Kerkrade ([ˈkɛr(ə)k.ˌraːdə] , Limburgish: Kirchroa) is a town and a municipality in the southeastern Netherlands. It is the western half of the divided region and de facto city, taken together with[clarification needed] the eastern half, the German town of Herzogenrath. The original name of the undivided municipality under the Holy Roman Empire was Herzogenrath.