Gemert-Bakel municipality

flag	coat of arms
province	North Brabant
mayor	Michiel van Veen ( VVD )
Seat of the municipality	Gemert
Area  - land  - water	123.34  km 2 122.14 km 2 1.2 km 2
CBS code	1652
Residents	30,454 (Jan 31, 2019)
Population density	247 inhabitants / km 2
Coordinates	51 ° 32 '  N , 5 ° 43'  E Coordinates: 51 ° 32 '  N , 5 ° 43'  E
Important traffic route
prefix	0492, 0493
Postcodes	5421-5425, 5761, 5763-5764
Website	Homepage of Gemert-Bakel

Gemert-Bakel is a Dutch municipality in the south of the country in the province of Noord-Brabant .

It has 30,454 inhabitants (as of January 31, 2019) and an area of ​​123.36 km².

The municipality was created in 1997 through the merger of the previously independent municipalities of Gemert (which is the largest district and the administrative seat), Bakel and Milheeze.

places

The approximate number of inhabitants in brackets (as of January 1, 2018).

• Gemert (16,590)
• Bakel (5865)
• Milheeze (2235)
• De Mortel (1570)
• De Rips (1175)
• Elsendorp (1105)
• Trade (1815)

Location and economy

traffic

Gemert-Bakel borders the city of Helmond in the south ; Eindhoven is 20 kilometers (km) southwest, Nijmegen 34 km north-northeast and Amsterdam 102 km northwest (all information as the crow flies from Gemert to the respective city centers).

The next motorway exits are in the south at Someren on the A67 ( E34 ), in the east at Boxmeer on the A73 and in the west at Best on the A2 ( E25 ).

The nearest train stations are in Helmond, Deurne , Eindhoven, Best, Venray and Boxmeer; There are bus connections a. with Helmond, Uden and Eindhoven. There are airports of more regional importance near Eindhoven and Rotterdam .

economy

The headquarters of an important factory that makes plastic roofing and other building materials is located on the industrial site northeast of the town center of Gemert. There are also many small businesses there. Agriculture, u. a. Pig farms are very important in the community. Tourism is also becoming increasingly important. There are many commuters living in the community who work in the surrounding towns.

history

See also : Gemert

The area of ​​the former communities of Bakel and Milheeze was, according to archaeological finds, already around 10,000 BC. Roamed by people. Some coins and pieces of military equipment from Roman times were also found. The village of Bakel was first mentioned in a document in 714. The name is said to have originated from baka-lo for "sand ridge" or "piece of forest" (compare English back , "back").

A veneration of St. Willibrord soon developed here , and a church was soon consecrated to him. In the village of Handel, the tradition of pilgrimages to the Liebfrauenkirche, which is still alive today, was created in 1368 under the influence of the Teutonic Order in Gemert . In the 16th century, a second destination for pilgrims was added: the Chapel of St. John, popular until around 1960, especially among people known as gypsies . Mary Magdalene of Esdonk.

Unlike Gemert itself, the other places came under Dutch, i.e. Calvinist, rule after the Peace of Westphalia of 1648 . As a result, the Roman Catholic Faith was banned until 1804. The Catholics, who still make up the majority of the population, only had a so-called Schuilkerk available. This is an illegal church disguised as another building. This discrimination ended in the 19th century.

Most of the people in this whole area were peat cutters and farmers until around 1920 , who only had a meager existence because of the barren bog and sandy soils. From around 1875, part of the de Peel moor was partly converted into forest (for wood production) and partly into fields and meadows. The use of artificial fertilizers after the Second World War made a significant contribution to improving the situation of farmers. As part of this reclamation, the De Rips settlement was built around a farm of the same name around 1875, and Elsendorp around 1910, named after a pastor at the time. The core of the Peel was preserved as a nature reserve.

Attractions

• The castle on the western edge of Gemert was built by the knights of the Teutonic Order; in summer the VVV (the tourist association) organizes castle tours from time to time.
• The small chapel in Esdonk (3 km west of Handel, 3 km northwest of Gemert), built in 1695, is a place of pilgrimage for St. Mary Magdalene. But also an image of the deceased Christ that is considered miraculous is venerated. People suffering from skin diseases not only offer prayers here, but also rusty nails.
• The pilgrimage church of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Handel is still the destination of many pilgrims every year.
• The Willibrordis Church in Bakel from the 15th century.
• There are remarkable windmills in Bakel and Milheeze.
• The Johanniskirche in Gemert.
• The forest, moor and heathland areas, including Stippelberg near De Rips, and in the vicinity the Groote Peel nature reserve .

politics

The CDA won the local elections in 2018 by a clear margin of around 25 percent. In the 2018–2022 legislative period, it is part of a coalition with the Dorpspartij .

