Heksenberg
| province |
.svg){kind=small} Limburg
|
| local community |
 Heerlen
|
|
Area - land - water |
1.02 km 2 0.94 km 2 0.08 km 2 |
| Residents | 3,152 (Jan. 1, 2017) |
| Coordinates | 50 ° 55 ' N , 5 ° 59' E |
| prefix | 045 |
| Postcodes | 6414 |
 |
|
The Heksenberg is a sand hill and a district ( Dutch buurt ) in the north of the Dutch city of Heerlen .
geography
The Heksenberg (also known as Hessenberg until 1930 ) is a sand hill that was probably formed in the Tertiary and shaped in the Quaternary. In principle, this is an old dune , which is located near the former delta of the tertiary precursors of the Rhine and Meuse .
location
The Heksenberg is a hill consisting mainly of sandy sediments, which is located in the north of Heerlen or in the south of the Brunssumer Heide and remained only partially inhabited and cultivated heathland until around 1950 . It is located in the transition area between the Northwest Central European Plain and the Rhenish Slate Mountains.
height
The height of the Heksenberg is 116 meters above the mean Amsterdam level . This makes it one of the higher elevations on the territory of today's Netherlands .
history
Today, the Heksenberg is well-known beyond Heerlen's borders, especially among cycling enthusiasts. In the famous one-day Amstel Gold Race , the Heksenberg was the final ascent for several years, on which the decisive attacks were made several times. The history of the Heksenberg and the district of the same name goes back at least 4000 years to the Neolithic ( New Stone Age ).
Prehistoric settlement
About 2000 years BC Already sedentary farmers and craftsmen settled in the area around the Heksenberg. Archaeological finds indicate this, including stone weapons and tools, but also pottery shards from the Neolithic Age. The assignment to a specific culture has not yet been conclusively clarified. However, various traces of prehistoric settlement have been discovered in the Heerlen area, so that it is most likely that different groups or cultures at different times can be assumed.
Ancient bloom
The Heerlen area has been well explored with regard to the time when the Romans ruled this area. Many villas ( villae rusticae ) are occupied around the center of Heerlen ( Coriovallum ). The Romans also laid out the military road from Heerlen to Xanten on the Lower Rhine , which was important for their campaigns against Germania . Today's Heerenweg (from Heerlen past Heksenberg to Brunssum ) largely corresponds to the historic Heerstraße. A battle between the Romans and Chatten (Hesse) along the Heerstraße at the gates of Heerlen (or Coriovallum) is not conclusively proven, but is quite likely .
Medieval settlement
The area around the Heksenberg was also inhabited in Carolingian times. Again, pottery shards and the remains of pottery kilns are important evidence that reflect the image of a settlement based on handicrafts and agriculture. In the later Middle Ages , a paved area was built in what was then still a swampy area between the aforementioned Heerenweg and today's Bockstraat. The Roebroek family lived here. In the name, "-broek" is probably a reference to the location of the place in the swamp (Bruch; Dutch: "broek"). The Leyenhoes , as the property was called, was demolished in 1918.
The Heksenberg in modern times
In recent times, the Heksenberg is no longer known only as a geomorphological structure or legendary place, but has also developed into one of today's districts of the city of Heerlen. According to a census, exactly 193 inhabitants lived around the Heksenberg in 1889, spread over the hamlets and spots Heerenweg (44 inhabitants), Roebroek (30 inhabitants), Heidehoven (65 inhabitants) and Prons or Pronsebroek (54 inhabitants). During the First World War , the Netherlands suffered from a shortage of coal for energy supply. Therefore, around 1917, the mining of lignite in open-cast mining began. In addition, coal mining was intensified. As a result, the Oranje Nassau IV (ON-IV) mine was built by 1925 . A large number of workers were required for both industries, as a result of which construction activity developed and the population of the Heksenberg district increased significantly. A church soon came into being, and with it a new parish. Around 1940, the planned development and construction of the district Maria-Christinawijk in the style of a garden city (Dutch: "Tuinstadt") began. At the end of the 1950s, today's shopping center and business center followed to supply the growing settlement.
Church and congregation
In 1931 the chaplain Honee, pastor of the Cornelius parish in Heerlerheide , was commissioned to build the new parish in Heksenberg, which was sealed on April 18, 1937 with the laying of the foundation stone for a new church. The following year, on July 18, 1938, the church was consecrated and from then on served as a place of worship for the parish of Heksenberg. The Klais organ with 32 registers was inaugurated in 1940. As patron saint, Saint Gerhard Majella gave its name to the church, which was designed by the architect Alphons Boosten . The church is considered one of his most important buildings. Since then, the following gentlemen have served as pastors or parish priests:
- 1932-1940: GMEA Honee
- 1940–1962: GAHW Luchtmann
- 1962–1968: JJMA Riemersma
- 1968–1983: FFH Wietz
- 1983-1997: FJ Klein
- since 1997: TCF van Galen
On the origin and meaning of the name Heksenberg
According to legend, the name Heksenberg can be traced back to a Germanic tribal leader who was supposedly buried there. A legend about the Heksenberg tells of a heavy fight between Roman legionaries and a large group of Chatten (Hessen), a Germanic tribe originally from the area of today's Hesse. This involved around 69 n. Chr. The Batavian revolt under the leadership of Julius Civilis . The Batavians , who were resident in the area of what would later become the Netherlands , are said to have been an earlier part of the Chatten who split off and emigrated after internal conflicts. In the so-called Chat Wars between 83 and 85 AD there were major clashes between Roman troops under military leader Domitian and the Chatten. In connection with the putsch of Saturninus in 89 AD against Domitian, battles between Romans and Chatti broke out again, sometimes referred to as Domitian's Second Chatten War . In the course of one of the skirmishes, the leader of the Chatten fell and was then buried on the battlefield. The legend tells that now all tribal men poured a helmet full of sand on the grave of the prince, whereby the hill was created. Admittedly this is a myth according to geological knowledge . The story of the battle between the Romans and Chatten, on the other hand, can be assessed as potentially realistic, but cannot be proven with absolute certainty for the location itself. In addition to the Heksenberg, the Roodebeek (Red Brook), which flows northwards near the Heksenberg, is said to have got its name from the said battle, as the blood of the many victims is said to have colored the water of the brook red. The final clarification of the origin of the name Heksenberg as well as the reason for the name change around 1930 is still in the dark of history.
literature
- PJM Peeters: Wandelingen in en om Heerlen. Heerlen 1919.
- A. Weijts: Heerlen, Verleden Tijd. Heerlen 1995.
- T. Fischer: The Romans in Germany. o. O. 1999.
- HA Beaujean: Uit Heksenberg history. Heerlen 1973.
- J. Simonis: Zielzorgers in het Bisdom Roermond 1840-2000. o. O., 2001.
Web links
- Official website of the municipality of Heerlen (Dutch, English)
- Info page on climate, weather and geographic location (Dutch)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Kerncijfers Heerlen 2017 Gemeente Heerlen, accessed on July 30, 2018 (Dutch)