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1976 Tiananmen incident

The 1976 Tiananmen incident or the April 5 Tiananmen incident was a mass gathering and protest that took place on April 4–5, 1976, at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, China. The incident occurred on the traditional day of mourning, the Qingming Festival, after the Nanjing incident, and was triggered by the death of Premier Zhou Enlai earlier that year. Some people strongly disapproved of the removal of the displays of mourning, and began gathering in the Square to protest against the central authorities, then largely under the auspices of the Gang of Four, who ordered the Square to be cleared.

The event was labeled "counterrevolutionary" immediately after its occurrence by the Communist Party's Central Committee and served as a gateway to the dismissal and house arrest of then–Vice Premier Deng Xiaoping, who was accused of planning the event, while he insisted that he was nearby only for a haircut. The Central Committee's decision on the event was reversed after the Cultural Revolution ended, as it would later be officially hailed as a display of patriotism.

Origins
The death of Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai, a widely respected senior Chinese leader, on January 8, 1976, prompted the incident. For several years before his death, Zhou was involved in a political power struggle against other senior leaders in the Politburo of the Chinese Communist Party, with Zhou's most visible and powerful antagonists being the four senior members who came to be called the Gang of Four. The leader of the clique, Jiang Qing, was the wife of Communist Party Chairman, Mao Zedong. To defuse an expected popular outpouring of sentiment at Zhou's death, the Chinese Communist Party limited the period of public mourning.

On April 4, 1976, on the eve of China's annual Qingming Festival, in which Chinese traditionally pay homage to their deceased ancestors, thousands gathered around the Monument to the People's Heroes in Tiananmen Square to commemorate the life and death of Zhou Enlai by laying wreaths, banners, poems, placards, and flowers at the foot of the Monument. The most obvious purpose of this memorial was to eulogize Zhou, but Jiang Qing, Zhang Chunqiao, and Yao Wenyuan were also attacked for their alleged evil actions against the Premier. A small number of slogans left at Tiananmen even attacked Mao himself, and his Cultural Revolution.

Up to two million people may have visited Tiananmen Square on April 4. First-hand observations of the events in Tiananmen Square on 4 April report that all levels of society, from the poorest peasants to high-ranking PLA officers and the children of high-ranking cadres, were represented in the activities. Those who participated were motivated by a mixture of anger over the treatment of Zhou, revolt against Mao and his policies, apprehension for China's future, and defiance of those who would seek to punish the public for commemorating Zhou's memory. There is nothing to suggest that events were coordinated from any position of leadership: it was a spontaneous demonstration reflecting widespread public sentiment. Deng Xiaoping was notably absent, and he instructed his children to avoid being seen at the square.

Incident
On the night of April 4, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party held a meeting to discuss the situation in Tiananmen Square. Party elders such as Hua Guofeng and Wu De, who were not close allies of the Gang of Four, expressed criticism at the protesters and some of their slogans which were critical of the Gang of Four and party leadership. Meanwhile, the Gang of Four seemed to have been alarmed by the personal attacks at the event, and began to use their controlled newspapers to accuse Deng Xiaoping of encouraging and controlling the protesters. They consulted with the sickly Mao Zedong, claiming these people to be "capitalist roaders" who were hitting back at the Proletarian Revolution.

Government action began on the morning of 5 April, when the People's Liberation Army began removing articles of mourning from Tiananmen. On the morning of 5 April, crowds gathering around the memorial arrived to discover that it had been completely removed by the police during the night, angering them. Attempts to suppress the mourners led to a violent riot, in which police cars were set on fire and a crowd of over 100,000 people forced its way into several government buildings surrounding the square.

In response, the Central Committee of the Chinese Communist Party made the decision to forcibly clear Tiananmen Square of mourners. Security forces under the PLA's Beijing detachment, alongside urban militia under the control of the Gang of Four, went into the Square to forcefully clear the area. The militia were reported to have been carrying wooden clubs and leather belts. Approximately 40 arrests occurred with no casualties, and by the morning of 6 April, all articles of mourning had been removed.

By 6:00 pm, most of the crowd had dispersed, but a small group remained until 10:00 pm, when a security force entered Tiananmen Square and arrested them. Many of those arrested were later sentenced to "people's trial" at Peking University, or were sentenced to prison work camps. Incidents similar to those which occurred in Beijing on April 4–5 occurred in Zhengzhou, Kunming, Taiyuan, Changchun, Shanghai, Wuhan, and Guangzhou. Possibly because of his close association with Zhou, Deng Xiaoping was formally stripped of all positions "inside and outside the Party" on 7 April.

Legacy
After Mao's death, Hua and Wang Dongxing played an important role in arresting the Gang of Four in October 1976. They subsequently expressed their opinion that the Tiananmen incident was not a counter-revolutionary activity. Along with other party elders, they rehabilitated Deng and brought him back to Beijing. Nonetheless, Deng and his reformist allies subsequently became involved in a power struggle against Hua and Wang, who were more traditionally minded Maoists. Deng emerged as China's Paramount Leader in 1978.

Many of the 1976 demonstrators had written poems in memory of Zhou Enlai and as an expression of political opposition to the political situation in China. Poetry created during the incident was later published in four unofficial editions by students from Beijing's Number Two Foreign Language Institute, a school with close ties to Deng Xiaoping.

In December 1978, at the Third Plenum of the CCP Eleventh Central Committee, the Chinese Communist Party reassessed its position on the Tiananmen incident of 1976 and declared it a "revolutionary event", a complete rebuttal of the previous position put forward by the Party.

title: 1976 Tiananmen incident


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Early modern Europe

Early modern Europe, also referred to as the post-medieval period, is the period of European history between the end of the Middle Ages and the beginning of the Industrial Revolution, roughly the mid 15th century to the late 18th century. Historians variously mark the beginning of the early modern period with the invention of moveable type printing in the 1450s, the Fall of Constantinople and end of the Hundred Years' War in 1453, the end of the Wars of the Roses in 1485, the beginning of the High Renaissance in Italy in the 1490s, the end of the Reconquista and subsequent voyages of Christopher Columbus to the Americas in 1492, or the start of the Protestant Reformation in 1517. The precise dates of its end point also vary and are usually linked with either the start of the French Revolution in 1789 or with the more vaguely defined beginning of the Industrial Revolution in late 18th century England.

Some of the more notable trends and events of the early modern period included the Reformation and the religious conflicts it provoked (including the French Wars of Religion and the Thirty Years' War), the rise of capitalism and modern nation states, widespread witch hunts and European colonization of the Americas.

Characteristics
The modern period was characterized by profound changes in many realms of human endeavor. Among the most important include the development of science as a formalized practice, increasingly rapid technological progress, and the establishment of secularized civic politics, law courts and the nation state. Capitalist economies began to develop in a nascent form, first in the northern Italian republics such as Genoa and Venice as well as in the cities of the Low Countries, and later in France, Germany and England. The early modern period also saw the rise and dominance of the economic theory of mercantilism. As such, the early modern period is often associated with the decline and eventual disappearance (at least in Western Europe) of feudalism and serfdom. The Protestant Reformation greatly altered the religious balance of Christendom, creating a formidable new opposition to the dominance of the Catholic Church, especially in Northern Europe. The early modern period also witnessed the circumnavigation of the Earth and the establishment of regular European contact with the Americas and South and East Asia. The ensuing rise of global systems of international economic, cultural and intellectual exchange played an important role in the development of capitalism and represents an identifiable early phase of globalization.

