Brunssum

Brunssum Broensem
Municipality
Vijverpark (Pond park) in Brunssum centre
Flag Coat of arms
Location in Limburg
Coordinates: 50°57′N 5°58′E / 50.950°N 5.967°E / 50.950; 5.967Coordinates: 50°57′N 5°58′E / 50.950°N 5.967°E / 50.950; 5.967
Country	Netherlands
Province	Limburg
Government
• Body	Municipal council
• Mayor	Luc Winants (CDA)
Area
• Total	17.34 km2 (6.70 sq mi)
• Land	17.21 km2 (6.64 sq mi)
• Water	0.13 km2 (0.05 sq mi)
Elevation	81 m (266 ft)
Population (May 2014)
• Total	28,840
• Density	1,676/km2 (4,340/sq mi)
Demonym(s)	Brunssumer
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
• Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode	6440–6446
Area code	045
Website	www.brunssum.nl

Brunssum (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈbrɵnsəm]; Limburgish: Broensem) is a municipality and a town in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands.

Brunssum was a center of coal mining until 1973.

The municipality of Brunssum has 28,840 residents as of 2014.

Brunssum is the current home of Allied Joint Force Command Brunssum (JFC Brunssum), a NATO headquarters one level below SHAPE in the integrated military command structure. The headquarters was known as Headquarters, Allied Forces Central Europe (HQ AFCENT) from its inception in Fontainebleau, France and relocation to Brunssum in 1967. The name was changed to Regional Headquarters, Allied Forces Northern Europe (RHQ AFNORTH) when a restructuring in 2000 led to the closing of HQ AFNORTH in Kolsås, Norway. The current title was adopted in 2004 to add flexibility to the military command structure by removing regional restrictions. The main base area, Hendrik Camp, was built on a former coal mine called Hendrik Mine.

Brunssum is also the home of the AFNORTH International School, located just outside Hendrik Camp. AFNORTH International School is a K-12 school that mainly provides service to American, British, Canadian, and German dependents of military personnel assigned to JFC Brunssum, the US Army base in Schinnen, and NATO Air Base in Geilenkirchen, Germany; as well as the former Soesterberg Air Base, Netherlands.