Editing Sint-Truiden

{{Use dmy dates|date=June 2018}}
{{more citations needed|date=January 2013}}
{{Infobox Belgium municipality
|name             = Sint-Truiden
|native_name = {{nativename|li|Sintruin}}
|namefr           = Saint-Trond
|type             = city
|picture          = Sint-Truiden.jpg
|picture-width    = 250px
|picture-legend   = Market Square with eighteenth-century City Hall, Church of Our Lady and abbey tower
|map              = Sint-Truiden Limburg Belgium Map.svg
|map-legend       = Location of Sint-Truiden in Limburg
|arms             = Wapen van Sint-Truiden.svg
|flag             = Vlag van Sint-Truiden.svg
|region           = {{BE-REG-FLE}}
|community        = {{BE-NL}}
|province         = {{BE-PROV-LI}}
|arrondissement   = [[Arrondissement of Hasselt|Hasselt]]
|nis              = 71053
|pyramid-date     = 1 January 2006
|0–19=19.28
|20–64=62.79
|65=17.93
|foreigners=3.16
|foreigners-date  = 1 July 2005
|mayor            = Ludwig Vandenhove ([[Vooruit (political party)|Vooruit]])
|majority         = [[Vooruit (political party)|Vooruit]], [[Welzijn Optimisme Welvaart|WOW]], [[New Flemish Alliance|N-VA]], [[Open Flemish Liberals and Democrats|Open VLD]]
|postal-codes     = 3800, 3803, 3806
|telephone-area   = 011
|web              = [http://www.sint-truiden.be/ www.sint-truiden.be]
|coordinates      = {{coord|50|48|N|05|11|E|region:BE|display=inline,title}}
}}

'''Sint-Truiden''' ({{IPA|nl|sɪnˈtrœydə(n)|-|Nl-Sint-Truiden.ogg}}; {{langx|fr|link=no|Saint-Trond}} {{IPA|fr|sɛ̃ tʁɔ̃|}}; {{langx|li|Sintruin}} {{IPA|li|sɪnˈtʀœjn|}}){{fix|text=tone?|date=March 2022}} is a [[City status in Belgium|city]] and [[Municipalities in Belgium|municipality]] located in the [[Provinces of Belgium|province]] of [[Limburg (Belgium)|Limburg]], [[Flemish Region]], [[Belgium]]. With more than 41,500 inhabitants, it is one of the largest cities in Limburg. 

The municipality includes the former communes (now ''deelgemeenten'') of Aalst, [[Brustem]], [[Duras, Belgium|Duras]], [[Engelmanshoven]], [[Gelinden]], [[Gorsem]], [[Groot-Gelmen]], [[Halmaal]], [[Kerkom-bij-Sint-Truiden]], Melveren, Metsteren, [[Ordingen]], [[Runkelen]], [[Velm]], [[Wilderen]], and [[Zepperen]].

The city is in the centre of Belgium's fruit-producing region, ''Haspengouw'' ([[Hesbaye]]), which is renowned for its [[pears]], [[apples]] (Jonagold), and [[Cherry|sweet cherries]].

==History==

===Origins and Golden Age===
The municipality developed around an [[Sint-Truiden Abbey|abbey]] founded in the 7th century by [[St. Trudo]], a [[Franks|Frankish]] nobleman. Legend has it that as a boy, Trudo was playing, building a small church with some rocks. When a woman scornfully kicked over the rocks, she was struck by sudden blindness. Trudo cured her from this blindness after she asked for his forgiveness. He also allegedly was able to find spring water and cure other illnesses. 

After Trudo's death, the abbey (the later [[Sint-Truiden Abbey]]) became the centre of a [[pilgrimage]]. This brought pilgrims and  wealth to the neighbouring town. The 11th century was a particularly prosperous period for the town, where the population grew markedly. 