Periodization

Regardless of the precise dates used to define its beginning and end points, the early modern period is generally agreed to have comprised the Renaissance, the Reformation, the Scientific Revolution, and the Enlightenment. As such, historians have attributed a number of fundamental changes to the period, notably the increasingly rapid progress of science and technology, the secularization of politics, and the diminution of the absolute authority of the Roman Catholic Church as well as the lessening of the influence of all faiths upon national governments. Many historians have identified the early modern period as the epoch in which individuals began to think of themselves as belonging to a national polity—a notable break from medieval modes of self-identification, which had been largely based upon religion (belonging to a universal Christendom), language, or feudal allegiance (belonging to the manor or extended household of a particular magnate or lord).

The beginning of the early modern period is not clear-cut, but is generally accepted to be in the late 15th century or early 16th century. Significant dates in this transitional phase from medieval to early modern Europe can be noted:

 * 1450: The invention of the first European movable type printing process by Johannes Gutenberg, a device that fundamentally changed the circulation of information. Movable type, which allowed individual characters to be arranged to form words and which is an invention separate from the printing press, had been invented earlier in China.

 * 1453: The conquest of Constantinople by the Ottomans signalled the end of the Byzantine empire; the Battle of Castillon concluded the Hundred Years' War.

 * 1485: The last Plantagenet king of England, Richard III, was killed at Bosworth and the medieval Wars of the Roses gave way to early modern Tudor monarchy, in the person of Henry VII.

 * 1492: The first documented European voyage to the Americas by the Genoese explorer Christopher Columbus; the end of the Reconquista, with the final expulsion of the Moors from the Iberian Peninsula; the Spanish government expels the Jews.

 * 1494: French king Charles VIII invaded Italy, drastically altering the status quo and beginning a series of wars which would punctuate the Italian Renaissance.

 * 1513: First formulation of modern politics with the publication of Machiavelli's The Prince.

 * 1517: The Reformation begins with Martin Luther nailing his ninety-five theses to the door of the church in Wittenberg, Germany.

 * 1526: Ferdinand I, Holy Roman Emperor gains the crowns of Bohemia and Hungary.

The end date of the early modern period is variously associated with the Industrial Revolution, which began in Britain in about 1750, or the beginning of the French Revolution in 1789, which drastically transformed the state of European politics and ushered in the Napoleonic era and modern Europe.
 * 1545: The Council of Trent begins Counter-Reformation and marks the end of the medieval Roman Catholic Church.

The role of nobles in the Feudal System had yielded to the notion of the Divine Right of Kings during the Middle Ages (in fact, this consolidation of power from the land-owning nobles to the titular monarchs was one of the most prominent themes of the Middle Ages). Among the most notable political changes included the abolition of serfdom and the crystallization of kingdoms into nation-states. Perhaps even more significantly, with the advent of the Reformation, the notion of Christendom as a unified political entity was destroyed. Many kings and rulers used this radical shift in the understanding of the world to further consolidate their sovereignty over their territories. For instance, many of the Germanic states (as well as English Reformation) converted to Protestantism in an attempt to slip out of the grasp of the Pope.

The intellectual developments of the period included the creation of the economic theory of mercantilism and the publication of enduringly influential works of political and social philosophy, such as Machiavelli's The Prince (1513) and Thomas More's Utopia (1515).

Reformation
The Protestant Reformation was a reform-oriented schism from the Roman Catholic Church initiated by Martin Luther and continued by John Calvin, Huldrych Zwingli, and other early Protestant Reformers. It is typically dated from 1517, lasting until the end of the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648) with the Peace of Westphalia in 1648. It was launched on 31 October 1517 by Martin Luther, who posted his 95 Theses criticizing the practice of indulgences to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany, commonly used to post notices to the University community. It was very widely publicized across Europe and caught fire. Luther began by criticizing the sale of indulgences, insisting that the Pope had no authority over purgatory and that the Catholic doctrine of the merits of the saints had no foundation in the gospel. The Protestant position, however, would come to incorporate doctrinal changes such as sola scriptura and sola fide.

The Reformation ended in division and the establishment of new church movements. The four most important traditions to emerge directly from the Reformation were Lutheranism, the Reformed (also called Calvinist or Presbyterian) tradition, Anglicanism, and the Anabaptists. Subsequent Protestant churches generally trace their roots back to these initial four schools of the Reformation. It also led to the Catholic or Counter Reformation within the Roman Catholic Church through a variety of new spiritual movements, reforms of religious communities, the founding of seminaries, the clarification of Catholic theology as well as structural changes in the institution of the Church.

The largest Protestant groups were the Lutherans and Calvinists. Lutheran churches were founded mostly in Germany, the Baltics and Scandinavia, while the Reformed ones were founded in Switzerland, Hungary, France, the Netherlands and Scotland.

The initial movement within Germany diversified, and other reform impulses arose independently of Luther. The availability of the printing press provided the means for the rapid dissemination of religious materials in the vernacular. The core motivation behind the Reformation was theological, though many other factors played a part, including the rise of nationalism, the Western Schism that eroded faith in the Papacy, the perceived corruption of the Roman Curia, the impact of humanism, and the new learning of the Renaissance that questioned much traditional thought.

There were also reformation movements throughout continental Europe known as the Radical Reformation, which gave rise to the Anabaptist, Moravian and other Pietistic movements.

The Roman Catholic Church responded with a Counter-Reformation initiated by the Council of Trent. Much work in battling Protestantism was done by the well-organised new order of the Jesuits. In general, Northern Europe, with the exception of most of Ireland, came under the influence of Protestantism. Southern Europe remained Roman Catholic, while Central Europe was a site of a fierce conflict, culminating in the Thirty Years' War, which left it devastated.

Church of England
The Reformation reshaped the Church of England decisively after 1547. The separation of the Church of England (or Anglican Church) from Rome under Henry VIII, beginning in 1529 and completed in 1537, brought England alongside this broad Reformation movement; however, religious changes in the English national church proceeded more conservatively than elsewhere in Europe. Reformers in the Church of England alternated, for decades, between sympathies for ancient Catholic tradition and more Reformed principles, gradually developing, within the context of robustly Protestant doctrine, a tradition considered a middle way (via media) between the Roman Catholic and Protestant traditions.

Consequences of the Protestant Reformation
The following outcomes of the Protestant Reformation regarding human capital formation, the Protestant ethic, economic development, governance, and "dark" outcomes have been identified by scholars.

Historiography
Margaret C. Jacob argues that there has been a dramatic shift in the historiography of the Reformation. Until the 1960s, historians focused their attention largely on the great leaders and also the theologians of the 16th century, especially Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli. Their ideas were studied in depth. However, the rise of the new social history in the 1960s look at history from the bottom up, not from the top down. Historians began to concentrate on the values, beliefs and behavior of the people at large. She finds, "in contemporary scholarship, the Reformation was then seen as a vast cultural upheaval, a social and popular movement and textured and rich because of its diversity."

