Herzogenrath began in the 11th century as a settlement called
Rode near the river
Wurm. In 1104,
Augustinian monks founded an abbey, called
Kloosterrade, to the west of this settlement. It became
s-Hertogenrode or
s-Hertogenrade (Dutch: ''the Duke's Rode
) after the Duchy of Brabant took control of the region; in French it was called Rolduc (Rode-le-Duc''). As is the case for many parts of Duchy of Brabant, Herzogenrath changed hands several times in the last few centuries. Together with the rest of the
Southern Netherlands, it was under
Spanish control from 1661,
Austrian between 1713 and 1795 and
French between 1795 and 1813. In 1815, when the
Kingdom of the Netherlands was formed under the terms of the
Vienna Congress, the border was drawn through the town, the eastern part being Prussian Herzogenrath and the western part Dutch Kerkrade. The former abbey is now the
Rolduc Congress Center in Kerkrade. During
World War I, the Germans erected a fortification along the border street for the first time; although it was dismantled at the end of the war, it was reconstructed again at the beginning of
World War II. and promote themselves as a binational "City of Eurode" for economic development purposes. ==Culture==