Sint-Michielsgestel
Encyclopedia
Sint-Michielsgestel is a municipality
and a town in the southern part of the Netherlands
.
Sint-Michielsgestel is located directly south of 's-Hertogenbosch, the capital of North Brabant province. Its name refers to archangel
St. Michael.
Besselaar, Doornhoek, Haanwijk (nl), Hal, Halder (nl), De Bus, De Hogert, De Loofaart, Heikantse Hoeve, Hersend, Hezelaar, Hoek, Kerkeind, Laar, Maaskantje
, Middelrode (nl), Nijvelaar, Plein, Poeldonk (nl), Ruimel, Tielse Hoeve, Wielsche Hoeven, Wamberg (nl) and Woud.
Most inhabitants are commuters as there is little to none industry in town.
The river Dommel
, which flows from a well in Belgium to the river Maas in The Netherlands, divides the town in two parts.
Most of the villagers come here for fishing, since the river is filled with a lot of different fishes. The fish that you will see the most, is the "Driel".
The present municipality Sint-Michielsgestel was founded in 1996, by merging Sint-Michielsgestel (est. 1314), Den Dungen (est. 1810) and Berlicum (est. 1238).
The complete village of Gemonde, which till then partly belonged to Boxtel
, was added to Sint-Michielsgestel too.
.
These and other local archeological finds are now on display in the Museum of Antiquities at Viataal , visit address:
Theerestraat 42 in Sint-Michielsgestel, tel# +31 (0)73 551 79 03.
Sint-Michielsgestel was named after the high and dry sandy land (=Gestel) and their catholic church dedicated to archangel St. Michael.
Its name was first mentioned when estates or heerlijkheden (nl) Herlaer and Gestel were joined in approx. 1314 AD (maybe even earlier but there is no written documentation prior to that time).
The estate of Herlaer already was mentioned in 1142 AD by name as being the estate of Dirck, Monarch
of Herlaer.
The klein seminarie (nl) Beekvliet (nl) was founded in 1815 in the town of Sint-Michielsgestel. During World War II
this facility was used as prison-camp, along with the grootseminarie (nl) in Haaren
. On 4 May 1942 the Germans imprisoned 460 Dutch men in Beekvliet.
All prisoners were politically involved or otherwise important to the Dutch people. Luuk van Driel got to escape along with a group of people, by calling the police. He was named local hero after this. Amongst them were writers Simon Vestdijk
and Anton van Duinkerken (nl). Political prisoners were Wim Schermerhorn (Prime Minister 1945-1946), Willem Banning (nl), Pieter Geyl
and Jan Eduard de Quay (nl), all post-war politicians.
Currently the Gymnasium Beekvliet (nl) is a renowned College (Dutch:zelfstandig gymnasium) with over 800 students.
History of the city of Sint-Oedenrode
Coat of armsFirst records of the settlement called Rhode date from the year 500. Sint-Oedenrode was a small settlement on an elevated place near the river Dommel. The settlements on both riverbanks (Rhode and Eerschot) merged into one larger settlement.
In the 11th century the Lords of Rhode build a castle on the elevated area (during excavations in 2005 remains of the castle were uncovered, proving the early records to be valid). The Eerschot part of the settlement constructed the first church (the church has been rebuild many times over the centuries, the early base can still be seen in the church which is nowadays named 'Knoptoren').
The settlement thrived and became an important place in the region. Sint-Oedenrode was granted city status in 1232 by the Duke of Brabant (at that time Hendrik I of Brabant). This promoted Sint-Oedenrode to the capital of the Peel (the name of the region in North Brabant).
In the 14th century a small castle was built named 'Strijpe', it was later expanded in the 19th century and renamed 'Henkeshage'.
During the Second World War Sint-Oedenrode suffered tremendously. In May 1940 the Germans invaded the Low Countries and France, and due to the retreat from the Peel-Raam Line by the Dutch Armed Forces skirmishes arouse in Sint-Oedenrode in an attempt to keep the enemy at bay. After the capitulation (15 May 1940, in Zeeland 2 days later) Sint-Oedenrode found itself under German occupation. There was a small Luftwaffe detachment providing a manned look-out (just like the Royal Observer Corps) for Allied planes which were undertaking operations against the Air Bases of Volkel and Eindhoven.