Age of Enlightenment
"The Age of Enlightenment" refers to the 18th century in European philosophy, and is often thought of as part of a period which includes the Age of Reason. The term also more specifically refers to a historical intellectual movement, The Enlightenment. This movement advocated rationality as a means to establish an authoritative system of aesthetics, ethics, and logic. The intellectual leaders of this movement regarded themselves as a courageous elite, and regarded their purpose as one of leading the world toward progress and out of a long period of doubtful tradition, full of irrationality, superstition, and tyranny, which they believed began during a historical period they called the Dark Ages. This movement also provided a framework for the American and French Revolutions, the Latin American independence movement, and the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth Constitution of May 3, and also led to the rise of liberalism and the birth of socialism and communism. It is matched by the high baroque and classical eras in music, and the neo-classical period in the arts, and receives contemporary application in the unity of science movement which includes logical positivism.

Difference between 'early modern' and the Renaissance
The expression "early modern" is sometimes used as a substitute for the term Renaissance, and vice versa. However, "Renaissance" is properly used in relation to a diverse series of cultural developments; which occurred over several hundred years in many different parts of Europe—especially central and northern Italy—and span the transition from late Medieval civilization and the opening of the early modern period.

The term "early modern" is most often applied to Europe, and its overseas empire. However, it has also been employed in the history of the Ottoman Empire. In the historiography of Japan, the Edo period from 1590 to 1868 is also sometimes referred to as the "early modern" period.

Diplomacy and warfare

The 17th century saw very little peace in Europe – major wars were fought in 95 years (every year except 1610, 1669 to 1671, and 1680 to 1682.)  The wars were unusually ugly. Europe in the late 17th century, 1648 to 1700, was an age of great intellectual, scientific, artistic and cultural achievement. Historian Frederick Nussbaum says it was:

"prolific in genius, in common sense, and in organizing ability. It could properly have been expected that intelligence, comprehension and high purpose would be applied to the control of human relations in general and to the relations between states and peoples in particular. The fact was almost completely opposite.  It was a period of marked unintelligence, immorality and frivolity in the conduct of international relations, marked by wars undertaken for dimly conceived purposes, waged with the utmost brutality and conducted by reckless betrayals of allies."

The worst came during the Thirty Years' War, 1618–1648, which had an extremely negative impact on the civilian population of Germany and surrounding areas, with massive loss of life and disruption of the economy and society.

Thirty Years' War: 1618–1648
The Reformation led to a series of religious wars that culminated in the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648), which devastated much of Germany, killing between 25% and 40% of its entire population. Roman Catholic House of Habsburg and its allies fought against the Protestant princes of Germany, supported at various times by Denmark, Sweden and France. The Habsburgs, who ruled Spain, Austria, the Crown of Bohemia, Hungary, Slovene Lands, the Spanish Netherlands and much of Germany and Italy, were staunch defenders of the Roman Catholic Church. Some historians believe that the era of the Reformation came to a close when Roman Catholic France allied itself with Protestant states against the Habsburg dynasty. For the first time since the days of Martin Luther, political and national convictions again outweighed religious convictions in Europe.

Two main tenets of the Peace of Westphalia, which ended the Thirty Years' War, were:

 * All parties would now recognise the Peace of Augsburg of 1555, by which each prince would have the right to determine the religion of his own state, the options being Roman Catholicism, Lutheranism, and now Calvinism (the principle of cuius regio, eius religio).
 * Christians living in principalities where their denomination was not the established church were guaranteed the right to practice their faith in public during allotted hours and in private at their will.

The treaty also effectively ended the Papacy's pan-European political power. Pope Innocent X declared the treaty "null, void, invalid, iniquitous, unjust, damnable, reprobate, inane, empty of meaning and effect for all times" in his bull Zelo Domus Dei. European sovereigns, Roman Catholic and Protestant alike, ignored his verdict.

Scholars taking a "realist" perspective on wars and diplomacy have emphasized the Peace of Westphalia (1648) as a dividing line. It ended the Thirty Years War (1618–1648), where religion and ideology had been powerful motivating forces for warfare. Westphalia, in the realist view, ushered in a new international system of sovereign states of roughly equal strength, dedicated not to ideology or religion but to enhance status, and territorial gains. The Catholic Church, for example, no longer devoted its energies to the very difficult task of reclaiming dioceses lost to Protestantism, but to build large-scale missions in overseas colonial possessions that could convert the natives by the thousands Using devoted members of society such as the Jesuits. According to Hamish Scott, the realist model assumes that "foreign policies were guided entirely by "Realpolitik," by the resulting struggle for resources and, eventually, by the search for what became known as a 'balance of power.'

Diplomacy before 1700 was not well developed, and chances to avoid wars were too often squandered. In England, for example, King Charles II paid little attention to diplomacy, which proved disastrous. During the Dutch war of 1665–67, England had no diplomats stationed in Denmark or Sweden. When King Charles realized he needed them as allies, he sent special missions that were uninformed about local political, military, and diplomatic situations, and were ignorant of personalities and political factionalism. Ignorance produced a series of blunders that ruined their efforts to find allies. King Louis XIV of France, by contrast, developed the most sophisticated diplomatic service, with permanent ambassadors and lesser ministers in major and minor capitals, all preparing steady streams of information and advice to Paris. Diplomacy became a career that proved highly attractive to rich senior aristocrats who enjoyed very high society at royal courts, especially because they carried the status of the most powerful nation in Europe. Increasingly, other nations copied the French model; French became the language of diplomacy, replacing Latin. By 1700, the British and the Dutch, with small land armies, large navies, and large treasuries, used astute diplomacy to build alliances, subsidizing as needed land powers to fight on their side, or as in the case of the Hessians, hiring regiments of soldiers from mercenary princes in small countries. The balance of power was very delicately calculated, so that winning a battle here was worth the slice of territory there, with no regard to the wishes of the inhabitants. Important peacemaking conferences at Utrecht (1713), Vienna (1738), Aix-la-Chapelle (1748) and Paris (1763) had a cheerful, cynical, game-like atmosphere in which professional diplomats cashed in victories like casino chips in exchange for territory.

Holy Roman Empire
Since 1512, the Holy Roman Empire was also known as the Holy Roman Empire of the German nation. The Habsburg House of Austria held the position of Holy Roman Emperors since the mid-1400s and for the entire Early modern period. Despite the lack of a centralized political structure in a period in which national monarchies were emerging, the Habsburg Emperors of the Early modern period came close to form a universal monarchy in Western Europe.

The Habsburgs expanded their control within and outside the Holy Roman Empire as a result of the dynastic policy pursued by Maximilian I, Holy Roman Emperor. Maximilian I married Mary of Burgundy, thus bringing the Burgundian Netherlands into the Habsburg inheritance. Their son, Philip the Handsome, married Joanna the Mad of Spain (daughter of Ferdinand II of Aragon and Isabella of Castile). Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor (son of Philip and Joanna) inherited the Habsburg Netherlands in 1506, Habsburg Spain and its territories in 1516, and Habsburg Austria in 1519.

The main opponents of the Habsburg Empire were the Ottoman Empire and the Kingdom of France. The Habsburgs clashed with France in a series of Italian wars. The Battle of Pavia (1525) initiated the Habsburg primacy in Italy and the replacement of France as the main European power. Nevertheless, religious wars forced Charles V to abdicate in 1556 and divide the Habsburg possessions between Spain and Austria. The next Holy Roman Emperor Ferdinand I completed the Council of Trent and maintained Germany at peace until the Thirty Years' War (1618–1648). The Habsburgs controlled the elective monarchies of Hungary and Bohemia as well, and eventually turned these states into hereditary domains.

