Sint-Truiden
Encyclopedia
Sint-Truiden is a city
City
A city is a relatively large and permanent settlement. Although there is no agreement on how a city is distinguished from a town within general English language meanings, many cities have a particular administrative, legal, or historical status based on local law.For example, in the U.S...

 and municipality located in the province
Provinces of Belgium
Belgium is divided into three regions, two of them are subdivided into five provinces each.The division into provinces is fixed by Article 5 of the Belgian Constitution...

 of Limburg
Limburg (Belgium)
Limburg is the easternmost province of modern Flanders, which is one of the three main political and cultural sub-divisions of modern Belgium. It is located west of the river Meuse . It borders on the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg and the Belgian provinces of Liège, Flemish Brabant...

, Flemish Region
Flemish Region
The Flemish Region is one of the three official regions of the Kingdom of Belgium—alongside the Walloon Region and the Brussels-Capital Region. Colloquially, it is usually simply referred to as Flanders, of which it is the institutional iteration within the context of the Belgian political system...

, Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

, near the towns of Hasselt
Hasselt
Hasselt is a Belgian city and municipality, and capital of the Flemish province of Limburg...

 and Tongeren. The municipality includes the old communes of Aalst, Brustem, Duras
Duras
-Places:* Obsolete French spelling of the Albanian city of Durrës* Duras, Lot-et-Garonne, a commune of the Lot-et-Garonne département in France* Duras, Belgium, a constituent village of the commune of Sint-Truiden in the Belgian province of Limburg-People:...

, Engelmanshoven, Gelinden, Gorsem, Groot-Gelmen, Halmaal, Kerkom-bij-Sint-Truiden, Melveren, Ordingen, Runkelen, Velm
Velm
Velm is a village in the Belgian province of Limburg and one of the communities constituting the municipality of Sint-Truiden. The village has a surface of 10,45 km² and comprised 2175 inhabitants in 2001....

, Wilderen, and Zepperen
Zepperen
Zepperen, a formerly independent municipality, is now part of the city of Sint-Truiden in the province of Limburg in Belgium.This village developed in the northern, humid part of Haspengouw close to the stream Melsterbeek...

.

The city is in the centre of Belgium's fruit producing region, Haspengouw (Hesbaye), and is renowned for its pears, apples (Jonagold), and sweet cherries.

Origins and Golden Age

The municipality formed around an abbey
Abbey
An abbey is a Catholic monastery or convent, under the authority of an Abbot or an Abbess, who serves as the spiritual father or mother of the community.The term can also refer to an establishment which has long ceased to function as an abbey,...

 founded by St. Trudo, a Frankish
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...

 nobleman, in the 7th century. After Trudo’s death, the abbey became the centre of a pilgrimage
Pilgrimage
A pilgrimage is a journey or search of great moral or spiritual significance. Typically, it is a journey to a shrine or other location of importance to a person's beliefs and faith...

, which brought wealth to the neighbouring town. The 11th century was particularly prosperous and witnessed an important growth in population. This was the time when abbot Adelardus, reporting to the Bishop of Metz, built the abbey’s main church and two additional churches in town: Our Lady
Our Lady
As a general concept, Our Lady may refer to:*Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mary, the mother of Jesus of Nazareth*Our Lady, the Blessed Virgin Mary in Roman Catholic teachings...

 (Lievenvrouwenkerk) and Sint-Gangulfus. Under his direction, Sint-Truiden also received an earth wall surmounted by a wooden fence and fortified gates. A proper stone wall, gates and towers, were built in 1129. The economy of this new oppidum
Oppidum
Oppidum is a Latin word meaning the main settlement in any administrative area of ancient Rome. The word is derived from the earlier Latin ob-pedum, "enclosed space," possibly from the Proto-Indo-European *pedóm-, "occupied space" or "footprint."Julius Caesar described the larger Celtic Iron Age...

 city was based on the linen
Linen
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant, Linum usitatissimum. Linen is labor-intensive to manufacture, but when it is made into garments, it is valued for its exceptional coolness and freshness in hot weather....

 industry and commerce with foreign lands such as England, Champagne
Champagne (province)
The Champagne wine region is a historic province within the Champagne administrative province in the northeast of France. The area is best known for the production of the sparkling white wine that bears the region's name...

, and Germany.

In the 13th century, the fortified town became one of the 23 bonnes villes (main cities) belonging to the Bishopric of Liège
Bishopric of Liège
The Bishopric of Liège or Prince-Bishopric of Liège was a state of the Holy Roman Empire in the Low Countries in present Belgium. It acquired its status as a prince-bishopric between 980 and 985 when Bishop Notger, who had been the bishop of Liege since 972, acquired the status of Prince-Bishop...

. A market hall was built at the site where the current city hall stands, the social life of the city was organized by the various guild
Guild
A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade. The earliest types of guild were formed as confraternities of workers. They were organized in a manner something between a trade union, a cartel, and a secret society...

s, and a perron was erected on the central square, symbolizing the local government’s authority in political affairs.

