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geography Geilenkirchen

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geographical location Geilenkirchen

On this globe you see the geographical location of Geilenkirchen. The most western village of Germany is located close to GK in the county of Heinsberg.

see most western boundary stone of Germany

coordinates:        51° 02' north
                    06° 02' east

height:             95 m above sea level

A 10 minute drive (by car) takes you into the Netherlands, to Belgium it takes approximately . 25 minutes.

We live in the most werstern part of Germany. You will find GK on a map easily: Search at the vertically middle most left (west), next to the Netherlands border.

Geilenkirchen im Dreiländereck Niederlande - Belgien - Deutschland

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The creek Wurm

The small creek Wurm flows through the middle (center) of Geilenkirchen and forms the natural border between Geilenkirchen and its district Hünshoven. It arises in Aachen, flows past Würselen and Herzogenrath, by Geilenkirchen further to the north and leads into the small river Rur, north of Heinsberg.

The mining area (coal) of Alsdorf, Herzogenrath, Hückelhoven, Kerkrade, Kohlscheid, Merkstein and Siersdorf was called "worm's district" in the 20s till the 60s .

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(Wasserläufe - Höhen).

Naming for the creek Wurm

(by the way: its a femal)

The name changed from "borm" "worm" to "wurm"

Which origin the name "Wurm" has, was determined by the research of Joseph Gatzen in the year 1925. He found that the name "Wurm" is based on a Low German word "borm" which corresponds to the Latin "formus", our "warm" (warmly) and means "bubble out, boil". The Wurm has got her name as a "warm brook" from the inhabitants of the land, who led their sewage into the Wurm and warmed it up.

This could be recognized easily: The worm steamed in its beginning course.

The Francs have taken over the river name from the inhabitants (Celtics) when they conquested the land. Changing the initial sound "b" into "w" - an normal phonetic appearance - the name "borm" adapted to the German "worm".

Geology

During Ice Age the river Maas deposited a lot of sand in this area. So if we dig a hole for whatever reason, we can fill the sand pit / sand box for our children. Due to this you will find a hearth area west of Geilenkirchen. There must have been more of this type countryside as you might notice by the names of the villages around GK, named Niederheid or Hochheid (hearth = Heide).

The arable land developed after the Ice Age by rising and falling forest. For farming all these trees were felled by our ancestors by hand or fire (cleared in German = roden). As you notice, looking a little closer onto the village names ending with "rath" (which derives from "roden") like Hatterath, Gillrath, Grotenrath or Süggerath, you find a contemporary witness. You will find traces from several past centuries beginning at the stone-age, Romans, and middle-age all over the surrounding land.