Sint-Truiden
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Sint-Truiden
Saint-Trond (French) | ||
---|---|---|
City and municipality | ||
Location in Belgium
Location of Sint-Truiden in Limburg Region Flemish Region | | |
Province | Limburg | |
Arrondissement | Hasselt | |
Government | ||
• Mayor | Ingrid Kempeneers (CD&V) | |
• Governing party/ies | CD&V, Open VLD, N-VA | |
Area | ||
• Total | 107.12 km2 (41.36 sq mi) | |
Population (2020-01-01)[1] | ||
• Total | 40,672 | |
• Density | 380/km2 (980/sq mi) | |
Postal codes | 3800, 3803, 3806 | |
NIS code | 71053 | |
Area codes | 011 | |
Website | www.sint-truiden.be |
Sint-Truiden (Dutch pronunciation:
The city is in the centre of Belgium's fruit-producing region, Haspengouw (Hesbaye), and is renowned for its pears, apples (Jonagold), and sweet cherries.
History
Origins and Golden Age
The municipality formed around an
In the 13th century, the fortified town became one of the 23 bonnes villes (main cities) belonging to the
15th century until now
It occupied an important strategical position with regard to the N.E. frontier of Belgium, and General Henri Alexis Brialmont recommended its fortification.[2] On 9 August 1914, at the outset of Germany's invasion of Belgium, 20 civilians were executed and a number of houses destroyed. The reconstruction and building of brand new neighbourhoods accelerated well into the 20th century.
During World War II, its airfield was the base of one of the most famous Luftwaffe Night Fighter squadron, NJG1, with units II/NJG1 and IV/NJG1 operating Junkers Ju 88 and Heinkel He 219 aircraft from here in 1944. The highest scoring German night fighter pilot, Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer (121 air victories, most of them at night) was referred to as "The spook of St. Trond" by British Bomber crews that flew over Germany on night raids. The airport EBST is still in use.
Transport
Air
The
Fuel (Jet A-1 and Avgas) are available. All is located in hangar 41 (turn right at the end of the runway when taxiing heading 06). Opening hours from 09:00 LT until sunset 7/7. There is also a flight school (airplane and helicopter) Fly One.
There are no scheduled flights.
Rail
The town is served by Sint-Truiden railway station.
Sports
The professional
Places of interest
- Sint-Truiden's historical centre includes the town hall (Stadhuis), with a 17th-century belfry added by UNESCO to the World Heritage Site of Belfries of Belgium and France.[3][4] The oldest parts of the building date from the 13th century.
- The 15th-century Church of Our Lady(Lievenvrouwenkerk) stands just beside the town hall.
- The béguinage of Sint-Agnes, with its 13th-century church, was also classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site of FlemishBeguinages.
- An 11th-century Romanesque tower and crypt are all that remain of the old abbey of St Trudo. Several other Romanesque buildings can also be visited in town: Sint-Pieterskerk, Sint-Gangulfuskerk, and the Guvelingen chapel.
- On the abbey square stands the statue of St Trudo which, together with a meridian line traced on the ground, also functions as a sundial.
- Sint-Truiden offers several good examples of Baroque architecture, including the gable of the town hall and the Minderbroederkerk.
- The military school KSOO Saffraanberg, the grounds of which include Rochemdaal Castly.[5]
Notable inhabitants
- Christina the Astonishing (1150–1224)
- Denis the Carthusian, theologian and mystic (1402–1471)
- Henri-Guillaume Hamal (1685–1752), musician and composer, maître de musique at Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk c. 1708–1712
- Belgian Prime Minister
- Aldous Huxley, English author (1894–1963), married Maria Nys from Sint-Truiden and briefly resided on the town's central square
- Désiré Collen (born 21 June 1943), physician and chemist
- Frank De Winne, astronaut, born in Ghent in 1961, but residing in Sint-Truiden since 1986
- Koen Vanmechelen (born 26 August 1965), artist
- Danny Boffin, football player (1965–)
- Ruud Boffin, football player
- Tina Bride (born 23 December 1977), musician and dancer
- Kristof Delorge (1986–2021), football player[6]
- Simon Mignolet (born 6 August 1988), football player
- Tim Wellens (born 10 May 1991), cyclist
- Yorick Antheunis (born 26 June 1991), professional football player
- Nina Derwael (born 26 March 2000), gymnast
- Dimitri Van den Bergh (born 8 July 1994), professional darts player
Sister cities
Sint-Truiden is
- Duras, France
- Weert, Netherlands
- Nueva Guinea, Nicaragua
References
- Wikidata Q12480
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- ^ "World Heritage List | Belfries of Belgium and France". UNESCO. Retrieved 31 March 2014.
- ^ List of the Serial Properties to be examined by the 29th session of the World Heritage Committee, p. 8 : n° 943-021, Stadhuis met Toren, Sint-Truiden, listed in 1999.
- ^ "Deserted Places: The abandoned Château Rochendaal". 14 January 2014.
- ^ "Kristof Delorge". Het Nieuwsblad (in Dutch).
External links
- Official website (in Dutch)
- Official news website (in Dutch)