Leopoldsburg

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Leopold Castle ( Limburg: Leopolsbörch ) is a municipality in the Belgian province of Limburg with 15,172 inhabitants (as of January 1, 2012). Leopold castle belongs to the administrative district of Hasselt.

History

Leopold castle, to Louvain -la -Neuve (formed 1969), the "youngest " Village of Belgium. The village was founded around 1850, after the Belgian army I ( 1790-1865 ) the military camp Kamp van Beverlo let build up in Beverloer heathland on behalf of King Leopold. This, according to current standard very extensive heath area that stretched from Oostham about Lommel was sparsely populated in the early 19th century and was by royal decree of the communities Beverlo ( today Ham ) separately ( today Beringen ) and Oostham.

Popularly Leopold castle is still called " Kamp " ( warehouse), or " Strooiendorp " (straw village), after the first thatched roof houses, which were built at that time in the immediate vicinity of the camp for the military.

Places

The municipality counts Leopold castle, the village of the same name, where there is also the administrative center, and further still the village Heppen and some smaller towns.

Garrison town

In Leopoldsburg various infantry and armored battalions of the Belgian armed forces were placed which are yet still strikingly present in the streets, even though the conscription in Belgium was abolished in 1994.

During the German occupation of Belgium in World War II numerous units and formations of the Reserve Army and the Waffen- SS were housed on the premises of the training area that there have spent a part of their education, while at the same time acted as occupiers.

After liberation by the British army in 1944, the area served as a base for further advance. On 15 September 1944, the British Lieutenant-General Brian Horrocks G. gave the order for Operation Market Garden in the former cinema Leopoldsburg his troops. The military operation began two days later at the bridge Joe 's Bridge in the neighboring Lommel.

Today's barracks complex is the largest site of the Belgian Army.