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| Sint-Truiden | |||
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| Sovereign state | .svg){kind=small} Belgium |
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| Region |  Flemish Region |
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| Community | Flemish Community |
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| Province |  Limburg |
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| Arrondissement | Hasselt | ||
| Coordinates | Coordinates: | ||
| Area | 106.90 km² | ||
| Population – Males – Females - Density |
38,247 (January 1, 2006) 49.32% 50.68% 358 inhab./km² |
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| Age distribution 0–19 years 20–64 years 65+ years |
(01/01/2006) 19.28% 62.79% 17.93% |
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| Foreigners | 3.16% (01/07/2005) | ||
| Unemployment rate | 9.15% (January 1, 2006) | ||
| Mean annual income | 13,265 €/pers. (2003) | ||
| Mayor | Ludwig Vandenhove (SP.A) | ||
| Governing parties | SP.A, VLD | ||
| Postal codes | 3800, 3803, 3806 | ||
| Area codes | 011 | ||
| Website | www.sint-truiden.be | ||
Sint-Truiden (French: Saint-Trond) is a city and municipality located in the province of Limburg, Flemish Region, Belgium, near the towns of Hasselt and Tongeren. The municipality includes the old communes of Aalst, Brustem, Duras, Engelmanshoven, Gelinden, Gorsem, Groot-Gelmen, Halmaal, Kerkom-bij-Sint-Truiden, Ordingen, Runkelen, Sint-Truiden proper, Velm, Wilderen, and Zepperen.
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.
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History
Origins and Golden Age
The municipality formed around an abbey founded by St. Trudo, a Frankish nobleman, in the 7th century. After Trudo’s death, the abbey became the centre of a pilgrimage, which brought wealth to the neighbouring town. The 11th century was particularly prosperous and witnessed an important growth in population. This was the time when abbot Adelardus, reporting to the Bishop of Metz, built the abbey’s main church and two additional churches in town: Notre-Dame (Lievenvrouwenkerk) and Sint-Gangulfus. Under his direction, Sint-Truiden also received an earth wall surmounted by a wooden fence and fortified gates. A proper stone wall, gates and towers, were built in 1129. The economy of this new oppidum city was based on the linen industry and commerce with foreign lands such as England, Champagne, and Germany.
In the 13th century, the fortified town became one of the 23 bonnes villes (main cities) belonging to the Bishopric of Liège. A market hall was build at the site where the current city hall stands, the social life of the city was organized by the various guilds, and a perron was erected on the central square, symbolizing the local government’s authority in political affairs.
15th century until now
Charles the Bold captured the town in 1467, marking the beginning of a slow decline that lasted until the 19th century. The city’s fortifications were dismantled in 1675, and many of the religious congregations were disbanded under the French regime at the end of the 18th century. After 1830, these empty buildings were turned into educational and medical facilities. The city was also the centre of a prosperous agricultural region, which from the end of the 19th century became well-known for its fruit production.
On August 9, 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 Ju88 and Heinkel He219 aircraft from here in 1944. Even more, the most highest scoreing German night fighter pilot, Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer (121 air victories, most of them on night) was referred to as "The ghost of St. Trond" by British Bomber crews that flew over Germany on night attacks raids.
Places of interest
- Sint-Truiden’s historical centre includes the town hall (Stadhuis), with a 17th-century tower classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site in 1999. The oldest parts of the building date from the 13th century.
- The 15th-century Church of Notre Dame (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.
- 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.
Famous inhabitants
- Christina the Astonishing (1150-1224)
- Denis the Carthusian, theologian and mystic (1402-1471)
- Barthélémy de Theux de Meylandt, politician and former Belgian Prime Minister, born in Sint-Truiden (1794-1874)
- Aldous Huxley, English author (1894-1963), married Maria Nys from Sint-Truiden and briefly resided on the town's central square
- Désiré Collen (b. Sint-Truiden, 21 June 1943), physician and chemist.
- Frank De Winne, astronaut, born in Ghent in 1961, but residing in Sint-Truiden since 1986.
- Danny Boffin, football player (b. 1965)
Sports
A Belgian premier league football club is based in Sint-Truiden: K. Sint-Truidense V.V.
External links
- Official website, only available in Dutch
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Wikipedia content modification information:
- This page was last modified on 9 October 2008, at 07:15.
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