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Heerlen

City and Municipality in Limburg, Netherlands / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

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Heerlen (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈɦeːrlə(n)] (Loudspeaker.svglisten); Limburgish: Heële [ˈɦeə˦lə]) is a city and a municipality in the southeast of the Netherlands. It is the third largest settlement proper in the province of Limburg. Measured as municipality, it is the fourth municipality in the province of Limburg.

Quick facts: Heerlen Heële, Country, Province, Governm...
Heerlen
Heële
View of the town hall
View of the town hall
Flag of Heerlen
Coat of arms of Heerlen
Highlighted position of Heerlen in a municipal map of Limburg
Location in Limburg
Coordinates: 50°53′N 5°59′E
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceLimburg
Government
  BodyMunicipal council
  Acting MayorRoel Wever (VVD)
Area
  Municipality45.53 km2 (17.58 sq mi)
  Land44.94 km2 (17.35 sq mi)
  Water0.59 km2 (0.23 sq mi)
Elevation113 m (371 ft)
Population
 (Municipality, January 2021; Urban and Metro, May 2014)[4][5]
  Municipality86,874
  Density1,934/km2 (5,010/sq mi)
  Urban
200,957
  Metro
247,731
DemonymHeerlenaar
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postcode
6400–6433
Area code045
Websitewww.heerlen.nl
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Heerlen forms part of the city-region of Parkstad Limburg, an agglomeration with about 250,000 inhabitants and encompassing 8 municipalities. It is to the east of Maastricht and north of the German city of Aachen.

After its early Roman beginnings and a modest medieval period, Heerlen became a centre for the coal mining industry in the Netherlands in the late 19th century. In the 20th century, architect Frits Peutz played a major role in shaping the city as we know it today. His most famous design, and a distinctive building in the city centre, is the so-called Glaspaleis (Glass Palace), listed as one of the world's thousand most architecturally important buildings of the 20th century.