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Heers (Netherlands)
Encyclopedia
Heers is a hamlet
in the south of the municipality
of Veldhoven
in the province of North Brabant
, the Netherlands
.
Most of the buildings are concentrated around a town square
with trees. At this town square is a chapel
from 1990 located. There is also a monument, erected in 1966 for the local agricultural consolidation project.
Heers has a long history. The hamlet is mentioned in books from the Middle Ages
. Also, archaeological artefacts from the Bronze Age
and the Roman Empire
have been unearthed near the hamlet.
In the fourteenth century it was also known under the names Heerze and Heerle, which may refer to a sandy ridge
. This would be the ridge between the Run
and Gender streams.
, are some preserved tumuli
located.
The teacher and amateur archaeologist Petrus Panken was the first to report the existence of these tumuli, in 1845.
He searched thirteen mound
s and discovered urn
s filled with charcoal and cremated remains.
The head teacher
in Veldhoven, Cornelis Rijken, also found a great number of urns in this region in 1910.
The first systematic research was conducted by Albert van Giffen in 1948. The ten tumuli that he reconstructed are known as the Group Heibloem.
The tumuli are originating from a period of time between the Middle Bronze Age
until the Iron Age
(1500 - 50 BC).
were found near Heers.
On May 15, 1871, the amateur archaeologist Petrus Panken recovered several fragments of small terracotta sculptures, including a nearly undamaged sculpture of Diana
, the Roman goddess of the hunt.
The sculpture, dated 175 AD, is 21.6 centimetres tall and portrays Diana with a quiver
on her back and a dog at her side.
It was donated in 1872 to the Noordbrabants Museum in 's-Hertogenbosch, were it is still preserved.
In 1909, the head teacher Cornelis Rijken recommended to conduct an official archaeological investigation into the Roman remains near Heers. This investigation was led by Jan Hendrik Holwerda, an archaeologist of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
in Leiden, the national archaeological museum of the Netherlands.
The investigation unearthed traces of a canal, as part of a Roman watchtower
. This military post was probably constructed around the year 100 and further fortified around the year 200.
located during the age of the Franks
.
This grave field was probably in use from the sixth century until the end of the seventh century. It was discovered in 1970 during the construction of the motorway A67
. Twenty five graves and three burial
sites were investigated.
From the Middle Ages until the beginning of the twentieth century, Heers consisted only of a few farms along the stream Run.
Surrounding these farms were large moors, such as the Steenselse Heide and the Broekhovense Heide.
One of these farms was the Oyvaersnest, which stands for stork nest in Old Dutch
. Its premises were cultivated in 1465.
This farm was located between Heers and the hamlet Heiberg. It was mentioned in archives under the name Ooievaarsnest until the eighteenth century.
The Minister of Veldhoven bought a farm in Heers in 1829, for the purpose of renting it for little money to a Protestant
family.
With this action he hoped to increase the number of members in the Dutch Reformed Church
of Veldhoven. The farm he bought came into the possession of the Society of Prosperity
in 1836. This society also seeks to increase the number of members in the Dutch Reformed Church. The farm was designated support number 24.
Heers consisted of nineteen houses near the end of the nineteenth century.
The invention of fertilizer
contributed to the cultivation of all surrounding moor areas at the beginning of the twentieth century.
.
Heers is the only hamlet located south of the motorway A67
within the municipality of Veldhoven.
The hamlet lies at the Heerseweg, which is the main road between Veldhoven Dorp and the Volmolen watermill near Waalre.
Here is also the forest area known as the Sprankelse Bossen located, which stretches all the way up to the village of Steensel
.
Ten reconstructed tumuli
can be found in this forest. Part of the forest is known under the name Heersche Heide, which refers to the moor area that was present here before the land was cultivated.
East of Heers lay the swimming area and campsite 't Witven.
South of Heers are some agricultural areas situated along the stream the Run
. Further south, near the road Volmolenweg, lays the nature area the Vlasroot. This area consists of two lakes and a fish-pond.
located at the street Westerveldseweg, dedicated to Mary
, was built in 1990 by the citizen militia or schutterij
St. Caecilia of the residential area Veldhoven Dorp. A Marian grotto
was present on this spot from 1935 until approximately 1960.
