Hoensbroek ( Limburgish : Gebrook ) is a Dutch town in the municipality of Heerlen . It is situated in the southeast of Limburg , a province in the southeast of the Netherlands. Until 1982, Hoensbroek was a separate municipality.
5-578: The House of Hoensbroeck (in German: Hoensbroech ) is the name of an old aristocratic family with medieval origins in the town of Hoensbroek near Heerlen in Limburg , Netherlands . The family is part of Dutch and German nobility . Nicolaes Hoen [ nl ] is the first known ancestor of the family; he was killed in the Battle of Baesweiler in 1371. During many centuries,
10-460: The Emma), caused a substantial increase in population. This necessitated the construction of new residential areas, with the result that Heerlen & Hoensbroek grew closer to each other. Today Hoensbroek & Heerlen now form a contiguous and built-up area. Only the tip, the former Oranje Nassau III mine, currently designed as a park, represents a kind of barrier between the towns. The mines in
15-598: The family owned and lived in Hoensbroek Castle , which can still be visited today. They played an important social and political role in the region. In the Netherlands a comital cadet branch survives. In Germany, the elder line of the family continues to thrive as Marquis ( Marquess , from the Spanish Netherlands , for the family's head) and Reichsgraf[in] ( Count [ess], for each member of
20-460: The family) von und zu Hoensbroech . Hoensbroek Hoensbroek is known for its medieval castle, Kasteel Hoensbroek , named after Knight Hoen, a member of the Hoen Family. It dates from around 1250. Hoensbroek is also known for the fair on Ascension Day ( Hemelvaartsdag ). The fair brings as many as 100,000 people to the town, every year. In medieval times, the town was known under
25-498: The name of Gebrook , meaning as much as "Swampy Landscape", and belonged to the Family Hoen. Their family name eventually mingled with the original one, resulting in the name Hoensbroeck for the location and Van Hoensbroeck as the family name. The spoken dialect, Gerbrooker Plat, refers to the ancient name of Gebrook. Coal mining The town remained modest until the early 20th century, when several mines were opened (including
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