Echt, Netherlands

Echt (Dutch: [ɛxt] ⓘ; Limburgish: Ech [ˈæç]) is a city in the Dutch municipality of Echt-Susteren in the province of Limburg, Netherlands. It was a municipality itself until it merged with the municipality of Susteren on 1 January 2003.

This article is about the settlement in the Netherlands. For the Dutch and German word for "real", see Wiktionary:echt § Dutch, and Wiktionary:echt § German.
Echt
Ech (Limburgish)
City
The Sint-Landricuskerk
The Sint-Landricuskerk
Flag of Echt
Flag
Coat of arms of Echt
Coat of arms
Echt is located in Netherlands
Echt
Echt
Location in the Netherlands
Echt is located in Limburg, Netherlands
Echt
Echt
Location in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands
Coordinates: 51°06′N 5°53′E
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceLimburg
MunicipalityEcht-Susteren
Area
[1]
 • Total12.35 km2 (4.77 sq mi)
Elevation
[2]
26 m (85 ft)
Population
 (2021)[1]
 • Total7,655
 • Density620/km2 (1,600/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
6101[1]
Dialing code0475

The municipality of Echt had about 19,300 inhabitants and an area of about 75,13 square km.

History
Map of Echt by Jacob van Deventer, c. 1550
Echt in 1866

First recorded in the 7th century, Echt was a village, then within the County of Loon. Between 928 and 939 Gerberga of Saxony gave the estate of "Ettha" and its church to the St Servatius community in Maastricht.[3]

In 1075/1076 Gerard I of Guelders, received the estate of Echt on loan from Albert III, Count of Namur and deputy duke of Lower Lorraine.[4][3] However, a charter from Emperor Henry IV from 1087 gives a different picture of this donation: according to the Godschalk van Aken, Gerard I of Guelders is said to have illegally taken possession of the church of Echt ("Echta") ("invaserat"), while this belonged to the St. Servatius Chapter. By judgment of the imperial court of Aachen ("Aquisgrani") the church of Echt was returned to the Maastricht chapter.[4][3]

The aldermen of Echt, who had their own seal, are mentioned first on 29 June 1259. A source from 1590 shows Echt as a "Minderstädteof" (small town) within the States of Upper Guelders.[5] Small towns were legally and economically less privileged than large cities such as Roermond.[6] Nevertheless, it had a wall with gates, a hospital and cloth hall. A city moat was constructed after the second half of the 13th century. In May 1397, during a war between Brabant and Gelderland, the people of Liège destroyed the fortified town. In 1473 the city was conquered by Charles the Bold, while in 1497 Maximilian I took its castle. However, the city was recaptured by Guelders shortly thereafter. In 1556, during the Eighty Years' War, it was looted by mercenaries in the Spanish army. It then changed occupiers several times and suffered waves of destruction. Of the old fortifications only the canals were left by the end of the war.

After significant depopulation caused by wars and plagues, Echt was usually considered to be a village. Only after 1630 was it again consistently referred to as city, even by its own aldermen.

At the Treaty of Utrecht, ending the War of the Spanish Succession in 1713, Echt became part of the United Provinces together with Venlo and Montfort. In 1795 Guelders was finally conquered and incorporated by the French First Republic, and partitioned between the départements of Roer and Meuse-Inférieure

Sights

Economy

From the late 19th century, Echt was the centre of an important roof tile industry.

There are two business parks in Echt, namely De Berk, and De Loop.

Nature and landscape

Echt is located on the Maas river, at a height of about 28 meters. To the west of Echt are industrial estates, a motorway and the Juliana Canal. To the east, the hamlets of Schilberg and Hingen and the church village of Pey are attached to Echt. Other nearby hamlets include Gebroek, Slek and Ophoven to the south, Aasterberg to the west, and Berkelaar to the north.

Transportation

Notable people

See also

References
  1. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2021". Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  2. "Postcodetool for 6101AA". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Retrieved 23 April 2022.
  3. "REGESTEN" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 4 September 2020.
  4. Alberts (1978). Van heerlijkheid tot landsheerlijkheid. pp. 48–9.
  5. Schaïk, R.W.M. van (1 January 1989). "S. Frankewitz, G. Venner, De zegels der steden en dorpen in het Overkwartier van Gelder. Die Siegel der Städte und Dörfer im geldrischen Oberquartier 1250-1798". BMGN: Low Countries Historical Review. 104 (3): 419. doi:10.18352/bmgn-lchr.3119. ISSN 2211-2898.
  6. Alberts (1978). Van heerlijkheid tot landsheerlijkheid. pp. 65–66.

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