Eupen

Coordinates: 50°38′N 06°02′E / 50.633°N 6.033°E / 50.633; 6.033
Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

Eupen
From the top, left to right: View of Eupen from Moorenhöhe, Klötzerbahn street in the city center, Friedenskirche, city parish church of Saint Nicholas, church of Saint Joseph, seat of the Executive and Council of the German-speaking Community
Flag of Eupen
Coat of arms of Eupen
Location of Eupen
Map
Eupen is located in Belgium
Eupen
Eupen
Location in Belgium
Location of Eupen in the province of Liège
PFF, SPplus!
Area
 • Total96 km2 (37 sq mi)
Population
 (2018-01-01)[1]
 • Total19,526
 • Density200/km2 (530/sq mi)
Postal codes
4700, 4701
NIS code
63023
Area codes087
Websitewww.eupen.be

Eupen (German:

Meuse-Rhine
.

First mentioned in 1213 as belonging to the

First World War, the Treaty of Versailles transferred Eupen and the nearby municipality of Malmedy from Germany
to Belgium.

German remains the official language in Eupen (also spoken in the form of the Eupen dialect), and the city serves as the capital for Belgium's German-speaking Community. The city has a small university, the Autonome Hochschule in der deutschsprachigen Gemeinschaft [de; nl], offering bachelor's degrees in Education and Nursing. In 2010, Eupen's association football team, K.A.S. Eupen, became the first club from the German-speaking Community to play in the Belgian Pro League.

On 1 January 2006, Eupen had a total population of 18,248 (8,892 males and 9,356 females). The total area is 103.74 km2 (40.05 sq mi) which gives a population density of 175.90 inhabitants per km2.

History

Map of Belgium in 1843: Eupen and the East Cantons were then German.

Early history

Eupen and the St. Nikolaus Chapel were first mentioned in 1213 as part of the

Habsburgs
who then inherited Eupen after gaining both Limburg and Brabant.

Habsburgs and Germans

Habsburg

Dutch Revolt against the Spanish Habsburgs, rebels burnt Eupen but did not take control of it. Bubonic plague reached Eupen in 1635, with devastating consequences. Eupen obtained its own court of law in 1648, and in 1674 received city rights
, giving it greater recognition and autonomy. Six years later, textile manufacture was introduced to the city.

In 1713, with the

Treaty of Utrecht, Brabant and Limburg were returned to the Austrian Habsburgs. Revolutionary France took the city in 1794, incorporating it into the Département Ourthe, préfecture Liège and sous-préfecture Malmedy. Following the Congress of Vienna in 1815, Eupen became part of the Prussian Rhine Province. All Prussian possessions became part of the German Empire
in 1871, while Eupen itself enjoyed its popularity as a spa town.

Records show that a weaver named 'Schunck' was established as early as 1776. His eldest son, Nikolaus Severin Schunck (1799–1865), had six sons, of whom the third oldest, Arnold, would later found the firm in Heerlen. The youngest son, Joseph, remained at the weaving mill and there is still a weaving mill in Kettenis run by descendants of Nikolaus. The company became the famous Schunck.

20th century

After the

First World War, the 1919 Treaty of Versailles transferred Eupen and the nearby municipality of Malmedy from Germany to Belgium. The effect led to the formation of National Socialist groups in Eupen. From 1938 the Vesdre Dam was constructed (completed in 1950), creating Lake Eupen. In 1940, Nazi Germany invaded Belgium; in an attempt to reverse Versailles, Eupen and Malmedy were annexed to Germany. In September 1944, American forces reached Eupen which became a centre of fierce fighting in the Battle of the Bulge
.

In 1949, the left tower of the St Nikolaus Church burnt down. The city centre was affected by flooding in 1953. Eupen merged with the municipality of Kettenis in 1976, amidst protest from that town.

In 1980, following a state reform ten years earlier, the

German-Speaking Community of Belgium
was established and Eupen was named as its capital.

Climate

Eupen has a cool oceanic climate with some continental influences due to it being elevated in comparison to most of Belgium. Eupen is also wetter and cloudier than Liège in the valley to the west, as a result of orographic lift due to the elevation change. As a result of this along with frequent winter frosts, Eupen gets a significant snowfall amount by Belgian standards. It also gets 16 ice days on average each year, as in the day staying below 0 °C (32 °F), along with 71 frost days.[2]

Climate data for Eupen (1991–2020 normals)
Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Mean daily maximum °C (°F) 3.9
(39.0)
4.8
(40.6)
8.6
(47.5)
13.0
(55.4)
16.8
(62.2)
19.8
(67.6)
21.8
(71.2)
21.5
(70.7)
17.7
(63.9)
13.0
(55.4)
7.9
(46.2)
4.5
(40.1)
12.8
(55.0)
Daily mean °C (°F) 1.4
(34.5)
1.8
(35.2)
4.8
(40.6)
8.2
(46.8)
11.9
(53.4)
14.9
(58.8)
16.9
(62.4)
16.6
(61.9)
13.2
(55.8)
9.5
(49.1)
5.2
(41.4)
2.1
(35.8)
8.9
(48.0)
Mean daily minimum °C (°F) −1.1
(30.0)
−1.2
(29.8)
0.9
(33.6)
3.4
(38.1)
7.1
(44.8)
10.0
(50.0)
12.1
(53.8)
11.7
(53.1)
8.8
(47.8)
5.9
(42.6)
2.5
(36.5)
−0.2
(31.6)
5.0
(41.0)
Average precipitation mm (inches) 114.2
(4.50)
99.9
(3.93)
94.4
(3.72)
69.1
(2.72)
86.9
(3.42)
98.2
(3.87)
103.6
(4.08)
110.2
(4.34)
98.6
(3.88)
91.4
(3.60)
101.0
(3.98)
128.2
(5.05)
1,195.7
(47.09)
Average precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 15.0 13.6 13.5 11.0 12.5 12.1 13.0 12.6 11.7 12.9 14.5 16.9 159.3
Mean monthly sunshine hours 53 74 123 173 193 197 205 197 150 107 60 44 1,576
Source: Royal Meteorological Institute[2]

Culture

City Hall

Sport

Kehrwegstadion

Belgian First Division A
, in 2016.

Notable people

See also

References

  1. ^ "Wettelijke Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2018". Statbel. Retrieved 9 March 2019.
  2. ^ a b "Klimaatstatistieken van de Belgische gemeenten" (PDF) (in Dutch). Royal Meteorological Institute. Retrieved 17 August 2023.
  3. ^ League table snapshot for Jupiler Pro League season 2010–11 as of Jun 01, 2011 Archived 12 October 2013 at the Wayback Machine

External links

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