Merkelbeek

Merkelbeek is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Beekdaelen, about 9 km northwest of Heerlen.
The village was first mentioned in 1283 as Merkelbeke. The etymology is unclear. Merkelbeek started in the Early Middle Ages along a brook and developed into a road village.
The Catholic St Clemens Church is a three-aisled church with built-in tower with needle spire which was built between 1876 and 1878. In 1935, the choir was replaced by a transept and choir in Gothic Revival style.
Merkelbeek was home to 309 people in 1840. It was a separate municipality until 1982, when it became part of Onderbanken. In 2019, it was merged into Beekdaelen.