Bocholtz

Bocholtz
—  Town  —
The church in Bocholtz as seen from the Orsbacherweg
Coordinates: 50°N 6°E / 50; 6
Country	Netherlands
Province	Limburg
Municipality	Simpelveld
Population (1 January 2007)
• Total	5,573
• Density	705/km2 (1,830/sq mi)
	Source: CBS, Statline.
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

Castle De Bongard, Bocholtz

Bocholtz (50°49′N 6°0′E) is a town in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is a part of the municipality of Simpelveld, and lies about 7 km southwest of Kerkrade. Until 1982, it was a separate municipality.

In January 2007, Bocholtz had 5,573 inhabitants. The built-up area of the town was 0.76 km², and contained 1,810 residences.

History

Bocholtz dates back to the Roman era. A Roman villa was found in the Vlengendaal, a street of Bocholtz, in 1911. A farmer plowing his land found a Roman sarcophagus in October 2003.

Architecture and buildings

Castle De Bongard

The Castle De Bongard dates from the 16th century. The current building only represents 1/4 of the original building. The rest was destroyed during the invasion by the French.

Hoeve Overhuizen

Hoeve Overhuizen is a fortified farm with roots dating back as far as the 13th century.

Church

The church was built between 1869 and 1873 by architect Pierre Cuypers. While expanding the church in 1953, they found the remains of a building from the late medieval period. The patron saint is St. Jacob.

Regional language

Bocholtz is part of The Netherlands and therefore the official language is Dutch. A lot of people also speak Bocholtzer, a regional language that depending of the definition belongs to Ripuarian or Limburgish. It is also referred to as Southeast Limburgish.

External links

• J. Kuyper, Gemeente Atlas van Nederland, 1865-1870, "Bocholtz". Map of the former municipality, around 1868.