Summary
Hamont-Achel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦaːmɔnt ˈɑxəl]; Limburgish: Haëmet-Achel) is a city and municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. It was founded in 1977 by a fusion of the city Hamont and the village Achel. On January 1, 2020, Hamont-Achel had a total population of 14.294. The total area is 43.66 km2 which gives a population density of 315 inhabitants per km2. The municipality houses the Trappist Abbey of Achel, part of which is Brouwerij de Achelse Kluis, one of the 11 Trappist breweries.
Hamont-Achel | |
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City and municipality | |
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 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Hamont-Achel .mw-parser-output .locmap .od{position:absolute}.mw-parser-output .locmap .id{position:absolute;line-height:0}.mw-parser-output .locmap .l0{font-size:0;position:absolute}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pv{line-height:110%;position:absolute;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pl{line-height:110%;position:absolute;top:-0.75em;text-align:right}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pr{line-height:110%;position:absolute;top:-0.75em;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pv>div{display:inline;padding:1px}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pl>div{display:inline;padding:1px;float:right}.mw-parser-output .locmap .pr>div{display:inline;padding:1px;float:left}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .od,html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .od .pv>div,html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .od .pl>div,html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .od .pr>div{background:#000;color:#fff}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .locmap{filter:grayscale(0.6)}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .locmap{filter:grayscale(0.6)}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .od,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .od .pv>div,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .od .pl>div,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .od .pr>div{background:#000;color:#fff}}   Hamont-Achel Location in Belgium
Location of Hamont-Achel in Limburg  | |
| Coordinates: 51°15′N 05°33′E / 51.250°N 5.550°E | |
| Country |  Belgium |
| Community | Flemish Community |
| Region | Flemish Region |
| Province | Limburg |
| Arrondissement | Maaseik |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Theo Schuurmans (CD&V) |
| • Governing party/ies | CD&V, Balans |
| Area | |
| • Total | 43.73 km2 (16.88 sq mi) |
| Population (2020-01-01)[1] | |
| • Total | 14,299 |
| • Density | 330/km2 (850/sq mi) |
| Postal codes | 3930 |
| NIS code | 72037 |
| Area codes | 011 |
| Website | www.hamont-achel.be |
The professional tennis player Elise Mertens (WTA 35 - 2017) lives in Hamont-Achel.
Demographics edit
Languages edit
- Dutch in Hamont-Achel is often spoken with a distinctive Limburgish accent, which should not be confused with the Limburgish language.
- Limburgish (or Limburgian) is the overlapping term of the tonal dialects spoken in the Belgian and Dutch provinces of Limburg. The Hamont-Achel dialect is only one of many variants of Limburgish.[2]
Deadly explosion edit
On 18 November 1918, the municipality was the site of one of the worst train explosions in history, when two German munitions trains caught fire and exploded. Not only were the trains destroyed, but three German ambulance trains were also wiped out, along with most of the town. More than 1,000 individuals were killed.
Tumulus on Haarterheide edit
References edit
Bibliography edit
- Verhoeven, Jo (2007), "The Belgian Limburg dialect of Hamont", Journal of the International Phonetic Association, 37 (2): 219–225, doi:10.1017/S0025100307002940
External links edit
Media related to Hamont-Achel at Wikimedia Commons- Website about Hamont-Achel (in Dutch)
- The Pessimist's Guide to History Archived 2011-08-23 at the Wayback Machine
- sporza.be report on Jelle Vanendert's return home after the 2011 Tour de France
