Sint-Oedenrode
Encyclopedia
Sint-Oedenrode is a municipality
and a city in the South of the Netherlands
.
. 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 Peelland
(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 were that the central Distribution Office was plundered from blank distribution cards that were necessary to get coupons for males who where hiding from the Arbeitseinsatz (Compulsory labour in the German war industry) and were using fake names. Also the mayor tried to sabotage the Arbeitseinsatz.
In 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) after para droppings in the fields in the vicinity. They were followed by the British XXX Army Corps (the 'Garden' part). For a brief time the 18th century castle Henkenshage was used as allied HQ.
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". The monument can be found alongside the road 'Corridor' which was constructed after the war between key points of the actual Corridor, the allied supply route from Eindhoven to Nijmegen.
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 Dutch for a man made 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.
of the greenest village of Europe in 2000.
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 city in the South 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...
.
History of the city of Sint-Oedenrode
First records of the settlement called Rhode date from the year 500. Sint-Oedenrode was a small settlement on an elevated place near the river DommelDommel
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...
. 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
City rights in the Netherlands
City rights are a medieval phenomenon in the history of the Low Countries. A liegelord, usually a count, duke or similar member of high nobility, granted a settlement he owned certain town privileges that settlements without city rights did not have....
in 1232 by the Duke of Brabant (at that time Hendrik I of Brabant
Henry I, Duke of Brabant
Henry I of Brabant , named "The Courageous" Duke of Brabant and Duke of Lower Lotharingia until his death.-Biography:...
). This promoted Sint-Oedenrode to the capital of Peelland
Meierij
The Meierij van 's-Hertogenbosch was one of the four parts of the former duchy of Brabant, the others being the areas of Leuven, Brussels and Antwerp. It got its name from the Bailiff of 's-Hertogenbosch, who ruled the area in the name of the Dukes of Brabant...
(the name of the region in 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 :...
).
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
Germans
The Germans are a Germanic ethnic group native to Central Europe. The English term Germans has referred to the German-speaking population of the Holy Roman Empire since the Late Middle Ages....
invaded the Low Countries
Low Countries
The Low Countries are the historical lands around the low-lying delta of the Rhine, Scheldt, and Meuse rivers, including the modern countries of Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and parts of northern France and western Germany....
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan 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
Zeeland
Zeeland , also called Zealand in English, is the westernmost province of the Netherlands. The province, located in the south-west of the country, consists of a number of islands and a strip bordering Belgium. Its capital is Middelburg. With a population of about 380,000, its area is about...
2 days later) Sint-Oedenrode found itself under German occupation. There was a small Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
detachment providing a manned look-out (just like the Royal Observer Corps
Royal Observer Corps
The Royal Observer Corps was a civil defence organisation operating in the United Kingdom between 29 October 1925 and 31 December 1995, when the Corps' civilian volunteers were stood down....
) 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 were that the central Distribution Office was plundered from blank distribution cards that were necessary to get coupons for males who where hiding from the Arbeitseinsatz (Compulsory labour in the German war industry) and were using fake names. Also the mayor tried to sabotage the Arbeitseinsatz.
101st Airborne Division
The 101st Airborne Division—the "Screaming Eagles"—is a U.S. Army modular light infantry division trained for air assault operations. During World War II, it was renowned for its role in Operation Overlord, the D-Day landings on 6 June 1944, in Normandy, France, Operation Market Garden, the...
liberated the Town of Sint-Oedenrode (the 'Market' part) after para droppings in the fields in the vicinity. They were followed by the British XXX Army Corps (the 'Garden' part). For a brief time the 18th century castle Henkenshage was used as allied HQ.
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
Uden
Uden is a municipality and a town in the province of Noord-Brabant, Netherlands.- History :Uden was first recorded around 1190 as “Uthen”. However, earlier settlements have been found in the areas of the modern day Moleneind, Vorstenburg and Bitswijk and evidence of ice-age settlements has been...
War Cemetery and some did find their final resting place in Mierlo
Mierlo
Mierlo is a town in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. Until 2004, it was a separate municipality that covers an area of . It is now part of Geldrop-Mierlo. Mierlo is home to a few interesting buildings, for example the old Council house and the Windmill in the centre of...
. The Americans who were originally buried in Wolfswinkel (Son en Breugel
Son en Breugel
Son en Breugel is a municipality in the southern Netherlands just outside of Eindhoven. 15,204 lived in this municipality as of June 1, 2005. Son en Breugel is 26,67 km² . Son en Breugel used to be two different towns 'Son' and 'Breugel'. The border between these towns is made by the stream...
) 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". The monument can be found alongside the road 'Corridor' which was constructed after the war between key points of the actual Corridor, the allied supply route from Eindhoven to Nijmegen.
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
Scotland
Scotland is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Occupying the northern third of the island of Great Britain, it shares a border with England to the south and is bounded by the North Sea to the east, the Atlantic Ocean to the north and west, and the North Channel and Irish Sea to the...
princess called Oda
Saint Oda
Saint Oda of Scotland was a woman, supposedly of Scottish origin, who became a holy woman in the Netherlands.-Life:Oda was born blind and her father sent her on pilgrimage to Liège to visit the relics of Saint Lambert. While praying at Saint Lambert's grave she was miraculously cured from her...
.
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 Dutch for a man made 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.
Awards
Sint-Oedenrode was awarded the prestigious award Entente FloraleEntente Florale
The Entente Florale is an international horticultural competition established to recognise municipalities and villages in Europe for excellence in horticultural displays. Trophies are presented annually by tourist boards and horticultural societies of European countries...
of the greenest village of Europe in 2000.