During the final months of occupation the mayor (appointed by the Queen) was sacked and replaced by a pro-German mayor. The reasons for the sacking where that the central Distribution Office was plundered from blanco distribution cards which were necessary to get coupons for males who where hiding for the Arbeitseinsatz (Compulsory labour in the German war industry) which were using fake names. Also the mayor tried to sabotage the Arbeitseinsatz.
Monument to the DutchIn September 1944 the liberation of Sint-Oedenrode came during Operation Market-Garden envisaged by Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery. The US 101st Airborne Division liberated the Town of Sint-Oedenrode (the 'Market' part). They were followed by the British XXX Army Corps (the 'Garden' part).
The British left 150 comrades behind, the Americans 125. Twenty-two British soldiers are buried at the General Cemetery in Sint-Oedenrode. Most of the British are reburied at the Uden War Cemetery and some did find their final resting place in Mierlo. The Americans who were originally buried in Wolfswinkel (Son en Breugel) are reburied in Margraten or the US. On September 16, 1994 101st Airborne veterans revealed a war monument 'Monument for the Dutch'. The monument is a gift from the veterans to the civilians who fought alongside of the US troops, much to surprise and relief of the US soldiers. The inscription on the monument is in English and reads "Dedicated to the people of the Corridor by the veterans of the 101st Airborne Division, in grateful appreciation of their courage, compassion and friendship".
[edit] The origin of the name 'Sint-Oedenrode'
The following story is based on a popular belief (saga)
Sint-Oedenrode is named after a blind Scottish princess called Oda.
Oda was miracilously cured from her blindness. She became Catholic and wanted to devote her life to God. In a desperate attempt of not becoming Queen of her realm she decided to flee to the Continent. She started to travel from one place to another, wherever she could find silence for worshipping. Time on time she was disrupted in her worshipping by magpies, so she fled from the birds. Eventually she arrived in the Netherlands in a little settlement called Rode (old Duch for a manmade open place in the woods). After she died in 726 A.D. the villagers where getting pilgrims from the whole region, and started to call the place Sint-Oda-Rode, which became Sint-Oedenrode in present day speaking.
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...
and a town in the southern part of 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...
.
Sint-Michielsgestel is located directly south of 's-Hertogenbosch, the capital of North Brabant province. Its name refers to archangel
Archangel
An archangel is an angel of high rank. Archangels are found in a number of religious traditions, including Judaism, Christianity and Islam. Michael and Gabriel are recognized as archangels in Judaism and by most Christians. Michael is the only archangel specifically named in the Protestant Bible...
St. Michael.
Population centres
- BerlicumBerlicumBerlicum is a village in the Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant, located in the Meierij of 's-Hertogenbosch near the river Aa. The village was most likely founded between 600 and 700 AD. Up until a large-scale administrative reorganisation in the Netherlands it was a separate...
- Den DungenDen DungenDen Dungen is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Sint-Michielsgestel next to the village Maaskantje.Den Dungen was a separate municipality until 1996, when it was merged with Sint-Michielsgestel....
- Gemonde (nl)
- Sint-Michielsgestel
- Smaller townships, also part of Sint-Michielsgestel, are:
Besselaar, Doornhoek, Haanwijk (nl), Hal, Halder (nl), De Bus, De Hogert, De Loofaart, Heikantse Hoeve, Hersend, Hezelaar, Hoek, Kerkeind, Laar, Maaskantje
Maaskantje
Maaskantje is a village in the Dutch province North Brabant. The village is part of the municipality Sint-Michielsgestel, south east of 's-Hertogenbosch....
, Middelrode (nl), Nijvelaar, Plein, Poeldonk (nl), Ruimel, Tielse Hoeve, Wielsche Hoeven, Wamberg (nl) and Woud.
