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Last modified: 2007-12-02 by ivan sache
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![[Flag of Halen]](../images/b/be-vliha.gif)
Municipal flag of Halen - Image by Jarig Bakker, 8 October 2001
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The municipality of Halen (8,678 inhabitants on 1 January 2007; 3,629 sq. km) is located in the region of Hageland, on the border with Brabant. The municipality of Halen is made since 1976 of the former municipalities of Halen (including Loksbergen since 1965) and Zelem.
Halen was mentioned for the first time on 8 April 741, as Halon (from
Germanic "halhum", that is "in the curve of a height"), when Count
Robert of Hasbania transferred the villa Halon and other goods to the
abbey of Sint-Truiden. The abbey made of Halen the capital of a big
groups of domains, encompassing Halen, Loksbergen, Linkhout, Schulen
Berbroek and Donk. Following a dispute over the abbey between the Count
of Loon and the Duke of Brabant, the duke granted franchises and
municipal rights to Halen in 1206. Halen therefore belonged to Brabant
until the French Revolution. In 1794, the French administration
allocated the municipality of Halen to the Department of Lower Maas,
later the Province of Limburg, as a "compensation" for the inclusion of
Rummen into the Department of the Dijle, later the Province of Brabant.
In the XIVth century, Halen was a wealthy town located on the then
navigable Gete, surrounded with walls and minting its own coins. As a
border town, it was permanently threatened by plundering and military
occupation; accordingly, the once flourishing cloth trade declined
after the XVth century; in the XVIth century, Halen was nothing but a
small garrison town.
The building of the Hasselt-Diest road (1839), of the railway Diest-Tienen (1878) and of the tramway Halen-Hasselt (1905) connected Halen to the neighbouring towns. At the end of the XIXth century and in
the beginning of the XXth century, Halen flourished again, mostly with
family workshops.
The village of Rotem has kept the farms of the Mariëndal abbey, founded
in 1237 and suppressed after the French Revolution. Built on the Velpe
by the nuns in 1646, the Rotem watermill was used until 1961.
The village of Zelk, mentioned for the first time in 1108-1138, as
Seleche, probably formed once a single settlement with Zelem, from
which it is separated by the Demer. It was never an independent
municipality but formed a domain transferred in the XVth century to the
Cartusians of Zelem. The sunken lanes of Zelk are said to be the most
beautiful in Flanders.
Loksbergen was mentioned for the first time in 1141, as Loxberge, "the hills near the enclosure". The settlement was probably founded by the monks of the abbey of Sint-Truiden in the XIth century. The village was split between the domains of Velpen and Halen. Incorporated to Halen after the French Revolution, Loksbergen became an independent municipality by Royal Decree of 30 March 1866. The poet August Cuppens, born in Beringen, was the priest of Loksbergen from 1899 to 1924. In his poem De slag der Zilveren Helmen (The battle of the Silver Helmets), written on 12 August 1914, he celebrated the victory of the Belgian cavalry over its German counterpart near Halen. This was the only battle of significance involving the cavalry on the western front and the single Belgian (without foreign help) victory during the First World War.
Zelem, mentioned for the first time in 1114, as Salechem, has probably the same etymology as Zelk, that is "a conveniently located settlement". Zelem belonged to the County of Loon, incorporated to the Principality of Liège in 1336, and was ran from the XIIth century to 1472 by the lords of Diest. They were succeeded by the Counts of Nassau; in 1649, Prince of Orange-Nassau transferred Zelem to the famous poet Constantijn Huygens, whose family kept the domain until the French Revolution.
Source: Municipal website
Ivan Sache, 9 July 2007
The municipal flag of Halen is horizontally divided
black-white-black-white.
According to Gemeentewapens in België - Vlaanderen en Brussel, the flag was adopted by the Municipal Council on 6 March 1989, confirmed by the Execeutive of Flanders on 6
June 1989 and published in the Belgian official gazette on 8 November
1989.
The colours of the flag are taken from the dexter field of the municipal arms,
which represents Halen and Loksbergen, whereas the four stripes stand
for the four main components of the municipality, Halen, Loksbergen,
Zelem and Zelk.
The arms of Halen, as shown on the municipal website are "Per pale,
argent an half-eagle sable, or two fesses sable a border compony argent
and gules".
Servais shows the old arms of Halen as "Argent two lions sable
affronted". Zelem was granted arms by a Royal Decree on 20 December
1904, "Argent two fesses sable a canton or two fesses sable a border
compony argent and gules". These arms are featured on a municipal seal
dated 1434. The field of the shield shows the arms of the lords of
Diest (today the municipal arms of Diest), whereas the canton (and
therefore the old arms of Halen) shows the arms used by Arnold of Diest
in 1313.
Pascal Vagnat & Ivan Sache, 9 July 2007
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