Opijnen
Village in Gelderland, Netherlands
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Opijnen is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of West Betuwe, and lies about 10 km southwest of Tiel.
Opijnen | |
|---|---|
Village | |
Pub in Opijnen | |
  Opijnen Location in the Netherlands  Opijnen Opijnen (Netherlands) | |
| Coordinates: 51°49′40″N 5°17′54″E | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | Gelderland |
| Municipality | West Betuwe |
| Area | |
• Total | 3.68 km2 (1.42 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Population (2021)[1] | |
• Total | 1,195 |
| • Density | 325/km2 (841/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 4184[1] |
| Dialing code | 0418 |
Opijnen was a separate municipality until 1818, when it changed its name to Est en Opijnen.[3]
History
It was first mentioned in 1265 as Opynen, and means upstream as compared to Neerijnen.[4] The village developed parallel to the Waal as a stretched out esdorp.[5] In 1265, Opijnen became the property of Raoul de Châtillon, a French nobleman who had fled to Gelre after a dispute with the King of France. A castle was built near the village, however it disappeared in the 16th century.[5] The Dutch Reformed Church was built in 1860 and the tower dates from 1925.[5] In 1840, Opijnen was home to 333 people.[6]
Opijnen is home to the graves of eight American airmen who were shot down on 30 July 1943, and killed while returning to England from a bombing raid over Kassel, Germany. The village honoured the airmen by burying them in their cemetery. From that time and for seventy-five years afterwards, the village honoured these men annually with a formal church service and then a laying of flowers on the graves. In 2006, the village opened a housing complex with eighty-six units. The airmen were further honoured by having the streets in that housing complex named after them.[7]
Gallery
Dutch Reformed Church
Bridges over the Waal
Dike house
House in Opijnen
