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Lummen
Kiosk - Lummen - België.jpg
Flag of Lummen
Flag
Coat of arms of Lummen
Coat of arms
Lummen is located in Belgium
Lummen
Lummen
Location in Belgium
Country Belgium
Community Flemish Community
Region Flemish Region
Province Limburg
Arrondissement Hasselt
Area
 • Total 53.38 km2 (20.61 sq mi)
Population
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 • Total Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1,575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
Postal codes
3560
Area codes 013, 011
Website www.lummen.be

Lummen is a town in the Limburg province of Belgium. It's located close to the city of Hasselt. In 2006, about 13,691 people lived there. The town covers an area of 53.38 square kilometers. This means there are about 256 people living in each square kilometer.

Lummen is made up of a main town called Lummen proper, plus two smaller areas: Meldert and Linkhout. It also includes many tiny villages or "hamlets" like Geneiken, Genenbos, Gestel, and Thiewinkel.

You can find a historic building called Kasteel Lagendal in Lummen.

What's in a Name?

The name Lummen was first written down around the year 1200. It was spelled "Lumm" back then. This name comes from an old Germanic word, lom, which means "moist" or "wet." This makes sense because Lummen has rivers and streams.

Where is Lummen?

Lummen is special because it sits where different types of landscapes meet. It has features of the Hageland, Haspengouw, and especially the Kempen regions. Several rivers flow through the area, including the Demer, Mangelbeek, and Zwarte Beek.

A Look at Lummen's Past

Long ago, Lummen was an important estate belonging to the Prince Bishop of Liège. Over time, different powerful families and rulers claimed parts of Lummen. One important family, the House of La Marck-Arenberg, owned Lummen from about 1350 until the late 1700s.

The town's old coat of arms showed symbols from important families like Arenberg and La Marck. However, in 2008, Lummen started using a new, more modern logo for its official papers.

World War II Memories

Lummen played a small but sad part in World War II.

On August 17, 1943, a German fighter plane shot down an American B17 bomber over Lummen. Six crew members died, two were captured, and two managed to escape. A special memorial was put up in 2013 to remember those who died.

Later, on February 21, 1945, another plane crashed in Linkhout, a part of Lummen. This was an Australian bomber shot down by a German night fighter. Only one of the seven crew members survived. Today, there is also a memorial at this crash site.

Famous People from Lummen

  • Hilde Quintens, a well-known cyclist.

See also

Kids robot.svg In Spanish: Lummen para niños

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