The monument for the local agricultural consolidation project was erected on the square of Heers in 1966. It refers to the agricultural consolidation that took place here between 1960 and 1965.
What triggered the consolidation was the construction of the motorway A67
, which crossed many plots north of Heers.
The stream the Run was engineered
and all the plots along the stream were also consolidated in the process.
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
in the south of the municipality
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Veldhoven
Veldhoven
Veldhoven is a municipality and a town on the Gender stream in the southern Netherlands, located just south-west of Eindhoven.- Population centres :...
in the province of North Brabant
North Brabant
North Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
.
Most of the buildings are concentrated around a town square
Town square
A town square is an open public space commonly found in the heart of a traditional town used for community gatherings. Other names for town square are civic center, city square, urban square, market square, public square, and town green.Most town squares are hardscapes suitable for open markets,...
with trees. At this town square is a chapel
Chapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
from 1990 located. There is also a monument, erected in 1966 for the local agricultural consolidation project.
Heers has a long history. The hamlet is mentioned in books from the Middle Ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
. Also, archaeological artefacts from the Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
and the Roman Empire
Roman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
have been unearthed near the hamlet.
Etymology
The hamlet was named Herle in 1297, which means forest on higher ground.In the fourteenth century it was also known under the names Heerze and Heerle, which may refer to a sandy ridge
Ridge
A ridge is a geological feature consisting of a chain of mountains or hills that form a continuous elevated crest for some distance. Ridges are usually termed hills or mountains as well, depending on size. There are several main types of ridges:...
. This would be the ridge between the Run
Run (stream)
The Run is a stream in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant. It is a left tributary of the Dommel and part of the Meuse River basin.The Run originates near the town of Weebosch and flows in a general northeast direction towards Veldhoven....
and Gender streams.
Prehistory
The surroundings of Heers were already inhabited by humans in prehistoric times. In the woods near the road Locht, in the direction of the village SteenselSteensel
Steensel is a village on the Gender stream in the municipality of Eersel, North Brabant, the Netherlands. Steensel is part of the Acht Zaligheden , along with Eersel, Knegsel, Duizel, Wintelre, Netersel, Hulsel en Reusel...
, are some preserved tumuli
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
located.
The teacher and amateur archaeologist Petrus Panken was the first to report the existence of these tumuli, in 1845.
He searched thirteen mound
Mound
A mound is a general term for an artificial heaped pile of earth, gravel, sand, rocks, or debris. The most common use is in reference to natural earthen formation such as hills and mountains, particularly if they appear artificial. The term may also be applied to any rounded area of topographically...
s and discovered urn
Urn
An urn is a vase, ordinarily covered, that usually has a narrowed neck above a footed pedestal. "Knife urns" placed on pedestals flanking a dining-room sideboard were an English innovation for high-style dining rooms of the late 1760s...
s filled with charcoal and cremated remains.
The head teacher
Head teacher
A head teacher or school principal is the most senior teacher, leader and manager of a school....
in Veldhoven, Cornelis Rijken, also found a great number of urns in this region in 1910.
The first systematic research was conducted by Albert van Giffen in 1948. The ten tumuli that he reconstructed are known as the Group Heibloem.
The tumuli are originating from a period of time between the Middle Bronze Age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
until the Iron Age
Iron Age
The Iron Age is the archaeological period generally occurring after the Bronze Age, marked by the prevalent use of iron. The early period of the age is characterized by the widespread use of iron or steel. The adoption of such material coincided with other changes in society, including differing...
(1500 - 50 BC).
Roman Empire
Archaeological remains from the Roman EmpireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
were found near Heers.
On May 15, 1871, the amateur archaeologist Petrus Panken recovered several fragments of small terracotta sculptures, including a nearly undamaged sculpture of Diana
Diana (mythology)
In Roman mythology, Diana was the goddess of the hunt and moon and birthing, being associated with wild animals and woodland, and having the power to talk to and control animals. She was equated with the Greek goddess Artemis, though she had an independent origin in Italy...
, the Roman goddess of the hunt.
