The History of Sittard, Netherlands.

The community of Sittard-Geleen, is now compiled of the following Villiages and Towns.
Born, Buchten, Holtum, Bicht, Obbicht, Grevenbicht, Geleen, Sittard, Broeksittard, Limbricht, Einighausen, Guttecoven, and Munstergeleen.

In the area of the present community Sittard-Geleen were the oldest farmers villiages of the Netherlands situated. After many centuries, wherin the people a nomadic hunters existance lead. They established theirselves here 5000 B.C. The first lived off the land, and livestock.
These "Bandceramic" people(so called after the decorations they used on their pottery) lived in small settlements consisting of 5-15 reasonably large houses, in a total of 50-150 inhabitants. Their homes were built on Löss ground along by the (Geleen) brook. Through this situtation the basic provisions were there water.. and fertile land.
After some 400 hundred years, these first inhabitants disappeard.

Also other cultures - such as the Romans, have left their traces. There is .. as well in Geleen and Limbricht a coffin been excavated. Also in Buchten a beautiful statue of a cockrell has been found of Romantimes.

The most Villiages and Towns, that are now part of Sittard-Geleen, originated in the Middle Ages. In the list below, the names are explained.

Villiage. Oldest Mentioning. Oldest Spelling.
Born................... 1125...................... Burne.
Buchten............. 1131....................... Butines.
Holtum.............. 1400...................... Houthem.
Bicht.................. 1034....................... Bietha.
Obbicht............. 1366....................... Opbyecht.
Grevenbicht..... 1400....................... Grevenbiech.
Geleen............... 1148........................ Glene.
Sittard............... 1157.........................Siter.
Broeksittard..... 1144........................ Bruchsiter.
Limbricht.......... 1246........................ Lemburg.
Einighausen...... 1496........................ Eynichusen.
Guttecoven....... 1370........................ Gottinckhoven.
Munstergeleen. 1202........................ Munsterglene.

All these places have their own absorbing history. Sittard obtained as the only Town of the present day community, a Town Charter, this was in 1243. It was here that commerce, industry, religion, and culture were concentrated.

Arround 1665 a castle was built in Born, which was one of the most handsome built in the Province of Limburg has known.

Geleen... with the villiages Lutterade, Krawinkel, and Spaans (Spanish) Neerbeek, was elevated to the status of County.

Limbricht and Obbicht - on the other hand had as "free states" a seperate status.

During the French occupation (1794-1814) there were a great deal of governmental changes made. The local very different laws were exchanged for more enforcing (French) law books, and there was a new local government installed. The organization of local government like we now know it in the Netherlands, finds it's origine in the community law of 1851.

With the opening of the State Mine Maurits, officially on 1 January 1926, the character of the area changed in a very short period of time. From a rural agricultural area arround one! smaal provincial town, Sittard, in a few decades, changed into an industrial area with two Town centres, Sittard and Geleen.

There were a few different re-organizational changes made. In 1942 Broeksittard was added to the Council of Sittard. Limbricht and Munstergeleen joined in 1982.

Grevenbicht, Obbicht-Papenhoven and Born, went from 1982 forward as Born distict council.

To improve the quality of local government, the Netherlands government decided to combine the councils, Born, Geleen, and Sittard. This came about officially on 1st January 2001. The new distict council Sittard-Geleen was born.

Population now beeing 97000.