Spain
In 1492 the Catholic Monarchs of Castile and Aragon funded Christopher Columbus's plan to sail west to reach the Indies by crossing the Atlantic. He landed on a continent uncharted by Europeans and seen as a new world, the Americas. To prevent conflict between Portugal and Castile (the crown under which Columbus made the voyage), the Treaty of Tordesillas was signed dividing the world into two regions of exploration, where each had exclusive rights to claim newly discovered lands.

The structure of the Spanish Empire was established under the Spanish Habsburgs (1516–1700) and under the Spanish Bourbon monarchs, the empire was brought under greater crown control and increased its revenues from the Indies. The crown's authority in The Indies was enlarged by the papal grant of powers of patronage, giving it power in the religious sphere.

Under Philip II of Spain, Spain, rather than the Habsburg empire, was identified as a more powerful nation than France and England globally. Furthermore, despite attacks from other European states, Spain retained its position of dominance with apparent ease. Spain controlled the Netherlands until the Dutch revolt, and important states in southern Italy. The Spanish claims to Naples and Sicily dated back to the 15th century, but had been marred by rival claims until the mid-16th century and the rule of Philip II. There would be no Italian revolts against Spanish rule until 1647. The death of the Ottoman emperor Suleiman the Magnificent in 1566 and the naval victory over the Ottoman Empire at the Battle of Lepanto in 1571 cemented the status of Spain as a superpower in Europe and the world. The Spanish Empire comprised territories and colonies of the Spanish Monarch in the Americas, Asia (Spanish Philippines), Europe and some territories in Africa and Oceania.

France
The Ancien Régime (French for "old regime") was the political and social system of the Kingdom of France from about 1450 until the French Revolution that started in 1789. The Ancien Régime was ruled by the late Valois and Bourbon dynasties. Much of the medieval political centralization of France had been lost in the Hundred Years' War, and the Valois Dynasty's attempts at re-establishing control over the scattered political centres of the country were hindered by the Wars of Religion). Much of the reigns of Henry IV, Louis XIII and the early years of Louis XIV were focused on administrative centralisation. Despite, however, the notion of "absolute monarchy" (typified by the king's right to issue lettres de cachet) and the efforts by the kings to create a centralized state, Ancien Régime France remained a country of systemic irregularities: administrative (including taxation), legal, judicial, and ecclesiastic divisions and prerogatives frequently overlapped, while the French nobility struggled to maintain their own rights in the matters of local government and justice, and powerful internal conflicts (like the Fronde) protested against this centralization.

The need for centralization in this period was directly linked to the question of royal finances and the ability to wage war. The internal conflicts and dynastic crises of the 16th and 17th centuries (the wars between Catholics and Protestants and the Habsburg's internal family conflict) and the territorial expansion of France in the 17th century demanded great sums which needed to be raised through taxes, such as the land tax (taille) and the tax on salt (gabelle) and by contributions of men and service from the nobility. The key to this centralization was the replacing of personal patronage systems organized around the king and other nobles by institutional systems around the state. The creation of intendants—representatives of royal power in the provinces—did much to undermine local control by regional nobles. The same was true of the greater reliance shown by the royal court on the "noblesse de robe" as judges and royal counselors. The creation of regional parlements had initially the same goal of facilitating the introduction of royal power into newly assimilated territories, but as the parlements gained in self-assurance, they began to be sources of disunity.

England

This period refers to England 1558–1603. The Elizabethan Era is the period associated with the reign of Queen Elizabeth I (1558–1603) and was a golden age in English cultural history. It was the height of the English Renaissance, and saw the flowering of English literature and poetry. This was also the time during which Elizabethan theatre grew. William Shakespeare, among others, composed highly innovative and powerful plays. It was an age of expansion and exploration abroad. At home the Protestant Reformation was established and successfully defended against the Catholic powers of Spain and France.

The Jacobean era was the reign James I of England (1603–1625). Overseas exploration and establishment of trading factories sped up, with the first permanent settlements in North America at Jamestown, Virginia in 1607, in Newfoundland in 1610, and at Plymouth Colony in Massachusetts in 1620. One king now ruled England and Scotland; the latter was fully absorbed by the Acts of Union 1707.

The tumultuous Caroline era was the reign of King Charles I (1625–1645), followed by his beheading by Oliver Cromwell's regime in 1649. The Caroline era was dominated by the growing religious, political, and social conflict between the King and his supporters, termed the Royalist party, and the Puritan opposition that evolved in response to particular aspects of Charles' rule. The colonization of North America continued apace, with new colonies in Maryland (1634), Connecticut (1635), and Rhode Island (1636).

Poland
In early modern Europe, the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth was the largest country with a large population and was very powerful. It was the largest semi-democratically governed polity of its time. It had low taxes but managed to field thousands of Winged Hussars who composed of nobility who followed Sarmatism. The Polish military routinely beat other respectable opponents such as the Ottomans, the Swedes and the Russians.

Papacy
The papacy continued to exercise significant diplomatic influence during the Early modern period. The Popes were frequently assembling Holy Leagues to assert Catholic supremacy in Europe. During the Renaissance, Julius II and Paul III were largely involved in the Italian Wars and worked to preserve their primacy among the Italian princes. During the Counter-Reformation, the Papacy supported Catholic powers and factions all over Europe. Pope Pius V assembled the Catholic coalition that won the Battle of Lepanto against the Turks. Pope Sixtus V sided with the Catholics during the French wars of religion. Worldwide religious missions, such as the Jesuit China mission, were established by Pope Gregory XIII. Gregory XIII is also responsible for the establishment of the Gregorian calendar. Following the Peace of Westphalia and the birth of nation-states, Papal claims to universal authority came effectively to an end.

Other political powers

 * Ottoman Empire
 * Early Modern Italy
 * Papal States
 * Republic of Florence, Duchy of Florence, Grand Duchy of Tuscany
 * Republic of Venice
 * Duchy of Milan
 * Republic of Genoa
 * Kingdom of Naples
 * Kingdom of Portugal
 * Dutch Republic
 * Holy Roman Empire
 * Kingdom of Bohemia (Czech)
 * Habsburg monarchy (Austria)
 * Early Modern Germany
 * Duchy of Prussia, Kingdom of Prussia
 * Duchy of Bavaria, Electorate of Bavaria
 * Electorate of the Palatinate
 * Tsardom of Russia, Russian Empire
 * Early Modern Sweden
 * Denmark–Norway
 * Early Modern Romania
 * Kingdom of Hungary

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Early modern Europe


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Category 3

Category 3 or Category III can refer to:
 * Category 3 cable, a specification for data cabling
 * British firework classification
 * Category 3 tropical cyclone, on any of the tropical cyclone scales
 * Category 3 pandemic, on the Pandemic Severity Index, an American influenza pandemic with a case-fatality ratio between 0.5% and 1%
 * Category 3 winter storm, on the Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale and the Regional Snowfall Index
 * Any of several winter storms listed at list of Northeast Snowfall Impact Scale winter storms
 * Category 03 non-silicate mineral - Halides
 * Category III, a rating in the Hong Kong motion picture rating system
 * Category III, a capability level of aircraft instrument landing systems
 * Category III New Testament manuscripts - Eclectic
 * Category III measurement - performed in the building installation
 * Category III protected area (IUCN) - natural monument

title: Category 3


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Aalten

Aalten is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. The former municipalities of Bredevoort (1818) and Dinxperlo (2005) have been merged with Aalten.