Contemporary Sint-Michielsgestel
Major employer in the town of Sint-Michielsgestel is Viataal (nl) , a resource center for sensory and communicative disabled people formerly known as Institute for the deaf and hearing impaired called Instituut voor Doven (nl).Most inhabitants are commuters as there is little to none industry in town.
The river Dommel
Dommel
The Dommel is a creek in Belgium and the Netherlands, left tributary of the Dieze. It rises in north-eastern Belgium near Peer and flows into the southern part of the Netherlands. The Dommel takes in water from the Keersop, Tongelreep, Run, Gender and Kleine Dommel streams and merges at...
, which flows from a well in Belgium to the river Maas in The Netherlands, divides the town in two parts.
Most of the villagers come here for fishing, since the river is filled with a lot of different fishes. The fish that you will see the most, is the "Driel".
The present municipality Sint-Michielsgestel was founded in 1996, by merging Sint-Michielsgestel (est. 1314), Den Dungen (est. 1810) and Berlicum (est. 1238).
The complete village of Gemonde, which till then partly belonged to Boxtel
Boxtel
Boxtel is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands.This is the origin of the van Boxtel family, which has numerous descendants in North Brabant....
, was added to Sint-Michielsgestel too.
History
Archeological finds near the township of Halder proved that this area was already inhabited during the Roman era : thousands of Roman coins were found in 1962 not far from the Nieuw Herlaer castleCastle
A castle is a type of fortified structure built in Europe and the Middle East during the Middle Ages by European nobility. Scholars debate the scope of the word castle, but usually consider it to be the private fortified residence of a lord or noble...
.
These and other local archeological finds are now on display in the Museum of Antiquities at Viataal , visit address:
Theerestraat 42 in Sint-Michielsgestel, tel# +31 (0)73 551 79 03.
Sint-Michielsgestel was named after the high and dry sandy land (=Gestel) and their catholic church dedicated to archangel St. Michael.
Its name was first mentioned when estates or heerlijkheden (nl) Herlaer and Gestel were joined in approx. 1314 AD (maybe even earlier but there is no written documentation prior to that time).
The estate of Herlaer already was mentioned in 1142 AD by name as being the estate of Dirck, Monarch
Monarch
A monarch is the person who heads a monarchy. This is a form of government in which a state or polity is ruled or controlled by an individual who typically inherits the throne by birth and occasionally rules for life or until abdication...
of Herlaer.
The klein seminarie (nl) Beekvliet (nl) was founded in 1815 in the town of Sint-Michielsgestel. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
this facility was used as prison-camp, along with the grootseminarie (nl) in Haaren
Haaren
Haaren is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant.- About Haaren:Haaren is also known as 'The Garden of Brabant' because of the many plantations of trees, plants etc. The municipality of Haaren contains three other villages: Helvoirt, Esch, and...
. On 4 May 1942 the Germans imprisoned 460 Dutch men in Beekvliet.
All prisoners were politically involved or otherwise important to the Dutch people. Luuk van Driel got to escape along with a group of people, by calling the police. He was named local hero after this. Amongst them were writers Simon Vestdijk
Simon Vestdijk
Simon Vestdijk was a Dutch writer.Born in the small town of Harlingen, Vestdijk studied medicine in Amsterdam, but turned to literature after a few years as a doctor. He became one of the most important 20th-century writers in the Netherlands. His prolificness as a novelist was legendary, but he...
and Anton van Duinkerken (nl). Political prisoners were Wim Schermerhorn (Prime Minister 1945-1946), Willem Banning (nl), Pieter Geyl
Pieter Geyl
Pieter Catharinus Arie Geyl was a Dutch historian, well-known for his studies in early modern Dutch history and in historiography.-Background:...
and Jan Eduard de Quay (nl), all post-war politicians.
Currently the Gymnasium Beekvliet (nl) is a renowned College (Dutch:zelfstandig gymnasium) with over 800 students.
