Margraten

Margraten Mergraote
—  Town and former municipality  —
Flag Coat of arms
Coordinates: 50°49′N 5°49′E
Country	Netherlands
Province	Limburg
Municipality	Eijsden-Margraten
Area(2006)
• Total	57.70 km2 (22.3 sq mi)
• Land	57.70 km2 (22.3 sq mi)
• Water	0.00 km2 (0 sq mi)
Population (1 January 2007)
• Total	13,522
• Density	234/km2 (606.1/sq mi)
	Source: CBS, Statline.
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)

Margraten ( pronunciation ) (Limburgish: Mergraote) is a former municipality and a town in the southeastern Netherlands.

History

Netherlands American Cemetery in Margraten

In Margraten is the Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial, Europe's third largest war cemetery for unidentified soldiers who died in World War II. 8,301 soldiers are buried there under long rows of white crosses and stars of David. All graves are adopted by locals, who attend the graves and lay flowers every now and then. There have been regular visits here by soldiers who survived the war to visit a former comrade, hoping he's buried there somewhere. But now there are few left of them, so the once massive tributes are growing thin. President George W. Bush was the first American president who visited the cemetery, on 8 May 2005. Margraten is the final resting place for Lt. Colonel Robert G. Cole, who was awarded the Medal of Honor for action during the Normandy campaign in June, 1944.

Population centres

Banholt Bemelen Bergenhuizen Bruisterbosch Cadier en Keer Eckelrade Gasthuis Groot-Welsden Herkenrade Honthem Klein Welsden Mheer Moerslag

Noorbeek 't Rooth Scheulder Schey Schilberg Sint Antoniusbank Sint Geertruid Terhorst Terlinden Termaar Ulvend Wolfshuis

External links

• Official Website
• "World War II Netherlands American Cemetery and Memorial". American Battle Monuments Commission. http://www.abmc.gov/cemeteries/cemeteries/ne.php. Retrieved January 17, 2006.