Pelt (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈpɛlt] ⓘ) is a municipality in the Belgian province of Limburg. It arose on 1 January 2019 from the merging of the municipalities of Neerpelt and Overpelt.[2]
Pelt | |
|---|---|
 Saint Hubert College in Neerpelt | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
Location of Pelt  | |
  Pelt Location in Belgium
Location of Pelt in Limburg  | |
| Coordinates: 51°13′N 05°25′E / 51.217°N 5.417°E | |
| Country |  Belgium |
| Community | Flemish Community |
| Region | Flemish Region |
| Province | Limburg |
| Arrondissement | Maaseik |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Dennis Fransen (CD&V) |
| • Governing party/ies | CD&V, Samen Pelt |
| Area | |
• Total | 83.78 km2 (32.35 sq mi) |
| Population (2022-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 33,601 |
| • Density | 400/km2 (1,000/sq mi) |
| Postal codes | 3900, 3910 |
| NIS code | 72043 |
| Area codes | 011 |
| Website | www.gemeentepelt.be |
After Neerpelt and Overpelt had previously agreed in principle to a merger, the new name of the municipality was announced on 4 November 2017 after a local referendum on the question. Out of the three possibilities Dommelpelt, Pelt or Pelten more than 74 percent of the votes eventually went to Pelt. The name goes back to the Romans, who called the sandy area Palethe, meaning boggy land.
The municipal councils definitively approved the merger on 18 December 2017. Neerpelt and Overpelt thus ceased to exist on 31 December 2018. A day later, on 1 January 2019, Pelt officially became a new municipality in Limburg.[3]
The merged municipality has an area of 83.63 km2 and counts more than 32,000 inhabitants.
References
edit- ^ "Bevolking per gemeente op 1 januari 2022". Statbel.
- ^ Verstraete, Alexander (4 November 2017). "Inwoners van Overpelt en Neerpelt willen samen als Pelt verder". vrt NWS. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
- ^ De Wolf, Ludwig (18 December 2017). "Definitief groen licht voor fusiegemeente Pelt (Neerpelt en Overpelt)". vrt NWS. Retrieved 25 January 2018.
External links
edit
Media related to Pelt at Wikimedia Commons
