Neerpelt

Neerpelt
Neerpelt
Town
	Sint-Niklaas church in Neerpelt
	Flag Seal
	Neerpelt Location in Belgium
	Coordinates: 51°14′N 05°26′E / 51.233°N 5.433°E
Country	Belgium
Region	Flemish Region
Province	Limburg
Arrondissement	Maaseik
Municipality	Pelt
Area
• Total	29.39 km2 (11.35 sq mi)
Population (2021)
• Total	14,074
• Density	480/km2 (1,200/sq mi)
Time zone	CET
Postal code	3910
Dialing code	011
Website	www.neerpelt.be

Neerpelt (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈneːrpɛlt] ^ⓘ; "Lower Pelt") is a town in Pelt and a former municipality located in the Belgian province of Limburg. In 2018, the municipality had a total population of 17,174. The total area is 42.78 km².^[2]

Effective 1 January 2019, Neerpelt and Overpelt were merged into the new municipality of Pelt.

Culture

Provinciaal Domein Dommelhof is the cultural center of Neerpelt. This institute houses several smaller organisations:

Musica: Impulse Center for music, and manager of het Klankenbos (the sound forest) on the Dommelhof site
Zebracinema: arthouse cinema in Belgian Limburg
Circus Center: Flemish anchor point for circus art
Jazzcase: Northern Limburg jazz platform

The Klankenbos is the biggest sound art collection in public space in Europe. In the forest there are 15 sound installation pieces by artists such as Pierre Berthet, Paul Panhuysen, Geert Jan Hobbijn (Staalplaat Soundsystem), Hans van Koolwijk, and others.

Famous inhabitants

Famous people who were born or lived in Neerpelt include:

Stijn Coninx, director of Academy Award nominated film "Daens"
Ken De Dycker, motocross racer
Eric Geboers, motocross world champion
Bart Goor, football (soccer) player, played 65 times for the Belgium national team
Wim Mertens, composer, musician, and musicologist (b. 1953)
Stijn Meuris [nl], singer-songwriter with the bands Monza and Noordkaap
Belle Perez, singer
Raf Simons, fashion designer
Jelle Vanendert, professional cyclist who currently rides for Lotto-Belisol
Joost Zweegers, singer-songwriter with the band Novastar
Hans Vanaken, football player