Notable inhabitants of Aalten include Angus Young, guitarist of the Australian rock band AC/DC, and Robert Gesink, a professional road bicycle racer. During World War II, 51 of Aalten's 85 Jews were hidden by local non-Jews, and thereby survived the war. According to the War and Resistance Museum in Aalten, the village had the highest number of people in hiding during World War II. The village of approximately 13,000 residents hid some 2,500 people.

Transportation
Aalten railway station serves Aalten and the surrounding area. There is a half-hourly service between Arnhem and Winterswijk, which stops at this station. Arnhem railway station has services to Amsterdam, Amsterdam Airport, Utrecht, Nijmegen, 's-Hertogenbosch, Breda, Tilburg and to cities in Germany.

Aalten also has an hourly bus service to Ruurlo and to Zelhem.

Notable people

 * Hendrickje Stoffels (1626 in Bredevoort – 1663) the longtime partner of Rembrandt
 * J.T. Wamelink (1827 in Aalten – 1900) a prominent musician and composer in Cleveland, Ohio
 * Vinus van Baalen (1942 in Dinxperlo – 2012) a Dutch swimmer, competed at the 1964 Summer Olympics
 * Nout Wellink (born 1943 in Bredevoort) a Dutch economist and former central banker

title: Aalten


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Angerlo

Angerlo is a village in the municipality of Zevenaar, in the eastern Netherlands. It is located about 2 km south of Doesburg.

Until 1 January 2005, Angerlo was an independent municipality, with a population of about 5,000. This municipality included the villages of Bahr, Giesbeek and Lathum, and the hamlets of Bevermeer and Bingerden.

History
The village was first mentioned in 1025 as Angarlo, and means "forest near grassland". Angerlo developed as a linear settlement on a river dune. Parts of the Dutch Reformed Church date from the 11th century. The western tower was replaced between 1766 and 1767, and was destroyed in 1945. It was rebuilt between 1948 and 1950. Huis Bingerden is a havezate which was first mentioned in 970. It was extensively modified in 1786, and burnt down in 1945. It was rebuilt in a slightly different form. In 1840, it was home to 325 people.

title: Angerlo


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Barneveld (municipality)

Barneveld is a municipality in the province of Gelderland in the center of the Netherlands. It is known for its poultry industry and large Protestant community. The municipality had a population of 0 in, out of which 33,800 (2018) lived in the town itself.

Barneveld is estimated to be over 800 years old. This estimation is based on a text from 1174 in which a Wolfram van Barneveld is named.

Population centres

 * Barneveld (town)
 * De Glind
 * Garderen
 * Kootwijk
 * Kootwijkerbroek
 * Stroe
 * Terschuur
 * Voorthuizen
 * Zwartebroek

Notable people

 * Jan van Schaffelaar (ca.1445–1482) a cavalry officer in the duchy of Guelders
 * Hendrik Jansen van Barrefelt (ca.1520–ca.1594) a weaver, a Christian mystic and author
 * Jan Everts Bout (1601/1602 – 1671) an early Dutch settler in the New Netherland
 * Jacobus Kapteyn FRS FRSE LLD (1851–1922) a Dutch astronomer
 * Eduard Daniël van Oort (1876–1933) a Dutch ornithologist
 * Simeon Gottfried Albert Doorenbos (1891–1980) a Dutch horticulturist, Director of The Hague Parks Department 1927/1957
 * Chris van Veen (1922–2009) a Dutch politician and trade association executive
 * Hans Van de Bovenkamp (born 1938 in Garderen) a Dutch-born American sculptor

Sport

 * Conny van Bentum (born 1965) a female former butterfly and freestyle swimmer, three time Olympic relay team medallist
 * Alfred Schreuder (born 1972) a Dutch football manager and former player with over 350 club caps
 * Johan Jansen (born 1989) a Dutch professional football goalkeeper, 226 club caps with GVVV

title: Barneveld (municipality)


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Lingewaard

Lingewaard is a municipality in the eastern Netherlands. It is located in the province of Gelderland, in the most eastern part of the Betuwe. The municipality is situated in the lowlands between the major cities of Arnhem and Nijmegen, where many inhabitants work. Since 2021 it has been part of the Arnhem-Nijmegen Green Metropolitan Region (Groene Metropoolregio Arnhem-Nijmegen), which aids planning and development in the region's eighteen municipalities.

Population centres
Lingewaard was formed in 2001 as a merger between the former municipalities of Bemmel, Gendt and Huissen. The municipality was initially named Bemmel after the largest former municipality, but later renamed 'Lingewaard' in a referendum. 'Lingewaard' itself is not a population centre but an artificial name, which is favoured by the majority of the voters. The municipality consists of these population centres.

The industrial park and hamlet of Looveer (included with Loo) comprises a small area located across the Pannerden Canal. Other notable hamlets in Lingewaard are Hulhuizen (included with Gendt), and Doornik (included with Bemmel). Before 1799, Doornik was a village. This village was destroyed because of a levee breach in 1799, whereby all houses were destroyed, including the church.

Landscape
The municipality lies entirely within the catchment area of the rivers Waal, Nederrijn, and Linge. It generally contains many fertile soils that lie on nutrient-rich river deposits. From an agricultural point of view, Lingewaard is well suited for horticulture. The area contains many greenhouses and orchards.

In the south of Lingewaard lies the rewilding area Gelderse Poort, which is managed by Staatsbosbeheer. This nature reserve contains several Dutch riverscape habitats, including: riparian forests, grasslands, small marshes and kolks. Large herbivores (horses and cattle) roam through parts of the area, and play a major role in the landscape character because of their grazing behaviour.

Notable residents
Notable people from the municipality of Lingewaard include:
 * Willem Jacob van de Graaf (born 1736 in Huissen – 1804), the 35th Dutch Governor of Ceylon
 * Syb Talma (born 1864 in Angeren – 1916), a Dutch politician
 * Gys van Beek (born 1919 in Angeren – 2015), a Dutch-American inventor and member of the Dutch resistance
 * Joop Puntman (born 1934 in Haalderen – 2013), a Dutch ceramist and sculptor
 * Cor Melchers (born 1954 in Huissen – 2015), a Dutch painter
 * Annelies Nuy (born 1960 in Doornenburg), a Dutch fashion designer
 * Thomas van Aalten (born 1978 in Huissen), a Dutch writer and journalist
 * Ruben Hein (born 1982 in Bemmel) – Dutch jazz musician

Sport

 * Erwin van de Looi (born 1972 in Huissen), a Dutch football manager and former player
 * Stijn Schaars (born 1984 in Gendt), a Dutch former footballer with over 300 club caps

Annual festivals
Notable annual festivals and events in Lingewaard include:
 * International Four Days Marches Nijmegen – A multiple day marching event in mid-July, which comes through Bemmel and Huissen on the first day of event.
 * Bemmelse Dweildag – An international festival for marching bands in Bemmel, on the second Sunday in June.
 * Horse Days of Bemmel (Dutch: Bemmelse Paardendagen) – The annual pony market and horserace in Bemmel, around the second Sunday in August.
 * Cherry Festival of Gendt (Dutch: Gendste Kersenfeest) – Annual festival of Gendt at the end of July.
 * Under The Milky Way – Local rock festival of Lingewaard, located in the floodplains of Huissen, in the end of August or beginning of September.