15th century until now

Charles the Bold captured the town in 1467, marking the beginning of a slow decline that lasted until the 19th century. The city’s fortifications were dismantled in 1675, and many of the religious congregations were disbanded under the French
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 regime at the end of the 18th century. After 1830
Belgian Revolution
The Belgian Revolution was the conflict which led to the secession of the Southern provinces from the United Kingdom of the Netherlands and established an independent Kingdom of Belgium....

, these empty buildings were turned into educational and medical facilities. The city was also the centre of a prosperous agricultural region, which from the end of the 19th century became well-known for its fruit production.

On August 9, 1914, at the outset of Germany’s invasion of Belgium, 20 civilians were executed and a number of houses destroyed. The reconstruction and building of brand new neighbourhoods accelerated well into the 20th century.

During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...

, its airfield was the base of one of the most famous Luftwaffe Night Fighter squadron, NJG1, with units II/NJG1 and IV/NJG1 operating Junkers Ju88 and Heinkel He219 aircraft from here in 1944. Even more, the most highest scoreing German night fighter pilot, Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer
Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer
Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer was a German Luftwaffe night fighter pilot and is the highest scoring night fighter ace in the history of aerial warfare...

 (121 air victories, most of them on night) was referred to as "The ghost of St. Trond" by British Bomber crews that flew over Germany on night attacks raids.
The airport EBST is still in use.

Places of interest

  • Sint-Truiden’s historical centre includes the town hall (Stadhuis), with a 17th-century tower
    Belfries of Belgium and France
    The Belfries of Belgium and France is a group of 56 historical buildings designated by UNESCO as World Heritage Site, in recognition of an architectural manifestation of emerging civic independence in historic Flanders and neighbouring regions from feudal and religious influences, leading to a...

     classified by UNESCO
    UNESCO
    The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations...

     as a World Heritage Site
    World Heritage Site
    A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a place that is listed by the UNESCO as of special cultural or physical significance...

     in 1999. The oldest parts of the building date from the 13th century.
  • The 15th-century Church of Our Lady
    Church of Our Lady
    Church of Our Lady may refer to:*Church of Our Lady , the former cathedral church in Aarhus, Denmark*Cathedral of Our Lady , the cathedral church in Antwerp, Belgium*Church of Our Lady , the Church of Our Lady in Bruges, Belgium...

     (Lievenvrouwenkerk) stands just beside the town hall.
  • The béguinage
    Béguinage
    A béguinage or begijnhof is a collection of small buildings used by Beguines. These were various lay sisterhoods of the Roman Catholic Church, founded in the 13th century in the Low Countries, comprising religious women who sought to serve God without retiring from the world.-Description:A...

     of Sint-Agnes, with its 13th-century church, was also classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site.
  • An 11th-century Romanesque
    Romanesque architecture
    Romanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...

     tower and crypt
    Crypt
    In architecture, a crypt is a stone chamber or vault beneath the floor of a burial vault possibly containing sarcophagi, coffins or relics....

     are all that remain of the old abbey of St Trudo. Several other Romanesque buildings can also be visited in town: Sint-Pieterskerk, Sint-Gangulfuskerk, and the Guvelingen chapel.
  • On the abbey square stands the statue of St Trudo which, together with a meridian line
    Meridian (geography)
    A meridian is an imaginary line on the Earth's surface from the North Pole to the South Pole that connects all locations along it with a given longitude. The position of a point along the meridian is given by its latitude. Each meridian is perpendicular to all circles of latitude...

     traced on the ground, also functions as a sundial
    Sundial
    A sundial is a device that measures time by the position of the Sun. In common designs such as the horizontal sundial, the sun casts a shadow from its style onto a surface marked with lines indicating the hours of the day. The style is the time-telling edge of the gnomon, often a thin rod or a...

    .
  • Sint-Truiden offers several good examples of Baroque architecture
    Baroque architecture
    Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...

    , including the gable of the town hall and the Minderbroederkerk.
  • The military school KSOO Saffraanberg.

Notable inhabitants

  • Christina the Astonishing
    Christina the Astonishing
    Christina the Astonishing , also known as Christina Mirabilis, was a Christian holy-woman born in Brustem in 1150. She is sometimes considered a saint. Christina is as much remembered for her faith as for her numerous and violent fits of ecstasy. Her memorial day is 24 July.- Life :Born a peasant,...

     (1150–1224)
  • Denis the Carthusian
    Denis the Carthusian
    Denis the Carthusian , also known as Denys van Leeuwen or Denis Ryckel, was a Roman Catholic theologian and mystic.-Life:...

    , theologian and mystic
    Mysticism
    Mysticism is the knowledge of, and especially the personal experience of, states of consciousness, i.e. levels of being, beyond normal human perception, including experience and even communion with a supreme being.-Classical origins:...

