Wijlre ( Dutch: [ˈʋilreː] or [ˈʋilrə] ; Limburgish : Wielder ) is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg . It is located in the municipality of Gulpen-Wittem .
7-571: The village was first mentioned in 1075 as Wilere, and means "farm or hamlet". Wijlre developed in the Middle Ages between the Geul and the flank of the Ubachsberg. It became an independent parish in 1262. Wijlre Castle was built shortly after 1652 on the location of medieval fortified building. Three servant's wings with mansard roofs were added in the 18th century. The garden were designed in 1810. In 1939,
14-529: A casemate was built near the entrance to the castle. The Catholic St Gertrudis Church was built between 1835 and 1839 as a replacement of its 13th century predecessor. In 1896, the church was enlarged by Pierre Cuypers . Between 1924 and 1925, the eastern side with tower was added. Wijlre was home to 420 people in 1840. In 1853, a joint railway station with Gulpen opened on the Aachen to Maastricht railway line. The station closed in 1988. In 1871, Brand Brewery
21-551: A result also is a serious source of heavy metal inflow into the Meuse. This pollution is a result of former zinc and lead mining activities near the Belgian towns of Kelmis (La Calamine) and Plombières (formerly named Bleiberg). The last one of these mines have closed early in the 20th century. One of the reasons for giving up mining activities in Plombières was the occasional flooding of
28-602: The Geul is at about 300 metres (980 ft) above sea level in northeastern Belgium near the German border, south of the German town of Aachen . From there, after flowing some 20 kilometres (12 mi) in a northwestern direction, it leaves Belgium and enters the Netherlands at Cottessen in the Vaals municipality. After a further 38 kilometres (24 mi) in a west-northwestern direction through
35-412: The mine by the Geul, as the bedrock (mainly Carboniferous limestone ) contains many faults and fissures. Although mine factory buildings have been demolished, old railway dikes still are abundantly present in the area. They provide ideal hiking routes, that are known for the presence of so-called "zinc flora" (zinc-tolerant plants, such as yellow calamine violet and Viola calaminaria ). During
42-498: The southernmost part of Limburg , which in its turn is the most southern province of the Netherlands, it flows into the Meuse, north of the city of Maastricht . A tributary of the Geul is the Gulp . Places through which the Geul passes are among others Kelmis (Belgium), Valkenburg aan de Geul , including Schin op Geul , and Meerssen (Netherlands). The water of the Geul is polluted seriously with heavy metals zinc and lead and as
49-565: Was founded in Wijlre. Wijlre was a separate municipality until 1982, when it was merged with Gulpen . Geul The Geul ( [ˈɣøːl] , Limburgish: [ˈɣøːl] ; German : Göhl [ˈɡøːl] ; French : Gueule [ɡœl] ) is a river in Belgium and in the Netherlands , where it is a right-bank tributary to the river Meuse . The source of
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