Twin town
From 2009 to 2014, Lingewaard was twinned with:

title: Lingewaard


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Bergh

Bergh is a former municipality in the Dutch province of Gelderland. The municipality included the villages of 's-Heerenberg, Zeddam, and Stokkum.

In 2005, it merged with Didam to form the new municipality of Montferland.

title: Bergh


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Beuningen

Beuningen is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. The municipality consists of the towns Beuningen, Ewijk, Winssen and Weurt. 1.5 km to the north lies the river Waal

Beuningen lies adjacent to the A73 (Nijmegen-Venlo, on the south side) and A50 (Zwolle-Eindhoven, in the west) motorway interchange. East of Beuningen lies the city Nijmegen. Beuningen had a population of 0 in. There is a restored windmill in the town, De Haag.

Population centres
• Beuningen

• Ewijk

• Weurt

• Winssen

History
The area in and around Beuningen was inhabited by the Romans. There are regularly excavations done in which Roman rests are found. In the 15th century there stood a small castle: Blanckenburgh. It was probably destroyed during the Eighty Years' War by Maurice of Orange. Until about 1900 Beuningen was a poor farmers village, often struck by floods. Nevertheless, there were a few rich families, mostly farmers with a lot of land, who paid the highest tax in the area. On January 1, 1818, the municipality annexed town Weurt in the East and on July 1, 1980, the town Ewijk on the West.

Nowadays Beuningen has grown to a suburb of Nijmegen, with a lot of new neighbourhoods.

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Beuningen, June 2015.

Monuments
There are several monuments in Beuningen. Here are a few (in chronological order): • Blanckenburgh tower, 15th century

• De Haag Mill, 1704

• Kloosterstraat farm, 1774

• Olden Tempel, 1838

• Large Waardhuizenstraat T-farm, 1850 - 1900

• Mausoleum of Van 't Lindenhout, 1861

• Cornelius church, 1900-1901

• Vinkendael, 1900

• Coach house, ca. 1913

• Holy Heart statue, 1920

• Stone factory the Bunswaard, 1920

Notable people

 * Willem Joseph baron van Ghent tot Drakenburgh (1626 in Winssen – 1672) a 17th-century Dutch admiral
 * Willie Smits (born 1957, in Weurt) a trained forester, microbiologist, conservationist, animal rights activist, wilderness engineer and social entrepreneur in Borneo
 * Bas van Bemmelen (born 1989 in Beuningen) a volleyball player with the Netherlands men's national volleyball team
 * Frans Lelivelt a successful entrepreneur and writer with special connections to Nottingham (England)

title: Beuningen


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Borculo

Borculo is a city in the eastern Netherlands, in the municipality of Berkelland, Gelderland. Borculo was an independent municipality until 2005, when it merged with Eibergen, Neede, and Ruurlo. Other population centers in the municipality of Borculo were nearby Geesteren, Gelselaar, and Haarlo.

History
Borculo began as a settlement near where, at the time, the Berkel joined a smaller stream called the Grolse Slinge. In the 12th century a castle called Hof van Borculo was built. A defensive wall surrounding the village was constructed in 1348. The village received city rights in 1375. The city wall has been demolished, but parts of the defensive moat, which was also used as a trading route over the Berkel to the cities along the Berkel (such as Zutphen), can still be found in Borculo.

Borculo was then ruled by the counts of Limburg and Bronkhorst. In the long conflict (known as the "Borculo question") between the heirs of the last count of Bronkhorst (deceased in 1553 without children) and the Prince-Bishop of Munster over ownership of Borculo, the Court of Gelderland ruled on 20 December 1615 in favour of count Joost of Limburg and Bronkhorst. The ruling was imposed by troops from Zutphen, taking over the castle and city of Lichtenvoorde in December 1615, and the castle and city of Borculo in February 1616 after short combat. Prince-Bishop Christoph Bernhard von Galen tried twice to keep Borculo under Munster's authority, but without success. Thereafter, Borculo definitively belonged to the province of Guelders instead of Munster.

In 1777 the region came into the possession of Stadtholder William V, after which the castle was demolished and rebuilt. Most of the castle was demolished in 1869–1870, but parts of the keep still exist. These parts are hidden below the library and cultural centre, although they were visible to the public for several years. Due to wear, these parts were buried again. The King of the Netherlands is still Lord of Borculo.

Borculo is probably known best for the tornado that destroyed much of the village on 10 August 1925. Tornadoes that are this disastrous are very rare in the Netherlands.

title: Borculo


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Brummen

Brummen is a municipality and a village in the eastern Netherlands.

Brummen has a small railway station - Brummen railway station on the line between Zutphen and Arnhem. The village is situated about 7 km southwest of Zutphen, no farther than 1.5 km from the IJssel river. About two kilometers west of the village, on the edge of the Veluwe forest area, lies the Engelenburg resort, a castle-like house. It is in use as a hotel for golf players and has a 9-hole golf-link.

Population centres

 * Brummen
 * Eerbeek (the largest village in the municipality)
 * Empe (which has a small railway station on the line Apeldoorn-Zutphen)
 * Hall - with an interesting chapel dating from the Middle Ages
 * Leuvenheim
 * Oeken
 * Tonden
 * Voorstonden

Transportation

 * Brummen railway station is served by 2 trains per hour serving places such as Zutphen, Dieren, Arnhem and Nijmegen.

Twin towns — sister cities
Brummen is twinned with:

Notable people

 * Jan Elias Nicolaas Schimmelpenninck van der Oye (1836 in Brummen – 1914) a Dutch politician
 * Cornelis Johannes van Doorn (1837 in Hall – 1906) a Dutch civil engineer and foreign advisor to Meiji period Japan
 * Jacob Emil van Hoogstraten (1898 in Eerbeek – 1991) a Dutch public servant in the Dutch East Indies
 * Dick Dolman (1935 in Empe – 2019) a Dutch politician

Sport

 * Geurt Schoonman (1896 in Brummen – 1971) a Dutch sports shooter, competed at the 1948 Summer Olympics
 * Wiljon Vaandrager (born 1957 in Brummen) a former rower, bronze medallist at the 1984 Summer Olympics
 * Stefan Groothuis (born 1981 in Empe) a retired Dutch speed skater, gold medallist at the 2014 Winter Olympics

title: Brummen


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Buren

Buren is a town and municipality in the Betuwe region of the Netherlands. Buren has 27,168 inhabitants as of 1 January 2022.

Geography
Buren is located in Gelderland, a province of the Netherlands. It is part of the landscape of Betuwe, a very fertile strip of land between two branches of Rhine-Meuse Delta, the Nederrijn in the north and the Waal in the south.

