History of Sittard, Netherlands.
Created | Updated May 14, 2007
Sittard is a medium sized town in southern Netherlands, it has an ancient history, going back to 5000 BC. During excavations in the past years, it was discovered that there were among the oldest farm settlements here. These settlements had 5-15 medium to large dwellings, where 50- 150 inhabitants, settled along the brooks and rivers in the area. The rich fertile land and water was an insurance of life as they knew it then, they were an agricultural and cattlehearding community. After +/- 400 years the settlers moved on. Other cultures came and went
but the Romans left their mark, in the surrounding area there were two sarcofagusses found, and a very beautiful statuette of a cockerill. Although all the villages in the area have their own interesting histories, Sittard received, as the only town inside the modern-day bourough as we know it now a charter in 1243 AD. It was here that commerce, religion,industry, and cultural life was concetrated. During the French occupation 1794-1814, there were large changes brought about in the organization of local government. Many local laws were exchanged for the most general lawbooks of government of French origine. The local government laws as we know them today, with the council at the head of the community, originated in 1851 when the community law was passed.
When the coal mines came into use (officially 1st January 1926, the character of the area changed from an agricultural into an industial one in a few decades.
To improve the quality of local government, the national government passed a law to amalgamate the area into one borough, the new borough now called Sittard-Geleen, and is compiled from the following tons and villages, Born,Buchten,Holtum,Bicht,Obbicht,Grevenbicht,Geleen,Sittard,Broeksittard,Limbricht,Einighausen,Guttecoven, and Munstergeleen. The population being now arround 97000. For your interest the is a webcam working 24/7 on the market in Sittard. www.webcamsittard.nl
but the Romans left their mark, in the surrounding area there were two sarcofagusses found, and a very beautiful statuette of a cockerill. Although all the villages in the area have their own interesting histories, Sittard received, as the only town inside the modern-day bourough as we know it now a charter in 1243 AD. It was here that commerce, religion,industry, and cultural life was concetrated. During the French occupation 1794-1814, there were large changes brought about in the organization of local government. Many local laws were exchanged for the most general lawbooks of government of French origine. The local government laws as we know them today, with the council at the head of the community, originated in 1851 when the community law was passed.
When the coal mines came into use (officially 1st January 1926, the character of the area changed from an agricultural into an industial one in a few decades.
To improve the quality of local government, the national government passed a law to amalgamate the area into one borough, the new borough now called Sittard-Geleen, and is compiled from the following tons and villages, Born,Buchten,Holtum,Bicht,Obbicht,Grevenbicht,Geleen,Sittard,Broeksittard,Limbricht,Einighausen,Guttecoven, and Munstergeleen. The population being now arround 97000. For your interest the is a webcam working 24/7 on the market in Sittard. www.webcamsittard.nl
