Velm

Velm is a village in the Belgian province of Limburg and one of the communities constituting the municipality of Sint-Truiden. The village has a surface of 10,45 km² and comprised 2175 inhabitants in 2001.

Velm is a residential village in Haspengouw, 6 km southeast of Sint-Truiden. It is bounded in the east by the N80 motorway, leading to Namur, and in the west by the railroad Sint-Truiden to Landen. On that line, Velm had a railway station until 1957.

History

Velm was mentioned for the first time in writing in 790 as Falmia. As of 982 the name of Velme can be found. Originally, Velm was a fief of the Abbey of Gorze near Metz in France. In the 16th century the manor was sold to the Principality of Liège. Everhard van der Marck donated the rights to the lands immediately to the chapter of Saint Lambert in Liège.

When the communities were formed in Belgium in 1795, Velm became an independent community. Originally a rural village of farmers and fruit growers, it developed in the course of the 20th century into a residential village. In 1977, Velm ceased to be an independent community and it became a borough of Sint-Truiden.

The Church of Saint Martin

Places of interest
  • The classical Saint Martin's church built in 1783. In 1912 the church was expanded by adding a transept and a choir.
  • The likewise classical former Josephite monastery of the 18th century. The building now is a language school.
  • The Kasteel Peten, a neoclassical country house of the 19th century. For some time it housed a technical school. After being abandoned for a decade, it will be restored to be the nucleus of the housing and lifestyle project 'Triamant Haspengouw'.
  • The borough comprises several 18th and 19th century square farmsteads.

Demographic

Sources: NIS and www.limburg.be

Notable inhabitants
  • Veerle Heeren, politician
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