Population centers
Population centers include: • Aalst

• Asch

• Beusichem

• Buren

• Eck en Wiel

• Erichem

• Ingen

• Kerk-Avezaath

• Lienden

• Ommeren

• Ravenswaaij

• Rijswijk

• Zoelen

• Zoelmond

History
The earliest known settlement of the region occurred as early as 772. Castle Buren was built by the Lords of Buren and was first mentioned in 1298. The town was granted city rights in 1395 by Sir Alard IV of Buren which led to the construction of a defensive wall and a moat, significant portions of which still stand. In 1492, the region was promoted to a county (i.e. a territory ruled by a count), but had limited economic influence due to its geographic isolation. By 1574, the previously Catholic parish church of Saint-Lambert (Sint Lambertus) had become Calvinist Reformed Protestant. The Castle eventually came into the possession of the House of Orange, the royal family of the Netherlands. The Dutch royal family has been known to use the name van Buren as an alias to give themselves some degree of anonymity. William III of England obtained the title Buren. The Dutch royal family still use this as a title. The Castle was gradually demolished between 1804 and 1883. The eighth president of the United States, Martin Van Buren, traced his ancestry to inhabitants of the town, who had taken the surname Van Buren after relocating to the Dutch colony of New Netherlands in what is now the state of New York. In 1853, following the end of his presidency, Van Buren made a visit to the town while on a tour of Europe and reportedly met with several distant relatives.

The current municipality is the result of 2 mergers. On 1 January 1978, the municipalities of Beusichem, Zoelen and part of Buurmalsen were added to the existing municipality of Buren, that was formed in the mid-19th century. On 1 January 1999, Buren was enlarged with the addition of the municipalities of Lienden and Maurik.

Historical sites
Buren has two museums: It is also home to De Prins Van Oranje, a restored windmill.
 * The Museum of the Royal Military Police, located in a 17th-century orphanage.
 * The Museum of the Dutch Royal Family, located in the historic city hall.

Government and politics
The title "Count or Countess of Buren and Leerdam" is held by the Dutch monarchy due to Prince William of Orange's marriage to the Countess of Buren, Anna of Egmont, in 1551. As a result, the county and the town of Buren fall under the control of the Royal House of Orange-Nassau.

Demographics
• Dutch: 92.9%

• European: 4.7%

• African: 0.7%

• Arabian: 0.5%

• Other: 1.2%

Twin town
Buren is twinned with:

Notable people

 * Philip William, Prince of Orange (1554 in Buren – 1618) Prince of Orange in 1584 and Knight of the Golden Fleece in 1599
 * Gerard de Kruijff (1890 in Buren – 1968) a Dutch horse rider who competed in the 1924 and the 1928 Summer Olympics
 * Lukas Smits (born 1935 in Ravenswaaij) a Dutch painter.
 * Jos Beijnen (born 1956 in Beusichem) a Dutch pharmacist and academic
 * Ron Stevens (born 1959 in Lienden) a Dutch sprint canoer who competed in two Summer Olympics

title: Buren


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Culemborg

Culemborg is a municipality and a city in the centre of the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. The city had a population of 29,386 on 1 January 2022 and is situated just south of the Lek river. Direct train lines run from the railway station towards the cities of Utrecht and Den Bosch, via the near railway bridge.

Etymology
The oldest example of the name is Culenburgh from 1281. Throughout the centuries several spellings hev been used: Kulenborch (1305), Culenborgh (1353), Colemborch (1363), Culemborch (1472). the former part of the name (which today would be kuil) refers to a hole or pit, while the later refers to the castle that was built there around 1270.

History
Culemborg, formerly also spelled Kuilenburg or Kuylenburgh, received city rights in 1318. Despite its Dutch character, Culemborg was not legally part of the Netherlands until the 18th century, and was instead part of a fiefdom in the Holy Roman Empire. The fiefdom (later county) had gained the right of toll collection and the right of asylum: it was a so-called  'Vrijstad'  (free city). In practice, this meant that people who had fled to Culemborg from other cities (for example due to bankruptcy) could evade their creditors in Culemborg. The creditors would not be allowed entry into the city. This did not mean that criminals could escape justice in Culemborg: the manor had its own justice system which could sentence criminals. In Amsterdam, the phrase ' Naar Culemborg gaan' (Going to Culemborg) became synonymous with going bankrupt.

In Joan Blaeu's map of 1649, Culemborg remains entirely enclosed by walls behind its city moat-like encircling canals. The moated castle stands outside the city walls. Houses present a united front along streets and the two canals that cut the city in three sections, but they all face gardens behind, and market gardens are plentiful within the city walls.

In the beginning of the 18th century, Culemborg effectively lost its independence as it was incorporated into the Nijmegen Quarter, although it regained some sovereign rights. Later, it was given to stadholder Willem IV. To this day, the Dutch king Willem-Alexander remains count of Culemborg. In 1795, the city was occupied by French forces, who left the castle in such a despicable state it was demolished after the French had left. A few years later it was completely incorporated in the Bataafse Republiek, and losing its sovereign rights.

In 1868, a railway bridge was built over the river Lek which was the longest bridge in Europe for a few years. Just upstream of it is a reaction ferry

In 1995, Culemborg was one of the cities which was temporarily evacuated because of the risk of flooding.

Between 1994 and 2009 the city of Culemborg developed the innovative ecological neighbourhood EVA Lanxmeer. Close collaboration with inhabitants and experimental sustainable design has made the neighbourhood an international best practice.

Transportation
Culemborg is served by Culemborg railway station, which offers trains to Utrecht (city) 4x per hour and 2x per hour to 's-Hertogenbosch and Tiel each. The railway station also provides a bus hub, offering buses to the various neighbouring cities and villages (namely Buren, Beusichem and Nieuwegein).

The near railway bridge has been built in the 1860s and at the time it had some important records.

Topography

Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Culemborg, June 2015

Economy
Dough processing company Rademaker BV, founded in 1977, moved to Culemborg in 1981 and still has their headquarters here.

Centraal Boekhuis, trading under CB since 2012, is the main distributor of books in The Netherlands and has been based in Culemborg since 1973.

Windmills
There are two traditional windmills in Culemborg, De Hoop and Johanna. The base of a third mill, De Koornvriend, also survives.

Notable residents

 * Anthony van Diemen (1593–1645), Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies
 * Jan van Riebeeck (1619–1677) colonial administrator, founded Cape Town (South Africa)
 * Roelof de Man (1634 - 1663), bookkeeper and second-in-charge to Jan van Riebeeck at founding of Cape Town (South Africa)
 * Otto van Rees (1823–1892), minister and Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies
 * Rudi Martinus van Dijk (1932–2003) a Dutch and Canadian composer of orchestral, chamber and vocal music
 * Wilhelmina Cooper (1939–1980), fashion model, founded Wilhelmina Models, New York
 * Farid Azarkan (born 1971), politician and leader of Denk
 * Jelka van Houten (born 1978), actress

Sport

 * Elly van Hulst (born 1959), middle distance runner, competed at the 1984 and 1988 Summer Olympics
 * Patrick Pothuizen (born 1972), football player over 450 club caps
 * Michiel Elijzen (born 1982) a Dutch former professional road bicycle racer

title: Culemborg


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Didam

Didam (locally, Diem) is a town in the eastern part of Netherlands in the region of "De Achterhoek", province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Montferland about 18 km east of Arnhem, which is the capital of the province, and about 11 km west from Doetinchem, which is the capital of the Achterhoek region.

