Bocholtz Explained

Official Name:Bocholtz
Native Name:Bóches (Ripuarian)
Settlement Type:Town
Pushpin Map:Netherlands#Netherlands Limburg
Pushpin Label Position:left
Pushpin Mapsize:250
Pushpin Map Caption:Location in the Netherlands##Location in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Name:Netherlands
Subdivision Type1:Province
Subdivision Name1: Limburg
Subdivision Type2:Municipality
Subdivision Name2: Simpelveld
Elevation Footnotes:[1]
Elevation M:25
Area Total Km2:9.30
Population Footnotes:[2]
Population Total:3,730
Population As Of:2021
Population Density Km2:auto
Timezone:CET
Utc Offset:+1
Timezone Dst:CEST
Utc Offset Dst:+2
Postal Code Type:Postal code
Postal Code:6085
Area Code Type:Dialing code
Area Code:0475
Coordinates:50.8193°N 6.0057°W

Bocholtz (in Dutch; Flemish pronounced as /ˈbɔxɔlts/; Ripuarian: Bóches pronounced as /ˈbʊχəs/ is a town in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is a part of the municipality of Simpelveld, and lies about 7 km southwest of Kerkrade. Until 1982, it was a separate municipality.

History

Bocholtz dates back to the Roman era. A Roman villa was found in the Vlengendaal, a street of Bocholtz, in 1911. A farmer plowing his land found a Roman sarcophagus in October 2003.

Architecture and buildings

Castle De Bongard

The Castle De Bongard dates from the 16th century. The current building only represents 1/4 of the original building. The rest was destroyed during the invasion by the French during the Napoleonic Wars.

Hoeve Overhuizen

Hoeve Overhuizen is a fortified farm with roots dating back as far as the 13th century.

In 2015, Rabobank moved in after redecorating the interior of the building to make it their regional headquarters.

Church

The James the Greater Church was built between 1869 and 1873 by architect Pierre Cuypers. Construction workers expanding the church in 1953 found the remains of a building from the late medieval period on the same site. The patron saint of the church is St. James, son of Zebedee.

Regional language

Bocholtz is part of the Netherlands and therefore the official language is Dutch. Many people also speak Bocholtzer, a Southeast Limburgish dialect that is linguistically Ripuarian but commonly perceived as a Limburgish dialect.

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Postcodetool for 6085AA . nl . Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland . Het Waterschapshuis . 25 April 2022 .
  2. Web site: Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2021 . Central Bureau of Statistics . 25 April 2022.