Margraten facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Margraten
Mergraote (Limburgish)
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
|
Village and former municipality
|
|||
View on Margraten
|
|||
|
|||
 Margraten
Location in Netherlands
Margraten
Location in Limburg, Netherlands
|
|||
| Country | Netherlands | ||
| Province | Limburg (Netherlands) | ||
| Municipality | Eijsden-Margraten | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 7.17 km2 (2.77 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 170 m (560 ft) | ||
| Population
(2021)
|
|||
| • Total | 3,425 | ||
| • Density | 477.7/km2 (1,237.2/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | ||
| Postal code |
6269
|
||
| Dialing code | 043 | ||
Margraten is a lovely village located in the southeastern part of the Netherlands. It used to be its own municipality, which is like a local government area. Its local name is Mergraote.
On January 1, 2011, Margraten joined with a nearby municipality. This created a new, larger municipality called Eijsden-Margraten.
Contents
Margraten's History
How Margraten Grew
Before 1982, the municipality of Margraten included the village itself. It also had a few small communities. These were Groot Welsden, Klein Welsden, Termaar, and 't Rooth.
In 1982, Margraten's municipality became much bigger. Several neighboring municipalities joined it. These included Cadier en Keer, Mheer, Noorbeek, and Sint Geertruid. The village of Scheulder also became part of Margraten.
From 1982 until 2011, the Margraten municipality was quite large. It included many different villages and hamlets. All these places are now part of the Eijsden-Margraten municipality.
Here are some of the places that were once part of the Margraten municipality:
- Banholt
- Bemelen
- Bergenhuizen
- Bruisterbosch
- Cadier en Keer
- Eckelrade
- Gasthuis
- Groot-Welsden
- Herkenrade
- Honthem
- Klein Welsden
- Margraten
- Mheer
- Moerslag
- Noorbeek
- 't Rooth
- Scheulder
- Schey
- Schilberg
- Sint Antoniusbank
- Sint Geertruid
- Terhorst
- Terlinden
- Termaar
- Ulvend
- Wolfshuis
American Cemetery
A Place of Remembrance
Margraten is home to a very important place. It is called the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial. This cemetery was built in 1960. It is one of the largest war cemeteries in Europe.
Here, 8,301 soldiers are buried. They died during World War II. Their graves are marked by long rows of white crosses and Stars of David. It is a very moving sight.
Honoring the Fallen
What makes this cemetery special is how locals care for it. All the graves have been "adopted" by people from the area. These local families visit the graves regularly. They also place flowers there to honor the soldiers.
One famous soldier buried here is Lt. Colonel Robert G. Cole. He received the Medal of Honor. This is the highest military award in the United States. He earned it for his brave actions in June 1944. This was during the Normandy campaign.
In 2005, President George W. Bush visited the cemetery. He was the first American president to do so.
Famous People from Margraten
Many interesting people have connections to Margraten. Here are a few:
- Jean Bessems (born 1945): From Cadier en Keer, he is a famous billiards player. He became a world champion in artistic billiards in both 1985 and 1988.
- Pierre Lardinois (1924-1987): From Noorbeek, he was an important politician.
- Fons van Wissen (1933-2015): From Margraten, he was a talented footballer. He played in 30 international games for his country.
Images for kids
-
Netherlands American Cemetery
-
One of the many typical "road crosses" in this Roman Catholic region
-
Neighbourhood 't Rooth
