Sittard ( Dutch pronunciation: [ˈsɪtɑrt] ; Limburgish : Zitterd [ˈzɪtəʀt] ) is a city in the Netherlands , situated in the southernmost province of Limburg .
11-573: The town is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen and has almost 37,500 inhabitants in 2016. In its east, Sittard borders the German municipality of Selfkant (in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia ). The city centre is located at 45 m above sea level. Archaeological discoveries have dated the first settlement in the Sittard area around 5000 B.C. Present day Sittard is assumed to have been founded around 850 A.D. and to have been built around
22-617: A motte . Sittard was first mentioned in 1157. It was granted city rights by the Duke of Limburg in 1243. In 1400 it was sold to the Duchy of Jülich , and remained in its possession until 1794. The city was destroyed and rebuilt repeatedly, due to fires and various conflicts during the 15th-17th century. It was a stronghold until it was largely destroyed in 1677, during the Franco-Dutch War . Under French occupation (1794-1814), Sittard
33-574: A coalition of CDA ( Christian Democrats ), GroenLinks ( Green ) and the local parties GOB and Stadspartij. The highway connecting the centres of Sittard and Geleen, the Rijkswegboulevard, has been rebuilt to be a main route for cycling and walking. The cycling and walking provision is both generous and continuous. Side road junctions, or crossroads, are made 'subordinate'. The carriageways have been narrowed to one 3m lane in each direction. Parking places have been made, in small groups, at
44-526: A few half-timbered houses. The city centre is a protected area ( beschermd stadsbezicht ). The most important monuments are: The central market square has many restaurants and bars. The city has retained part of its city wall . On the south-eastern side of the city centre, the St Rosa chapel crowns the Kollenberg hill. Museum "Het Domein" is situated in a converted nineteenth century school building in
55-456: Is a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands . It was formed in 2001 from the former municipalities Sittard , Geleen and Born . The combined municipality has approximately 92,650 inhabitants (January 2024) and is thus the third most populated municipality in Limburg (after Maastricht with 125,000 and Venlo with 103,000 inhabitants). Since February 2020, the city has been governed by
66-510: The plant hire company Boels Rental is also located in Sittard. There are several schools for higher vocational education and training ( hbo ) in the city, including faculties of the Hogeschool Zuyd and Fontys Hogescholen . Large schools for secondary education in Sittard are 'Trevianum Scholengroep' ( havo and vwo ) and 'Da Capo College' ( vmbo ). Sittard is the home of the professional football club Fortuna Sittard and of
77-712: The city centre. It focuses on contemporary art, urban history and archaeology. There is also a Commonwealth War Cemetery, where 239 soldiers of the Commonwealth Nations lie buried. Among them Dennis Donnini , the youngest to have received the Victoria Cross in World War II. Sittard houses the SABIC European head office and a large DSM office; both companies having large chemical production facilities in nearby Geleen . The head office of
88-471: The frontline for over four months, in which over 4000 shells and rockets struck the city. After World War II, Sittard expanded rapidly and many new neighbourhoods were built. The coal mines in the region were the driving force of a booming economy, until closed in the 1960s and 70s. It now has large industrial zones and office premises. Sittard has a small historic city centre with numerous architectural monuments, including several old churches, monasteries and
99-487: The handball club Sittardia . The biggest Kennedy march of the Netherlands starts and ends in Sittard. The Sittard dialect is a particular variant of Limburgish . 51°00′N 5°52′E / 51.000°N 5.867°E / 51.000; 5.867 Sittard-Geleen Sittard-Geleen ( Dutch: [ˈsɪtɑrt xəˈleːn] ; Limburgish : Zittert-Gelaen [ˈzɪtəʀt xəˈlɛːn] )
110-530: The side of the carriageways. These are made to be "not easy to use for larger vehicles," so the road centre is marked as a place for delivery vehicles to stop. To the west, Sittard-Geleen borders on Belgium , while to the east, it borders on Germany . Abshoven , Born , Broeksittard , Buchten , Einighausen , Geleen , Graetheide , Grevenbicht , Guttecoven , Holtum , Limbricht , Munstergeleen , Windraak , Obbicht , Papenhoven , Schipperskerk and Sittard . [REDACTED] Dutch topographic map of
121-743: Was part of the Roer department. Since 1814, it has been part of the Netherlands , except for the years 1830–1839, when it joined the Belgian Revolution . During the Second World War , it was occupied by the Germans, who incorporated several small municipalities, like Broeksittard , into Sittard. The city was liberated September 18–19, 1944 by the 2nd Armored Division . The historic town was mostly spared destruction, despite lying in
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