Opijnen

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
Pub in Opijnen
Opijnen is located in Gelderland
Opijnen
Opijnen
Location in the Netherlands
Opijnen is located in Netherlands
Opijnen
Opijnen
Opijnen (Netherlands)
Coordinates: 51°49′40″N 5°17′54″E
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceGelderland
MunicipalityWest Betuwe
Area
  Total3.68 km2 (1.42 sq mi)
Elevation4 m (13 ft)
Population
 (2021)[1]
  Total1,195
  Density320/km2 (840/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
  Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
4184[1]
Dialing code0418

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]

References

  1. "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2021". Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  2. "Postcodetool for 4184CE". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. 24 July 2019. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  3. Ad van der Meer and Onno Boonstra, Repertorium van Nederlandse gemeenten, KNAW, 2011.
  4. "Opijnen - (geografische naam)". Etymolgiebank (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  5. Ronald Stenvert & Sabine Broekhoven (2000). Opijnen (in Dutch). Zwolle: Waanders. ISBN 90-400-9406-3. Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  6. "Opijnen". Plaatsengids (in Dutch). Retrieved 24 March 2022.
  7. Washington Post Magazine November 11, 2018
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