See also : List of Mayors of Gemert-Bakel

Municipal council

Local election on March 21, 2018

Turnout: 54.72%

 %

50

40

30th

20th

10

0

42.3

17.5

17.4

13.6

6.2

3.1

no

CDA

LR / D66 ^b

DP ^c

SP

VVD

PvdA

Otherwise. ^G

Gains and losses

compared to 2014

 % p

 20th

 15th

 10

   5

   0

  -5

-10

-15

-20

-25

-30

-35

-40

+3.0

+17.5

-1.0

+13.6

+3.1

-0.8

-35.4

CDA

LR / D66 ^b

DP ^c

SP

VVD

PvdA

Otherwise. ^G

Remarks:

^b Local realists / D66

^c Dorpspartij

^g Local Realists 0.0% (–22.5%), D66 0.0% (–7.6%), Ouderen Politiek Actief 0.0% (–5.3%)

The municipal council has been formed as follows since Gemert-Bakel was founded:

Political party	Seats
	1996	1999	2002	2006	2010	2014	2018
CDA	10	8th	10	8th	7th	9	11
Local realists a	-	-	-	-	8th	5	4th
D66	0	-	-	-	0	1
Dorpspartij	3	4th	4th	3	4th	4th	4th
SP	-	-	-	-	-	-	3
VVD	-	1	2	1	1	0	1
PvdA	-	-	-	4th	1	1	0
Ouderen Politiek Actief	-	-	-	-	-	1	-
Fier & Actief b	-	-	3	1	0	-	-
Lokaal Liberaal	-	-	-	2	-	-	-
Realists 2006	-	-	-	1	-	-	-
Actief Dorpsbelang	4th	3	2	1	-	-	-
Progressive seed planting c	2	2		-	-	-	-
Lijst Van Ekert	1	2	-	-	-	-	-
Gemert Aktief	1	1	-	-	-	-	-
total	21st	21st	21st	21st	21st	21st	23

Remarks

^aThe Local Realists emerged from the merger of the local constituencies Lokaal Liberaal and Realisten in 2006 .

^a Fier & Actief emerged from the merger of Gemert Aktief and Lijst Van Ekert .

^cThe Progressieve Samenwerking was an amalgamation of the local D66 and PvdA groups.

College van B&W

The CDA election winners are represented by three councilors in the College van burgemeester en wethouders of the municipality of Gemert-Bakel, while the Dorpspartij provides an alderman . The following people belong to the college and are responsible in the following areas:

function	Surname	Political party	Department	annotation
mayor	Michiel van Veen	VVD	Coordination of politics, general and administrative affairs, public order, integral security policy, coordination and enforcement, personnel and organization, information supply, events and catering, fair and markets, community archive, services	in office since December 1, 2016
Alderman	Anke van Extel-van Katwijk	CDA	Spatial planning, vital land, building and the environment, monuments, public administration, landscape maintenance	deputy mayor
	Inge van Dijk	CDA	Economy, recreation and tourism, mobility, traffic and parking, village councils, citizen participation, communication, garbage, sport, play facilities, Bakel center development	-
	Wilmie Steeghs	Dorpspartij	Youth welfare, social welfare law, participation law, debt service, poverty policy, naturalization, education, public health, culture	-
	Miranda de Ruiter-van Hoof	CDA	Finances, operation of building plots, basic transactions and purchases, real estate, housing, sustainability, castle	-
Community Secretary	Ad van Oudheusden	-	-	in office since June 2018

Web links

Commons : Gemert-Bakel  - Collection of pictures, videos and audio files

• Website of the municipality (Dutch)
• The chapel dedicated to Mary Magdalene in Esdonk. In: mariakapellen.nl (Dutch)
• De Groote Peel National Park website (Dutch)

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Bevolkingsontwikkeling; regio per maand . In: StatLine . Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek (Dutch)
2. ↑ Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2018 . In: StatLine . Centraal Bureau voor de Statistiek , October 26, 2018, accessed on January 13, 2019 (Dutch)
3. ↑ ^{a b} Results of the local elections: 1996–2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 , accessed on January 13, 2019 (Dutch)
4. ^ College van burgemeester en wethouders . In: gemert-bakel.nl . Gemeente Gemert-Bakel, accessed January 13, 2019 (Dutch)