Sint-Truiden facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Sint-Truiden
Sintruin (Limburgish)
Saint-Trond (French)
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Market Square with eighteenth-century City Hall, Church of Our Lady and abbey tower
|
|||
|
|||
 Sint-Truiden
Location in Belgium
|
|||
| Country | Belgium | ||
| Community | Flemish Community | ||
| Region | Flemish Region | ||
| Province | Limburg | ||
| Arrondissement | Hasselt | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 106.90 km2 (41.27 sq mi) | ||
| Population
(2018-01-01)Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value).
|
|||
| • Total | Lua error in Module:Wd at line 1,575: attempt to index field 'wikibase' (a nil value). | ||
| Postal codes |
3800, 3803, 3806
|
||
| Area codes | 011 | ||
| Website | www.sint-truiden.be | ||
Sint-Truiden is a city and municipality in Limburg province, Flemish Region, Belgium. It has more than 41,500 people living there. This makes it one of the biggest cities in Limburg. The municipality includes many smaller towns. These include Aalst, Brustem, Duras, and Zepperen.
Sint-Truiden is in the middle of Belgium's fruit-growing area, called Haspengouw. It is very famous for its delicious pears, apples (especially Jonagold), and sweet cherries.
Contents
History of Sint-Truiden
How Sint-Truiden Began
Sint-Truiden grew around an abbey. This abbey was started by St. Trudo in the 7th century. Trudo was a Frankish nobleman. A story says that when Trudo was a boy, he built a small church with rocks. A woman kicked over his rocks and suddenly became blind. Trudo helped her see again after she said sorry. People also said he could make water appear and heal sick people.
After Trudo died, the abbey became a place for pilgrimages. Many people visited, which brought money to the nearby town. The 11th century was a very good time for Sint-Truiden. The town grew a lot and more people moved there. During this time, Abbot Adelardus built the main church for the abbey. He also built two more churches in town: Our Lady and Sint-Gangulfus.
Under Adelardus, Sint-Truiden also got an earth wall with a wooden fence and strong gates. A proper stone wall, gates, and towers were built in 1129. The city's economy was based on making linen cloth. They also traded with other countries like England, France, and Germany.
Sint-Truiden in the Middle Ages
In the 13th century, Sint-Truiden became one of the 23 most important cities. These cities belonged to the Bishopric of Liège. A market hall was built where the city hall is today. Different guilds organized the city's social life. A perron (a special column) was put up in the main square. This showed that the local government had power over political matters.
From the 15th Century to Today
Charles the Bold took over the town in 1467. This started a slow decline for Sint-Truiden that lasted until the 19th century. The city's walls were taken down in 1675. Many religious groups were closed down when the French ruled in the late 1700s. After Belgium became independent in 1830, these empty buildings were used for schools and hospitals.
Sint-Truiden was also important for farming. By the late 1800s, it became very well known for growing fruit.
The city was in an important spot for Belgium's northeast border. General Henri Alexis Brialmont suggested making it stronger. On August 9, 1914, when Germany invaded Belgium, 20 people were killed. Many houses were also destroyed. The city was rebuilt, and new neighborhoods were added throughout the 20th century.
During World War II, Sint-Truiden's airfield was a base for a famous German night fighter squadron. They used planes like the Junkers Ju 88. The best German night fighter pilot, Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer, was called "The spook of St. Trond." This was by British bomber crews who flew over Germany at night. The airport (EBST) is still used today.
Transportation in Sint-Truiden
Air Travel
The airport of Sint-Truiden is called Limburg Regional Airport – EBST. It used to be a base for the Belgian Air Force. It still has a long runway. Fuel for planes is available there. The airport is open from 9 AM until sunset every day. There is also a flight school where you can learn to fly airplanes and helicopters. There are no regular passenger flights from this airport.
Train Travel
The town has its own train station, called Sint-Truiden railway station.
Sports in Sint-Truiden
The professional football club Sint-Truidense V.V. is based in Sint-Truiden. This team, often called STVV, plays in the highest football league in Belgium, the Pro League.
Interesting Places to Visit
- Sint-Truiden's old city center has the town hall (Stadhuis). It has a 17th-century belfry tower. This belfry is part of a World Heritage Site recognized by UNESCO. The oldest parts of the town hall building are from the 13th century.
- The 15th-century Church of Our Lady (Lievenvrouwenkerk) is right next to the town hall.
- The Sint-Agnes béguinage is also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It includes a church from the 13th century.
- Only an 11th-century Romanesque tower and a crypt are left from the old abbey of St Trudo. You can also see other Romanesque buildings in town. These include Sint-Pieterskerk, Sint-Gangulfuskerk, and the Guvelingen chapel.
- In the abbey square, there is a statue of St Trudo. It also works as a sundial with a line on the ground.
- Sint-Truiden has some great examples of Baroque architecture. This includes the front of the town hall and the Minderbroederkerk.
- The military school KSOO Saffraanberg is also in Sint-Truiden. Its grounds include Rochemdaal Castle.
Famous People from Sint-Truiden
- Christina the Astonishing (1150–1224) – A Christian mystic.
- Denis the Carthusian (1402–1471) – A theologian and mystic.
- Barthélémy de Theux de Meylandt (born 1794) – A politician who became a Belgian Prime Minister.
- Aldous Huxley (1894–1963) – An English author. He lived in Sint-Truiden for a short time.
- Frank De Winne (born 1961) – An astronaut. He lives in Sint-Truiden.
- Koen Vanmechelen (born 1965) – A well-known artist.
- Danny Boffin (born 1965) – A professional football player.
- Simon Mignolet (born 1988) – A professional football player.
- Nina Derwael (born 2000) – A famous gymnast.
- Dimitri Van den Bergh (born 1994) – A professional darts player.
Sister Cities
Sint-Truiden is connected with other cities around the world. These are called sister cities or twin towns.
Duras, France
Weert, Netherlands
Nueva Guinea, Nicaragua
See also
In Spanish: Sint-Truiden para niños
