Winterswijk
Encyclopedia
Winterswijk is a municipalityMunicipality
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 eastern 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...
.
Winterswijk (Winterswiek, Wenters) is a town with a population of some 30,000 in the Achterhoek
Achterhoek
The Achterhoek is a region in the eastern part of the Netherlands, Europe.Its name is geographically appropriate because the area lies in the Eastern-most part of Gelderland, and therefore of the Netherlands, protruding into Germany...
which lies in the most eastern part of the province of Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
in the Netherlands. It was also known as Winethereswick, Winriswic or Wenterswic. Wic or the Anglo Saxon wich
WICH
WICH is a radio station licensed to serve Norwich, Connecticut. The station is owned by Hall Communications and licensed to WICH, Inc. It airs a Talk/Nostalgia format....
means the living place of a certain person. The person would likely have been called Wenether, Winitar or Winter.
Founded around 1000 AD it remained an isolated farming community until 1830 when the road from Borken
Borken
Borken is the name of three places in Germany:*Borken, North Rhine-Westphalia*Borken , in North Rhine-Westphalia*Borken, HesseBorken or b0rken can also be internet slang for "broken," often referring to a computer program or a feature of a program that is not working as expected...
to Zutphen via Winterswijk and Groenlo
Groenlo
Groenlo is a city in the municipality of Oost Gelre, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands on the German border, a region in the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek . Groenlo was a municipality until January 1, 2005, when it merged with Lichtenvoorde. Until May 19 2006 Groenlo...
was built. Around 1840 many emigrated to America — Michigan in particular. After 1870 the town became a centre for textiles, such as spinning and weaving and indeed the Tricot fabriek employed a large proportion of the local population in its heyday. In 1878 the train line to Zutphen was built primarily for the textile industry, which was set up by Jan Willink. Some of the families such as the Willinks have lived there since 1284.
World War II Liberation
March 31st 1945 was the liberation day for Winterswijk during World War II. Before the city was liberated,there was a tank battle on 29th of March in one of the townships called:Woold, with 60 Sherman tanks. The 53e Wales-division was moving from Bocholt via AaltenAalten
Aalten is a municipality and a village in the eastern Netherlands. The former municipalities of Bredevoort and Dinxperlo have been merged with Aalten....
to Winterswijk. The tank battle resulted in 16 German and 9 British soldiers losing their lives. On March 30th 1945 (Good Friday) around nine 'o clock in the evening allied forces had a struggle just over five km south of Winterswijk. On March 31st the first allied troops finally reached the Slingestream near Winterswijk. March 31st is marked as the official day to remember the liberation of Winterswijk, despite of the fact that, in the late afternoon of March 30 parts of Miste and Woold were already liberated.
People born in Winterswijk
- John H. CorscotJohn H. CorscotJohn H. Corscot was the Mayor of Madison, Wisconsin from 1893 to 1895.-Biography:Corscot was born on September 12, 1839 in the town of Winterswijk in the The Netherlands. He was born as Jan Hendrik Kortschot, son of Gerrit Jan Kortschot and Berendina Freriks. He came to the United States in 1846,...
(1839-1926), mayor of Madison, WisconsinMadison, WisconsinMadison is the capital of the U.S. state of Wisconsin and the county seat of Dane County. It is also home to the University of Wisconsin–Madison.... - Willem van OtterlooWillem van OtterlooJan Willem van Otterloo was a Dutch conductor, cellist and composer.-Biography:Van Otterloo was born in Winterswijk, Gelderland, in the Netherlands, the son of William Frederik van Otterloo, a railway inspector, and his wife Anna Catharina Enderlé...
(1907 - 1978), conductor, cellist, composer - Johanna ReissJohanna ReissJohanna Reiss is a Dutch-born American writer and longtime resident of New York City. Her most recent work, A Hidden Life, was published by Melville House Publishing in January 2009...
(born 1932), novelist - Bram StemerdinkBram StemerdinkAbraham Stemerdink was for many years a member of the "Tweede kamer" and defense specialist for the PvdA.- Biography :...
(born 1936), politician (Minister of DefenceMinistry of Defence (Netherlands)The Netherlands Ministry of Defence governs the Netherlands Armed Forces. The Minister is assisted by a State Secretary...
1976/77) - Gerrit KomrijGerrit KomrijGerrit Jan Komrij is a Dutch poet, novelist, translator, critic, polemic journalist and playwright. From 2000 to 2004 he was the Dutch Dichter des Vaderlands .-Biography:...
(born 1944), poet, writer - Martijn MeerdinkMartijn MeerdinkMartijn Meerdink is a Dutch former footballer who most notably played for AZ. In his career he played for De Graafschap, AZ and FC Groningen....
(born 1976), football player - Jurgen WeversJurgen WeversJurgen Wevers is a Dutch professional footballer who currently plays for FC Oss. Wevers plays as a goalkeeper. He formerly played for De Graafschap and RKC Waalwijk.-External links:...
(born 1979), football goalkeeper - Pieter Bas KwakPieter Bas KwakPieter Bas Kwak , also known under the pseudonym Darth, was one of the first Dutch professional cyberathletes. During his career he was the most internationally successful Dutch player of the team-based first person shooter game: Counter-Strike...
(born 1983), cyberathlete - Stef DusseldorpStef DusseldorpStef Dusseldorp is a Dutch racing driver. He has competed in such series as Formula Renault 2.0 Northern European Cup and the German Formula Three Championship.-Complete GT1 World Championship results:...
(born 1989), racing driver
- Piet Mondriaan (1872-1944), painter, lived in Winterswijk from the age of 8 to 20.
Railway stations
- WinterswijkWinterswijk railway stationWinterswijk is a railway station in Winterswijk, The Netherlands. The station opened on 24 June 1878 and is located on the Zutphen–Winterswijk railway and the Winterswijk–Zevenaar railway. The services are operated by Syntus....
- Winterswijk WestWinterswijk West railway stationWinterswijk West is a railway station in Winterswijk, The Netherlands. The station opened on 10 June 2001 and is located on the Zutphen–Winterswijk railway. The services are operated by Syntus.-Train services:...
External links
External links
- People of .