Valkenburg aan de Geul

The history of the settlement on the territory of present-day Valkenburg-en-de-Göla dates back deep into the 11th century. The first mentions - by 1041 regarding the settlement with the name “Falchenberch”. It is authentically known that in 1115, fortifications were already erected, which belonged to Goseveynu I, Lord Valkenburg ( Gosewijn I, Lord of Valkenburg ). These defenses were destroyed during the siege of the city by Henry V , Emperor of the Holy Roman Empire in 1122. The castle was rebuilt in the next century, but was again destroyed during the siege, this time by Jan III, Duke of Brabant. Modern ruins, which are a landmark - are the remains of a royal castle, rebuilt in the XIV century. It was in this city that Beatrix Falkenburg ( Beatrix van Valkenburg ) was born and raised. As a result, in 1269, at the age of 15, she married 60-year-old Richard Cornwall , King of the Holy Roman Empire. In December 1672, the castle was again destroyed by Dutch troops led by William III , who made a warning maneuver, trying to prevent the army of King Louis XIV of France from seizing the fortress. The destruction was so impressive that after this attempt to restore the castle was no longer undertaken. ^{[2] The} 19th century for the city was marked by the flourishing of tourism, thanks to its location and environment. Valkenburg aan de Geul is becoming a sought-after holiday destination for wealthy individuals in the Netherlands and from other countries. The laying of the railway in 1853 accelerated this process. Data on tourism in 1960-70 says that the city annually took about a million tourists. ^[3]

The city of Valkenburg aan de Geul is a municipality . It was created on January 1, 1982 by merging cities and towns. Today, the municipality of Valkenburg en de Geul consists of:

• Valkenburg (Limburg) ;
• Berg ;
• Vilt ;
• Terbliyt ;
• Broekhem ;
• Emmaberg ;
• Heek ;
• Houthem-St. Gerlach ;
• Geulhem;
• Strabeek ;
• Oud-Valkenburg ;
• Schin op Geul ;
• Strucht ;
• Walem ;
• Schoonbron ;
• Sibbe ;
• IJzeren . ^[four]

Most of the inhabitants of Valkenburg-en-de-Göla are engaged in business tourism, namely the provision of related services in the field of services. In second place is the agricultural industry. Residents work in private farms, as hired workers from large companies specializing in the cultivation of fruit.

• Gerlach of Valkenberg (1100–1170), canonized saint;
• Engelbert of Valkenburg (1220–1274), Archbishop of Cologne ;
• Beatrice of Valkenburg (1254–1277), wife of the King of the Holy Roman Richard Cornwall , nominally the queen of the Holy Roman Empire;
• Kuipers, Peter (1827–1921), Dutch architect; lived and worked in Valkenburg;
• Wasmann, Erich (1859–1931), Austrian Jesuit monk and entomologist ;
• Hanlo, Jan (1912–1969), Dutch singer and writer;
• Lei Molin (1927–1990), artist;
• Gerlach Cerfontaine (born in 1946) businessman, director general (CEO of Schiphol Group );
• Camiel Eurlings (born 1973), politician, businessman (corporate director of KLM );
• Marjon Lambriks (born 1949), singer, winner of soprano voice;
• Rob Ruijgh (born 1986), cyclist.

The official site of the municipality of Valkenburg-en-de-Geul ;