History of Heerlen

Romans

The Romans founded a settlement more than 2,000 years ago, which they named Coriovallum. Coriovallum stands for "excellently situated fortification" or "army town. In 1940, a Roman bathhouse was discovered by chance; unique in the Netherlands and now on display at the Thermen Museum in Heerlen.

Village character

From the tenth century, when agriculture was well developed throughout Europe, Heerlen took on a village form with farmhouses and mills along the valleys of the Caumer, Schandeler and Geleen streams. Around 1900 Heerlen was still a small place with a certain center function: there was a doctor, a veterinarian, a district court, a PTT and stores.

Mining City

Thanks to mining, Heerlen grew explosively in the twentieth century: from 7,000 inhabitants in 1900 to nearly 100,000 inhabitants in 2000. In 1965, the government decided to close the mines. Since Heerlen had focused entirely on mining, this shook the economy. Heerlen faced an operation to attract and provide work in other sectors. The black mining hills became green housing estates or parks.

History still visible 

The history of Heerlen is still visible in several places in the city, such as in the typical miners' neighborhoods, Castle Hoensbroek, the Dutch Mining Museum or the Thermen Museum. But you can also find it on the streets in the Roman Quarter. This is an area of Heerlen-Centrum, where you experience the city of the past in the present. 

Learn more

For more information, visit the websites of:

• Thermal Museum 
• Historical Center Limburg 
• Hoensbroek Castle 
• The Find  
• Dutch Mining Museum