Gangelt
# 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.

## Geography

### Local subdivisions

* 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

(21.02.2007)

## 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

* Sohland an der Spree, Germany, since 1991
* Kruibeke, Belgium, since 1998
* Onderbanken, Netherlands, since 1975

## Local people

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