History of the city of Sint-Oedenrode
Coat of armsFirst records of the settlement called Rhode date from the year 500. Sint-Oedenrode was a small settlement on an elevated place near the river Dommel. The settlements on both riverbanks (Rhode and Eerschot) merged into one larger settlement.
In the 11th century the Lords of Rhode build a castle on the elevated area (during excavations in 2005 remains of the castle were uncovered, proving the early records to be valid). The Eerschot part of the settlement constructed the first church (the church has been rebuild many times over the centuries, the early base can still be seen in the church which is nowadays named 'Knoptoren').
The settlement thrived and became an important place in the region. Sint-Oedenrode was granted city status in 1232 by the Duke of Brabant (at that time Hendrik I of Brabant). This promoted Sint-Oedenrode to the capital of the Peel (the name of the region in North Brabant).
In the 14th century a small castle was built named 'Strijpe', it was later expanded in the 19th century and renamed 'Henkeshage'.
During the Second World War Sint-Oedenrode suffered tremendously. In May 1940 the Germans invaded the Low Countries and France, and due to the retreat from the Peel-Raam Line by the Dutch Armed Forces skirmishes arouse in Sint-Oedenrode in an attempt to keep the enemy at bay. After the capitulation (15 May 1940, in Zeeland 2 days later) Sint-Oedenrode found itself under German occupation. There was a small Luftwaffe detachment providing a manned look-out (just like the Royal Observer Corps) for Allied planes which were undertaking operations against the Air Bases of Volkel and Eindhoven.
During the final months of occupation the mayor (appointed by the Queen) was sacked and replaced by a pro-German mayor. The reasons for the sacking where that the central Distribution Office was plundered from blanco distribution cards which were necessary to get coupons for males who where hiding for the Arbeitseinsatz (Compulsory labour in the German war industry) which were using fake names. Also the mayor tried to sabotage the Arbeitseinsatz.
Monument to the DutchIn September 1944 the liberation of Sint-Oedenrode came during Operation Market-Garden envisaged by Field Marshal Bernard Law Montgomery. The US 101st Airborne Division liberated the Town of Sint-Oedenrode (the 'Market' part). They were followed by the British XXX Army Corps (the 'Garden' part).
The British left 150 comrades behind, the Americans 125. Twenty-two British soldiers are buried at the General Cemetery in Sint-Oedenrode. Most of the British are reburied at the Uden War Cemetery and some did find their final resting place in Mierlo. The Americans who were originally buried in Wolfswinkel (Son en Breugel) are reburied in Margraten or the US. On September 16, 1994 101st Airborne veterans revealed a war monument 'Monument for the Dutch'. The monument is a gift from the veterans to the civilians who fought alongside of the US troops, much to surprise and relief of the US soldiers. The inscription on the monument is in English and reads "Dedicated to the people of the Corridor by the veterans of the 101st Airborne Division, in grateful appreciation of their courage, compassion and friendship".
[edit] The origin of the name 'Sint-Oedenrode'
The following story is based on a popular belief (saga)
Sint-Oedenrode is named after a blind Scottish princess called Oda.
Oda was miracilously cured from her blindness. She became Catholic and wanted to devote her life to God. In a desperate attempt of not becoming Queen of her realm she decided to flee to the Continent. She started to travel from one place to another, wherever she could find silence for worshipping. Time on time she was disrupted in her worshipping by magpies, so she fled from the birds. Eventually she arrived in the Netherlands in a little settlement called Rode (old Duch for a manmade open place in the woods). After she died in 726 A.D. the villagers where getting pilgrims from the whole region, and started to call the place Sint-Oda-Rode, which became Sint-Oedenrode in present day speaking.
External links
- Official Website Sint-Michielsgestel
- Location of Sint-Michielsgestel - Michelin Map
- International Civic Heraldry (nl)
- Nieuw Herlaer, Dutch Medieval Castle (nl)
- Sint-Michielsgestel historical pictures (nl)
- Website Viataal, f.k.a. Instituut voor Doven
- Website InGestel, Community and site special for Sint-Michielsgestel (nl)