Pelt

Pelt
	Pelt
	Pelt
State :	Belgium
Region :	Flanders
Province :	Limburg
District :	Maaseik
Coordinates :	51 ° 13 ' N , 5 ° 26' E Coordinates: 51 ° 13 ' N , 5 ° 26' E
Area :	83.63 km²
Residents:	32,902 (Jan. 1, 2019)
Population density:	393 inhabitants per km²
Post Code:	3900, 3910
Prefix:	011
Mayor:	Frank Smeets ( CD&V )
Website:	www.gemeentepelt.be

Pelt is a Belgian municipality in the province of Limburg , which was created on January 1, 2019 from the merger of Overpelt and Neerpelt .

Pelt belongs to the Flanders region and borders the Netherlands . The Dommel , a tributary of the Meuse , flows through the municipality.

Pelt has a good 32,500 inhabitants.

Surname

After the municipal councils of Neerpelt and Overpelt had already decided to merge in 2017, the citizens were then able to determine the new name of the municipality in a referendum. Almost three-quarters of the election participants opted for the historical name Pelt, the other possibilities Dommelpelt and scroll patterns eliminated thus made.

The name goes back to the Romans, who called the sandy area Palethe , which meant swampland.

In the Middle Ages and up to the French Revolution , Pelt was an administrative and judicial district that also included several other communities.

In the local dialect, the name ultimately only referred to Overpelt, literally the higher ( over ) part.

Events

Every year at the beginning of May the European Music Festival for Young People, or EMJ for short , takes place in Pelt . Many choirs and youth orchestras from Germany have taken part since the beginning of the competition.

Web links

Commons : Pelt - collection of images, videos and audio files

Official website of the municipality (Dutch)