The sculpture, dated 175 AD, is 21.6 centimetres tall and portrays Diana with a quiver
Quiver
A quiver is a container for arrows. Quivers have been traditionally made of leather, bark, wood, furs and other natural materials; modern quivers are often made of metal and plastic....
on her back and a dog at her side.
It was donated in 1872 to the Noordbrabants Museum in 's-Hertogenbosch, were it is still preserved.
In 1909, the head teacher Cornelis Rijken recommended to conduct an official archaeological investigation into the Roman remains near Heers. This investigation was led by Jan Hendrik Holwerda, an archaeologist of the Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
The Rijksmuseum van Oudheden is the national archaeological museum of the Netherlands. It is located in Leiden. The Museum grew out of the collection of Leiden University and still closely co-operates with its Faculty of Archaeology...
in Leiden, the national archaeological museum of the Netherlands.
The investigation unearthed traces of a canal, as part of a Roman watchtower
Watchtower
A watchtower is a type of fortification used in many parts of the world. It differs from a regular tower in that its primary use is military, and from a turret in that it is usually a freestanding structure. Its main purpose is to provide a high, safe place from which a sentinel or guard may...
. This military post was probably constructed around the year 100 and further fortified around the year 200.
Middle Ages
Near the road Oeienbosdijk, northwest of Heers, was a row grave fieldGrave field
A grave field is a prehistoric cemetery, typically of Bronze Age and Iron Age Europe.Grave fields are distinguished from necropoleis by the former's lack of above-ground structures, buildings, or grave markers.-Types:...
located during the age of the Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
.
This grave field was probably in use from the sixth century until the end of the seventh century. It was discovered in 1970 during the construction of the motorway A67
A67 motorway (Netherlands)
The A67 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. It is located in the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg.The road is approximately 75 kilometer in length. The A67 motorway connects the Belgian border near Eersel with Eindhoven and the German border near Venlo. Along the entire stretch...
. Twenty five graves and three burial
Burial
Burial is the act of placing a person or object into the ground. This is accomplished by excavating a pit or trench, placing an object in it, and covering it over.-History:...
sites were investigated.
From the Middle Ages until the beginning of the twentieth century, Heers consisted only of a few farms along the stream Run.
Surrounding these farms were large moors, such as the Steenselse Heide and the Broekhovense Heide.
One of these farms was the Oyvaersnest, which stands for stork nest in Old Dutch
Old Dutch
In linguistics, Old Dutch denotes the forms of West Franconian spoken and written in the Netherlands and present-day northern Belgium during the Early Middle Ages. It is regarded as the primary stage in the development of a separate Dutch language...
. Its premises were cultivated in 1465.
This farm was located between Heers and the hamlet Heiberg. It was mentioned in archives under the name Ooievaarsnest until the eighteenth century.
Modern Era
Eight houses in Heers were destroyed by a fire on March 31, 1761. Only one house was not rebuilt.The Minister of Veldhoven bought a farm in Heers in 1829, for the purpose of renting it for little money to a Protestant
Protestantism
Protestantism is one of the three major groupings within Christianity. It is a movement that began in Germany in the early 16th century as a reaction against medieval Roman Catholic doctrines and practices, especially in regards to salvation, justification, and ecclesiology.The doctrines of the...
family.
With this action he hoped to increase the number of members in the Dutch Reformed Church
Dutch Reformed Church
The Dutch Reformed Church was a Reformed Christian denomination in the Netherlands. It existed from the 1570s to 2004, the year it merged with the Reformed Churches in the Netherlands and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in the Kingdom of the Netherlands to form the Protestant Church in the...
of Veldhoven. The farm he bought came into the possession of the Society of Prosperity
Society of Prosperity
The Society for encouraging prosperity, especially among rural people , later shortened to Society of Prosperity , was a Dutch organisation set up in 1822 by Jacob van Heusden, from Hilvarenbeek....
in 1836. This society also seeks to increase the number of members in the Dutch Reformed Church. The farm was designated support number 24.
Heers consisted of nineteen houses near the end of the nineteenth century.
