Sittard

Sittard Zitterd
The Markt (market square) of Sittard
Flag Coat of arms
Country	Netherlands
Province	Limburg
COROP	South Limburg
Municipality	Sittard-Geleen
Population (1 January 2005)	36.960
Transport
Major roads	N276, N294, N297

St Michael's church on Sittard market square.

Sittard (Limburgish: Zitterd) is a city in the Dutch province of Limburg, which is the southernmost province of the Netherlands. On the east Sittard borders on Germany (municipality Selfkant, in North Rhine-Westphalia). It has some 48,400 inhabitants (including those of neighbouring villages Munstergeleen, Limbricht, Einighausen and Guttecoven). Sittard is part of the municipality of Sittard-Geleen. The city centre is located at 45 m above sea level.

St Peter's church, Sittard.

History

Sittard was first mentioned in 1157. Sittard was granted city rights by the Duke of Limburg in 1243. In 1400 it was sold to the Duchy of Jülich, and remained in its possession until 1794. Sittard was a small stronghold, until a great part of it was destroyed in 1677 during the Franco-Dutch War. Under French occupation (1794-1814), Sittard was part of the Roer department. Since 1814, it has been part of the Netherlands, except for the years 1830-1839, when it joined the Belgian Revolution.

Main sights

Sittard has a small historic city centre with numerous architectural monuments, including several old churches (St Peter's, St Michael's, Basilica of Our Lady of the Sacred Heart) and a few half-timbered houses. The city has retained part of its city wall. On the south-eastern side of the city centre, the St Rosa chapel crowns the Kollenberg hill. Museum "Het Domein" is situated in a converted nineteenth century school building in the city centre. It focuses on contemporary art, urban history and archeology.

Economy

The SABIC European head office and a large DSM office are based in Sittard. Both companies have large chemical production facilities in nearby Geleen.

Education

There are several schools for professional education (hbo) in the city, including faculties of the Hogeschool Zuyd and Fontys Hogescholen. Large schools for secondary education in Sittard are 'Trevianum' (havo and vwo) and 'Da Capo' (vmbo).

Sport

Sittard is the home of the professional football club Fortuna Sittard and of the internationally well known handball club Sittardia.

The biggest Kennedy march of the Netherlands starts and ends in Sittard.

Well known natives

• Eddy Beugels, cyclism
• Rens Blom, athletics
• Mike van Diem, film director
• Jo Erens, singer
• Toon Hermans, comedian
• Wim Hof, Iceman
• Francine Houben, architect, director of Mecanoo
• Jan Nolten, cyclism
• Jan Notermans, soccer
• Huub Stevens, soccer
• Arnold Vanderlyde, boxer
• Joost Zweegers, singer and pianist of Novastar

Dialect

The Sittard dialect is a particular variant of Limburgish.

Sister city

• Valjevo,  Serbia.

Impressions

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  St Peter's church, Sittard

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  SABIC office, Sittard

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  Sittard city park

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  Street in Sittard centre

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  Museum Het Domein, Sittard

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  Sittard city wall

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  Sittard train station

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Coordinates: 51°00′N 5°52′E / 51°N 5.867°E / 51; 5.867