Kwaadmechelen
Kwaadmechelen is a village in the Ham municipality of the Limburg province in the Flemish Community of Belgium. Kwaadmechelen was an independent municipality until 1977 when it merged into Ham.
The area has been inhabited since prehistory. A Roman cemetery had been discovered near the village. Kwaadmechelen was first mentioned as Quaedmechelen in 1365. The village became an independent parish in the 16th century. In 1892, Exploitation des Procédés Raynaud, a chemical company nowadays known as Tessenderlo Chemie, was founded in Kwaadmechelen. In 1925, the railway line Diest - Beringen-Mijnen was extended with a station in Kwaadmechelen. The railway line closed for passengers in 1957, but remains in use as an industrial line. In 1977, Kwaadmechelen merged with Ham. Even though Kwaadmechelen was the biggest village, the new municipality was named Ham, because it was a former heerlijkheid ( landed estate).
The area has been inhabited since prehistory. A Roman cemetery had been discovered near the village. Kwaadmechelen was first mentioned as Quaedmechelen in 1365. The village became an independent parish in the 16th century. In 1892, Exploitation des Procédés Raynaud, a chemical company nowadays known as Tessenderlo Chemie, was founded in Kwaadmechelen. In 1925, the railway line Diest - Beringen-Mijnen was extended with a station in Kwaadmechelen. The railway line closed for passengers in 1957, but remains in use as an industrial line. In 1977, Kwaadmechelen merged with Ham. Even though Kwaadmechelen was the biggest village, the new municipality was named Ham, because it was a former heerlijkheid ( landed estate).
Map - Kwaadmechelen
Map
Country - Belgium
Flag of Belgium |
Belgium is a sovereign state and a federal constitutional monarchy with a parliamentary system. Its institutional organization is complex and is structured on both regional and linguistic grounds. It is divided into three highly autonomous regions: the Flemish Region (Flanders) in the north, the Walloon Region (Wallonia) in the south, and the Brussels-Capital Region. Brussels is the smallest and most densely populated region, as well as the richest region in terms of GDP per capita. Belgium is also home to two main linguistic communities: the Flemish Community, which constitutes about 60 percent of the population, and the French Community, which constitutes about 40 percent of the population. A small German-speaking Community, numbering around one percent, exists in the East Cantons. The Brussels-Capital Region is officially bilingual in French and Dutch, although French is the dominant language.
Currency / Language
ISO | Currency | Symbol | Significant figures |
---|---|---|---|
EUR | Euro | € | 2 |
ISO | Language |
---|---|
NL | Dutch language |
FR | French language |
DE | German language |