Beek
Beek is a town and municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, in the province of Limburg. As of 2012, Beek has a population of about 16,400, of which about 8,800 live in the town of Beek.
The municipality of Beek makes part of the region of South Limburg and lies between the city of Geleen in the north and Maastricht in the south, and lies furthermore southeast of interchange Kerensheide and the chemical industries of Chemelot. It has a slightly hilly landscape with altitudes differing between above sea level, and has two small forests: Kelmonderbos between Beek and Kelmond, and Spaubekerbos near Spaubeek. The Keutelbeek flows through and has its source in the municipality of Beek.
Population centres
Settlements in the municipality of Beek.Town:
- Beek
Villages:
| Hamlets:
|
History
In 1982, Spaubeek merged with Beek and the municipality got his current size. In 2005, an archaeological site was found between Beek and Neerbeek, consisting of the remainings of a settlement from 5,000 BC. Because of this, Beek is considered the eldest village in the Netherlands.Buildings
Noteworthy buildings:- Sint-Hubertusmolen, in Klein Genhout, dated 1801-1802
- Sint-Hubertuskerk, in Groot Genhout, by architect Alphons Boosten
- Kasteel Genbroek, a castle near Geverik
Transportation
The municipality has two railway stations:
- Beek-Elsloo railway station in the west
- Spaubeek railway station in the east
- Maastricht Aachen Airport in the south
Economy
Politics
The municipal council of Beek has 17 seats.The executive board consists of five persons:
Mayor:
- Christine van Basten - Boddin, 2015 - Current
- Thijs van Es
- Hub Schoenmakers
- Ralph Diederen
- Hub Hodzelmans
Notable people
- Pyke Koch a Dutch artist who painted in a magic realist manner
- Frans Weekers a Dutch politician and lawyer, Mayor of Beek 2015 to 2016
- Ralf Krewinkel a Dutch politician, Mayor of Beek 2011 to 2015
- Esther de Lange a Dutch politician, Member of the European Parliament since 2007
- Maud Welzen a Dutch model
Gallery