Gangelt


Gangelt is a municipality in the district of Heinsberg, in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany. It is on the border with the Netherlands and about 10 km east of Sittard and 10 km south-west of Heinsberg.
Its most well-known resident was cartographer Gerard Kremer, better known as Gerardus Mercator, who lived the first five or six years of his life there.

Geography

Local subdivisions

  • Gangelt with 2,521 inhabitants
  • Birgden with 2,977 inhabitants
  • Breberen with 828 inhabitants
  • Broichhoven with 168 inhabitants
  • Brüxgen with 513 inhabitants
  • Buscherheide with 132 inhabitants
  • Harzelt with 201 inhabitants
  • Hastenrath with 536 inhabitants
  • Hohenbusch with 45 inhabitants
  • Kievelberg with 32 inhabitants
  • Kreuzrath with 504 inhabitants
  • Langbroich with 807 inhabitants
  • Mindergangelt with 244 inhabitants
  • Nachbarheid with 120 inhabitants
  • Niederbusch with 601 inhabitants
  • Schierwaldenrath with 596 inhabitants
  • Schümm with 93 inhabitants
  • Stahe with 1,029 inhabitants
  • Vinteln with 42 inhabitants

    History

Gangelt was first mentioned in a document in 828 as a King's property.
In February 2020, a carnival celebration caused a massive COVID-19 outbreak. In April 2020, one in seven residents was seropositive, in a sample of 500.

Town twinning