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.

Local subdivisions
(21.02.2007)
 * 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

 * [[Image:Flag of Germany.svg|20px]] Sohland an der Spree, Germany, since 1991
 * [[Image:Flag of Belgium.svg|20px]] Kruibeke, Belgium, since 1998
 * [[Image:Flag of the Netherlands.svg|20px]] Onderbanken, Netherlands, since 1975

Local people

 * Gerardus Mercator, cartographer born 1512
 * Karl-Josef Kutsch (born 1924), German physician and co-author of Großes Sängerlexikon