This was the time when abbot Adelardus, reporting to the prince-bishop of [[Prince-Bishopric of Metz|Metz]], built the abbey's main church and two additional churches in town: [[Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)|Our Lady]] (''{{ill|Lievenvrouwenkerk|nl|Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Sint-Truiden)}}'') and ''Sint-[[Gangulfus]]''.  Under the abbot's direction, Sint-Truiden also received an earth wall surmounted by a wooden fence and fortified gates.  A proper defensive stone wall, gates and towers, were built in 1129.  The economy of this new [[oppidum]] city was based on the [[linen]] industry. In addition, it traded successfully with such foreign lands as England, [[Champagne (province)|Champagne]], and Germany.

In the 13th century, the fortified town became one of the 23 ''bonnes villes'' (main cities) belonging to the [[Bishopric of Liège]].  A market hall was built at the site where the current city hall stands, the social life of the city was organized by the various [[guild]]s, and a ''[[Perron (columnar monument)|perron]]'' was erected on the central square, symbolizing the local government's authority in political affairs.

===15th century until now===
[[Charles the Bold]] captured the town in 1467, marking the beginning of a slow decline that lasted until the 19th century. The city's fortifications were dismantled in 1675, and many of the religious congregations were disbanded under the French regime at the end of the 18th century. After [[Belgian revolution|1830]], these empty buildings were turned into educational and medical facilities. The city was also the centre of a prosperous agricultural region, which from the end of the 19th century became well known for its fruit production.

It occupied an important strategical position with regard to the N.E. frontier of Belgium, and General [[Henri Alexis Brialmont]] recommended its fortification.<ref>{{Cite EB1911|wstitle=St Trond}}</ref> On 9 August 1914, at the outset of Germany's invasion of Belgium, 20 civilians were executed and a number of houses destroyed. The reconstruction and building of brand new neighbourhoods accelerated well into the 20th century.

During [[World War II]], its airfield was the base of one of the most famous Luftwaffe Night Fighter squadron, NJG1, with units II/NJG1 and IV/NJG1 operating Junkers Ju 88 and Heinkel He 219 aircraft from here in 1944. The highest scoring German night fighter pilot, [[Heinz-Wolfgang Schnaufer]] (121 air victories, most of them at night) was referred to as "The spook of St. Trond" by British Bomber crews that flew over Germany on night raids.
The airport EBST is still in use.

==Transport==

===Air===
The [[Sint-Truiden Air Base|airport of Sint-Truiden]], Limburg Regional Airport – EBST is PPR. It is a former [[Belgian Air Force]] Air Base and retains the long hard 06 – 24 runway, though only 1199 metres (3933&nbsp;ft) is used.

Fuel (Jet A-1 and Avgas) are available. All is located in hangar 41 (turn right at the end of the runway when taxiing heading 06). Opening hours from 09:00 LT until sunset 7/7. There is also a flight school (airplane and helicopter) Fly One.

There are no scheduled flights.

===Rail===
[[File:Station Sint-Truiden Gebouw.jpg|thumb|[[Sint-Truiden railway station]]]]
The town is served by [[Sint-Truiden railway station]].

==Sports==
[[File:Stvv stadion.jpg|thumb|[[Stayen]]|239x239px]]
The professional [[football club]] [[Sint-Truidense V.V.]] is based in Sint-Truiden. STVV plays in the highest division of Belgian football, the Pro League.

==Places of interest==
[[Image:Kasteel van duras.jpg|thumb|Duras castle|237x237px]]