The invention of fertilizer
Fertilizer
Fertilizer is any organic or inorganic material of natural or synthetic origin that is added to a soil to supply one or more plant nutrients essential to the growth of plants. A recent assessment found that about 40 to 60% of crop yields are attributable to commercial fertilizer use...
contributed to the cultivation of all surrounding moor areas at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Topography
Heers is located one kilometre south of the residential area Veldhoven Dorp and three kilometers west of the village WaalreWaalre
Waalre is an affluent municipality and town in the southern Netherlands, immediately south of the city of Eindhoven.- Population centres :Aalst, Achtereind, De Heuvel, Heikant, Loon, Timmereind and Waalre....
.
Heers is the only hamlet located south of the motorway A67
A67 motorway (Netherlands)
The A67 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. It is located in the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg.The road is approximately 75 kilometer in length. The A67 motorway connects the Belgian border near Eersel with Eindhoven and the German border near Venlo. Along the entire stretch...
within the municipality of Veldhoven.
The hamlet lies at the Heerseweg, which is the main road between Veldhoven Dorp and the Volmolen watermill near Waalre.
Nature and landscape
Directly west of Heers lies the complex of the hotel and congress centre Koningshof.Here is also the forest area known as the Sprankelse Bossen located, which stretches all the way up to the village of Steensel
Steensel
Steensel is a village on the Gender stream in the municipality of Eersel, North Brabant, the Netherlands. Steensel is part of the Acht Zaligheden , along with Eersel, Knegsel, Duizel, Wintelre, Netersel, Hulsel en Reusel...
.
Ten reconstructed tumuli
Tumulus
A tumulus is a mound of earth and stones raised over a grave or graves. Tumuli are also known as barrows, burial mounds, Hügelgrab or kurgans, and can be found throughout much of the world. A tumulus composed largely or entirely of stones is usually referred to as a cairn...
can be found in this forest. Part of the forest is known under the name Heersche Heide, which refers to the moor area that was present here before the land was cultivated.
East of Heers lay the swimming area and campsite 't Witven.
South of Heers are some agricultural areas situated along the stream the Run
Run (stream)
The Run is a stream in the Dutch province of Noord-Brabant. It is a left tributary of the Dommel and part of the Meuse River basin.The Run originates near the town of Weebosch and flows in a general northeast direction towards Veldhoven....
. Further south, near the road Volmolenweg, lays the nature area the Vlasroot. This area consists of two lakes and a fish-pond.
Monuments
The chapelChapel
A chapel is a building used by Christians as a place of fellowship and worship. It may be part of a larger structure or complex, such as a church, college, hospital, palace, prison or funeral home, located on board a military or commercial ship, or it may be an entirely free-standing building,...
located at the street Westerveldseweg, dedicated to Mary
Mary (mother of Jesus)
Mary , commonly referred to as "Saint Mary", "Mother Mary", the "Virgin Mary", the "Blessed Virgin Mary", or "Mary, Mother of God", was a Jewish woman of Nazareth in Galilee...
, was built in 1990 by the citizen militia or schutterij
Schutterij
Schutterij refers to a voluntary city guard or citizen militia in the medieval and early modern Netherlands, intended to protect the town or city from attack and act in case of revolt or fire. Their training grounds were often on open spaces within the city, near the city walls, but, when the...
St. Caecilia of the residential area Veldhoven Dorp. A Marian grotto
Grotto
A grotto is any type of natural or artificial cave that is associated with modern, historic or prehistoric use by humans. When it is not an artificial garden feature, a grotto is often a small cave near water and often flooded or liable to flood at high tide...
was present on this spot from 1935 until approximately 1960.
The monument for the local agricultural consolidation project was erected on the square of Heers in 1966. It refers to the agricultural consolidation that took place here between 1960 and 1965.
What triggered the consolidation was the construction of the motorway A67
A67 motorway (Netherlands)
The A67 motorway is a motorway in the Netherlands. It is located in the Dutch provinces of North Brabant and Limburg.The road is approximately 75 kilometer in length. The A67 motorway connects the Belgian border near Eersel with Eindhoven and the German border near Venlo. Along the entire stretch...
, which crossed many plots north of Heers.
The stream the Run was engineered
River engineering
River engineering is the process of planned human intervention in the course, characteristics or flow of a river with the intention of producing some defined benefit. People have intervened in the natural course and behaviour of rivers since before recorded history - to manage the water resources,...
and all the plots along the stream were also consolidated in the process.