# Beekdaelen

Beekdaelen (Dutch: ; Limburgish: Baekdale) is a municipality in the province of Limburg, situated in the southern Netherlands. It was formed as a merger of Nuth, Onderbanken and Schinnen.
Beekdaelen has 35,853 inhabitants. It does not have a capital. The town hall of the municipality is currently situated in the village Nuth, which is the biggest population centre in the municipality with 6,520 inhabitants. The other fourteen villages in the municipality are Amstenrade with 2,670 inhabitants, Bingelrade with 796 inhabitants, Doenrade with 1,122 inhabitants, Hulsberg with 3,954 inhabitants, Jabeek with 752 inhabitants, Merkelbeek with 1,564 inhabitants, Oirsbeek with 3,733 inhabitants, Puth with 2,004 inhabitants, Schimmert with 3,236 inhabitants, Schinnen with 2,692 inhabitants, Schinveld with 4,629 inhabitants, Sweikhuizen with 690 inhabitants, and Wijnandsrade with 1,631 inhabitants. The other population centres belong to one of the following villages.

## Politics

The government of Beekdaelen is the government of the municipality of Beekdaelen in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands. Beekdaelen has been its own municipality since a merger of the old municipalities of Nuth, Onderbanken, and Schinnen. The municipality covers fifteen villages, the town hall is currently located in the village of Nuth. The first municipal election in Beekdaelen was in 2018.

### Local government

Results of the elections of 2018, and 2022:
City council seats :
| Party | % 2018 | % 2022 | S. 2018 | S. 2022 |
| Vernieuwingsgroep | 21.0 | 25.6 | 6 | 7 |
| Beekdaelen Lokaal | 19.0 | 21.8 | 5 | 6 |
| CDA | 27.0 | 20.3 | 7 | 5 |
| GreenLeft | 9.8 | 11.6 | 2 | 3 |
| VVD | 10.9 | 10.9 | 3 | 2 |
| D66 | 4.9 | 5.6 | 1 | 1 |
| PvdA | 5.0 | 4.3 | 1 | 1 |
| VitaalBeekdaelen | 2.6 | – | 0 | – |
| Turnout | 52.5 | 52.5 | 25 | 25 |

### Municipal government 2018–2022

Following the 2018 municipal elections a coalition was formed consisting of CDA (Christian democratic), Vernieuwingsgroep (translation: Renewal Group, a local party), GroenLinks (green left), and PvdA (labour). In total 8 parties took part in the election, with 7 parties obtaining at least one seat.
In September 2021, Leon Rijkx (a councillor from CDA) left his party. He cited "the problematic culture within the local department of CDA". He joined the Vernieuwingsgroep and took his council seat with him, this increased the seat total of the Vernieuwingsgroep to 7 and decreased the seat total of CDA to 6, making the Vernieuwingsgroep the biggest party in terms of seat total.
Municipal executives :
| Name | Portfolio | Party |
| Eric Geurts | Mayor of Beekdaelen General Affairs, Safety, Integrity, Legal Affairs, & Communications | PvdA |
| Jan Hermans | Spatial Development, Public Space, Housing, & Traffic and Transport | Vernieuwingsgroep |
| Jeannette Quadvlieg-van Dam | Wellbeing, Loneliness, Aircraft Noise Disturbance, Water and Sewage, Civic Integration, & Social Affairs | Vernieuwingsgroep |
| Jos Timmermans | Energy Transition, Business Terrain, Entrepreneurs, & Coordination | CDA |
| Peter Janssen | Finance, Youth Care, & Education | CDA |
| John Essers | Sport and Associations, Arts and Culture, Quality of Life Initiatives, Health Care | GL and PvdA |
Municipal council :
| Party | Seats |
| Christian Democratic Appeal | 7 |
| Vernieuwingsgroep | 6 |
| Beekdaelen Lokaal | 5 |
| VVD | 3 |
| GreenLeft | 2 |
| Democrats 66 | 1 |
| Labour Party | 1 |
| VitaalBeekdaelen | 0 |
| Total | 25 |

### Municipal government 2022–present

Following the 2022 municipal elections a coalition was formed consisting of Vernieuwingsgroep (translation: Renewal Group, a local party), Beekdaelen Lokaal (translation: Beekdaelen Local, a local party), and CDA (Christian democratic). In total 7 parties took part in the election, with all parties obtaining at least one seat.
Leon Rijkx and Ton Kollée left Vernieuwingsgroep over disagreements with the party and the coalition on the location for the new town hall, leaving Vernieuwingsgroep with 5 seats. They currently sit on the municipal council as "Fractie Rijkx - Kollée".
Municipal executives :
| Name | Portfolio | Party |
| Eric Geurts | Mayor of Beekdaelen Safety & Internal Affairs | PvdA |
| Henk Reijnders | Housing, Economy & Environment | Beekdaelen Lokaal |
| Jan Hermans | Public Works & Energy Transition | Vernieuwingsgroep |
| Peter Janssen | Finance, Youth Care, & Education | CDA |
| Levin de Koster | Sport, Culture & Health | Vernieuwingsgroep |
Municipal council :
| Party | Seats | Change from 2018 |
| Vernieuwingsgroep | 7 | 1 |
| Beekdaelen Lokaal | 6 | 1 |
| Christian Democratic Appeal | 5 | 2 |
| GreenLeft | 3 | 1 |
| VVD | 2 | 1 |
| Democrats 66 | 1 | 0 |
| Labour Party | 1 | 0 |
| Total | 25 | – |

## Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Beekdaelen, November 2018

## Notable people

* Auguste Kerckhoffs (1835 in Nuth – 1903) a Dutch linguist, cryptographer and academic
* Frans de Wever (1869 in Nuth – 1940) a Dutch general practitioner, municipal doctor and hospital founder
* Theo Rutten (1899 in Schinnen – 1980) a professor of psychology and a Dutch politician
* Johannes Herman Frederik Umbgrove (1899 in Hulsberg – 1954) was a Dutch geologist and Earth scientist
* Leo Wetzels (born 1951 in Schinnen) academic and Editor-in-Chief of Probus International
* Peter Akkermans (born 1957 in Hulsberg) a Dutch archaeologist and academic

### Sport

* Joep Packbiers (1875 in Nuth – 1957) a Dutch archer, competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics
* Frans Korver (born 1937 in Schinnen) a Dutch former professional football player and manager
* Wim Ernes (1958 in Schimmert – 2016) a Dutch equestrian dressage coach
* Nadezhda Wijenberg (born 1964) a long-distance runner, lives in Schinnen,
* Julie Zwarthoed (born 1994 in Schinnen) a Dutch female ice hockey player

## Gallery

* Kasteel Amstenrade
* Kasteel Wijnandsrade
* Terstraten, Nuth
* Hoeve Krekelberg, Schinnen
* Hulsberg, monastery
* Jabeek, church: the Sint-Gertrudiskerk