* Sint-Truiden's historical centre includes the town hall (''Stadhuis''), with a 17th-century [[Belfry (architecture)|belfry]] added by [[UNESCO]] to the [[World Heritage Site]] of [[Belfries of Belgium and France]].<ref>{{cite web |title=World Heritage List {{!}} Belfries of Belgium and France |work=[[UNESCO]] |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/943 |access-date=2014-03-31}}</ref><ref name="unscoBelfry">[https://whc.unesco.org/archive/2005/whc05-29com-08B.Add2.pdf List of the Serial Properties to be examined by the 29th session of the World Heritage Committee], p. 8 : n° 943-021, ''Stadhuis met Toren'', Sint-Truiden, listed in 1999.</ref> The oldest parts of the building date from the 13th century.
* The 15th-century Church of [[Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic)|Our Lady]] (''Lievenvrouwenkerk'') stands just beside the town hall.
* The [[béguinage]] of ''Sint-Agnes'', with its 13th-century church, was also classified by UNESCO as a World Heritage Site of [[Flanders|Flemish]] Beguinages.
* An 11th-century [[Romanesque architecture|Romanesque]] tower and [[crypt]] are all that remain of the old abbey of St Trudo.  Several other Romanesque buildings can also be visited in town: ''Sint-Pieterskerk'', ''Sint-Gangulfuskerk'', and the ''Guvelingen'' chapel.
* On the abbey square stands the statue of St Trudo which, together with a [[Meridian (geography)|meridian line]] traced on the ground, also functions as a [[sundial]].
* Sint-Truiden offers several good examples of [[Baroque architecture]], including the gable of the town hall and the ''Minderbroederkerk''.
* The military school [[Koninklijke School voor Onderofficieren|KSOO Saffraanberg]], the grounds of which include Rochemdaal Castly.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://desertedplaces.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-abandoned-chateau-rochendaal.html|title = Deserted Places: The abandoned Château Rochendaal|date = 14 January 2014}}</ref>

==Notable inhabitants==
* [[Christina the Astonishing]] (1150–1224)
* [[Denis the Carthusian]], theologian and [[mysticism|mystic]] (1402–1471)
* [[Henri-Guillaume Hamal]] (1685–1752), musician and composer, ''maître de musique'' at {{ill|Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk (Sint-Truiden)|nl|lt=Onze-Lieve-Vrouwekerk}} {{circa|1708–1712}}
* [[Barthélémy de Theux de Meylandt]] (born 26 February 1794), politician and former [[List of Prime Ministers of Belgium|Belgian Prime Minister]]
* [[Aldous Huxley]], English author (1894–1963), married Maria Nys from Sint-Truiden and briefly resided on the town's central square
* [[Désiré Collen]] (born 21 June 1943), physician and chemist
* [[Frank De Winne]], astronaut, born in [[Ghent]] in 1961, but residing in Sint-Truiden since 1986
* [[Koen Vanmechelen]] (born 26 August 1965), artist
* [[Danny Boffin]], [[association football|football]] player (1965–)
* [[Ruud Boffin]], [[association football|football]] player
* [[Tina Bride]] (born 23 December 1977), musician and dancer
* [[Kristof Delorge]] (1986–2021), [[association football|football]] player<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/471m0fs1|title=Kristof Delorge|website=Het Nieuwsblad|language=nl}}</ref>
* [[Simon Mignolet]] (born 6 August 1988), football player
* [[Tim Wellens]] (born 10 May 1991), cyclist
* [[Yorick Antheunis]] (born 26 June 1991), professional football player
* [[Nina Derwael]] (born 26 March 2000), gymnast
* [[Dimitri Van den Bergh]] (born 8 July 1994), professional darts player

==Sister cities==
{{See also|List of twin towns and sister cities in Belgium}}
Sint-Truiden is [[Town twinning|twinned]] with the following cities:

* {{flagicon|FRA}} [[Duras, Lot-et-Garonne|Duras]], France
* {{flagicon|NED}} [[Weert]], Netherlands
* {{flagicon|NIC}} [[Nueva Guinea]], Nicaragua

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category}}
*{{Official website|http://www.sint-truiden.be}} {{in lang|nl}}
*[http://www.truineer.be Official news website] {{in lang|nl}}

{{Geographic location
|Centre = Sint-Truiden
|N  = [[Nieuwerkerken]]
|NE = [[Alken, Belgium|Alken]]
|E  = {{unbulleted list|[[Wellen]]|[[Borgloon]]}}
|SE = [[Heers]]
|S  = [[Gingelom]]
|SW = [[Landen]] ([[Flemish Brabant|VBR]])
|W  = [[Zoutleeuw]] ([[Flemish Brabant|VBR]])
}}
{{Municipalities in Limburg}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Sint-Truiden| ]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Limburg (Belgium)]]
[[Category:Romanesque architecture in Belgium]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Belgium]]