     (1402–1471)
  • Barthélémy de Theux de Meylandt, politician
    Politician
    A politician, political leader, or political figure is an individual who is involved in influencing public policy and decision making...

     and former Belgian Prime Minister, born in Sint-Truiden (1794–1874)
  • Aldous Huxley
    Aldous Huxley
    Aldous Leonard Huxley was an English writer and one of the most prominent members of the famous Huxley family. Best known for his novels including Brave New World and a wide-ranging output of essays, Huxley also edited the magazine Oxford Poetry, and published short stories, poetry, travel...

    , English
    England
    England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

     author
    Author
    An author is broadly defined as "the person who originates or gives existence to anything" and that authorship determines responsibility for what is created. Narrowly defined, an author is the originator of any written work.-Legal significance:...

     (1894–1963), married Maria Nys from Sint-Truiden and briefly resided on the town's central square
  • Désiré Collen
    Désiré Collen
    Désiré Collen is a Belgian physician and chemist. He was born in Sint-Truiden, Belgium.-Education:He graduated as an M.D...

     (b. Sint-Truiden, 21 June 1943), physician and chemist.
  • Frank De Winne
    Frank De Winne
    Frank, Viscount De Winne is a Belgian Air Component officer and an ESA astronaut. He is Belgium's second person in space . He was the first ESA astronaut to command a space mission when he served as commander of ISS Expedition 21.-Education:De Winne graduated in 1979 from the Royal School of Cadets...

    , astronaut, born in Ghent
    Ghent
    Ghent is a city and a municipality located in the Flemish region of Belgium. It is the capital and biggest city of the East Flanders province. The city started as a settlement at the confluence of the Rivers Scheldt and Lys and in the Middle Ages became one of the largest and richest cities of...

     in 1961, but residing in Sint-Truiden since 1986.
  • Danny Boffin
    Danny Boffin
    Daniel "Danny" Edouward Boffin is a retired Belgian footballer who played as a left winger.During his professional career, which spanned nearly two decades, he played for four clubs in his country - most notably Anderlecht - and one in France, appearing in nearly 600 official games as a...

    , football
    Football (soccer)
    Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

     player (b. 1965)
  • Ruud Boffin
    Ruud Boffin
    Ruud Boffin is a Belgian professional footballer currently playing for West Ham United as a goalkeeper in the Football League Championship-Career:...

    , football
    Football (soccer)
    Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...

     goalie
  • Tina Bride
    Tina Bride
    Tina Bride is a Flemish dance singer. Her birth name is Kim Poelmans. She was born in Sint-Truiden, on 23 December 1977.Bride trained and studied classical singing and jazz dance since she was ten. She was later discovered as a singer by X-Session-producer Marc Cortens in 2000...

     (b. December 23, 1977), musician and dancer
  • Simon Mignolet
    Simon Mignolet
    Simon Mignolet is a Belgian football goalkeeper, who currently plays for Sunderland in the Barclays Premier League, and the Belgian national team.-Sint-Truiden:...

     (b. August 6, 1988, Sunderland AFC goalkeeper

Economy

The airport of Sint-Truiden
Sint-Truiden Air Base
Sint-Truiden Air Base is a Belgian Air Component base, located south of Sint-Truiden , approximately east of Brussels ....

, Limburg Regional Airport - EBST is PPR. The length of the runway is 1199 meters (3933 ft) and positionned as 06 - 24. Frequency is 119.975. It's a former air force base of the Belgian Air Force
Belgian Air Force
The Air Component, formerly the Belgian Air Force, is the air arm of the Belgian Armed Forces. Originally founded in 1909, it is one of the world's first air forces, and was a pioneer in aerial combat during the First World War...



Fuel (Jet A-1 and Avgas) are available. All is located in hangar 41 (turn right at the end of the runway when taxiing heading 06). Opening hours from 09:00 LT until sunset 7/7. There is also a flight school (airplane and helicopter) Fly One.

Sister cities

Sint-Truiden is twinned
Town twinning
Twin towns and sister cities are two of many terms used to describe the cooperative agreements between towns, cities, and even counties in geographically and politically distinct areas to promote cultural and commercial ties.- Terminology :...

 with the following cities:
Duras
Duras, Lot-et-Garonne
Duras is a commune in the Lot-et-Garonne department in south-western France.The town is traversed by the Dropt river.-Notable people:*David Hume of Godscroft , Scottish historian and philosopher, was the pastor in Duras 1604-1614....

, France Weert
Weert
Weert is a municipality and city in the southeastern Netherlands. As of 2010, Weert had a population of 48,405. It lies on the Eindhoven–Maastricht railway line, and is also astride the Zuid-Willemsvaart canal.- Population centres :* Altweerterheide...

, Netherlands Nueva Guinea
Nueva Guinea
Nueva Guinea is a municipality in the Región Autónoma del Atlántico Sur department of Nicaragua.Nueva Guinea was founded in the 1960s and saw significant growth in the early 1970s as the US Peace Corps helped to move families from the Pacific region of Nicaragua to Nueva Guinea in exchange for free...

, Nicaragua

External links

  • Official website, only available in Dutch
    Dutch language
    Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...

  • Official news website, only available in Dutch
    Dutch language
    Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...

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