History
People in Didam speak a dialect called "diems", and many people speak achterhoeks (which is the dialect of the region "Achterhoek") which is very similar to diems. These two dialects are part of the nedersaksies.

Didam was a separate municipality until 1 January 2005, when it merged with Bergh to create the new municipality of Montferland. The church is dedicated to St. Mary.

Transport
The Didam railway station was opened on 15 July 1885 and is located on the Winterswijk–Zevenaar railway line.

Notable people

 * Everard Ter Laak (5 November 1868 – 5 May 1931), Dutch Roman Catholic missionary.
 * Paul Peters (born 1942 in Roosteren), Dutch politician.
 * Jos Som (born 1951 in Didam), Dutch politician.
 * Theo Rasing (born 1953 in Didam), Dutch professor of experimental physics.
 * Ernie Brandts (born 1956 in Didam), Dutch football manager and former player.
 * Geert Hammink (born 1969 in Didam), Dutch professional basketball player.
 * Manfred Dikkers (born 1971 in Didam), Dutch drummer.
 * Geert-Jan Derksen (born 1975 in Didam), Dutch rower.

title: Didam


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Dinxperlo

Dinxperlo (Dutch Low Saxon: Dinsper) is a town and former municipality in the eastern Netherlands (Achterhoek region), situated directly at the Germany-Netherlands border.

Since 1 January 2005, Dinxperlo has been part of the municipality of Aalten. Before 2005, Dinxperlo was a separate municipality, covering the town of Dinxperlo itself and the village of De Heurne.

The name of the village probably is derived from dingspel (justice court or area) and loo (wood). A popular explanation is that in the Middle Ages there was a court in the woods here. Dinxperlo used to have a coat of arms depicting Lady Justice.

Attractions
One of the town's main attractions is the Netherlands' smallest church (Kerkje "De Rietstap"). Another is a border museum (Grenslandmuseum).

Transportation
The nearest train stations are Aalten railway station and Terborg railway station, with train service operated by Arriva every half-hour. Bus number 40 connects Dinxperlo to Terborg station and bus number 195 connects Dinxperlo to Aalten station. Both services start in the Willem van Oranjeplein. The service runs from Arnhem (Arnhem railway station) to Doetinchem and Winterswijk stopping at various places on the way.

Dutch-German border
One street in Dinxperlo, Heelweg, is partly German in the village of Suderwick, (district Borken). The road itself lies in the Netherlands, but one side of the housing zone is in Germany (where it is called Hellweg). The unique boundary line is delimited by a treaty between Germany and the Netherlands signed in April 1960, which resulted in the return of Suderwick to then West Germany on 1 August 1963 after the Netherlands annexed the village soon after the Second World War as part of claims for war reparations.

The treaty also provides for the access arrangements of those living in German territory but with only access via Heelweg which is Dutch territory. The houses there belong to the small town of Suderwick, which might be translated as "southern area". Also, Dinxperlo houses a shared Dutch-German police station.

Besides Dutch and German, at both sides of the border a common dialect is spoken, which is a variety of Low Saxon.

title: Dinxperlo


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Doesburg

Doesburg is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Gelderland. Doesburg received city rights in 1237 and had a population of 0 in. The city is situated on the right bank of the River IJssel at its confluence with the River Oude IJssel. It is part of the Arnhem-Nijmegen Green Metropolitan Region (Groene Metropoolregio Arnhem-Nijmegen), which aids planning and development in the region's eighteen municipalities.

History
Doesburg received city rights in 1237, one year later than the neighbouring town of Doetinchem. Because of its strategic position along the Oude IJssel and Gelderse IJssel, Doesburg has been an important fortified city for a long time. The fortification of the city made Doesburg an important economic and administrative city. The Martinikerk, the main church in Doesburg, is 94 meters tall. For many reasons, many of which have to do with the IJssel decreasing in depth, the prosperity of Doesburg stagnated after the 15th century. Doesburg became a sleepy provincial town and so it would remain until after the second world war. The city was protected in 1974, designated as a historic town.

As Doesburg was officially a fortified city up to 1923, it could not be expanded. After the second world war the city grew rapidly. In the 1950s, a suburb called Molenveld (mill field) was built on the Eastern side of the city. In the 1970s and 1980s a suburb called Beinum was built to the south of the Oude IJssel, and Campstede was subsequently built to the south of Beinum. At the beginning of the 21st century the construction of a new area at the IJsselkade was started with 44 houses and 124 apartments designed by the Italian architect Adolfo Natalini. In 2007, construction of a hotel called "Noabers" was started. After a few months it was insolvent, but was taken over and reopened a year later.

Tourism
In the north of Doesburg there are several camp-sites where in the high season 4000 visitors stay each year. The historical city centre has museums and monuments that draw thousands of tourists every year. Major attractions include the Gildehof, the Doesburgse mustard factory and 'De Waag', possibly the oldest public house in the Netherlands.

Industry
Doesburg has a number of business parks. These include the Verhuellweg on the north side of the city, and Beinum-Oost and Beinum-West to the east of the city. Along the Gelderse Ijssel are an iron foundry and a concrete call centre, as well as a builder of motor yachts.

Well-known Doesburgers

 * Peter of Dusburg (circa 1260–1326) a Priest-Brother and chronicler of the Teutonic Knights
 * Jan Hendrik van Kinsbergen (1735 in Doesburg – 1819) Count of Doggersbank, was a Dutch naval officer and sea hero
 * Robert Jacob Gordon (1743 in Doesburg – 1795) explorer, soldier, artist, naturalist and linguist of Scottish descent
 * Carel Hendrik Ver Huell (also Verhuell) (born 1764 in Doetinchem – 1845) a Dutch, and later French, admiral and statesman
 * Johan Conrad van Hasselt (1797 in Doesburg – 1823) physician, zoologist, botanist and mycologist
 * Willem Anne Schimmelpenninck van der Oye (1800 in Doesburg – 1872) politician
 * Frederik Alexander Adolf Gregory (1814 in Doesburg – 1891) a Dutch Vice admiral
 * Charles August Masse (born 1838 in Doesburg) a member of the Wisconsin State Assembly
 * Theo Colenbrander (1841 in Doesburg – 1930) architect, ceramist, plaque painter and designer
 * Kees Luesink (1953–2014 in Doesburg) a Dutch politician, Mayor of Doesburg from 2008
 * Elbert Roest (born 1954) a Dutch historian, politician and former teacher, Doesburg municipal councillor 1992 to 2002
 * Clemens Cornielje (born 1958 in Lobith) politician and former political consultant and educator
 * Agnes Kant (born 1967) a retired Dutch politician, lives in Doesburg

title: Doesburg


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Doetinchem

Doetinchem (Low Saxon: Deutekem) is a city and municipality in the east of the Netherlands. It is situated along the Oude IJssel (Old IJssel) river in a part of the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek. The municipality had a population of 0 in and consists of an area of undefined km2 of which undefined km2 is water. This makes Doetinchem the largest town (by population) in the Achterhoek.

On 1 January 2005, a municipal restructuring merged the neighbouring municipality of Wehl as well as the Zelhelmse Broek area with Doetinchem.

Population centres
The local government organization in the Netherlands is complex and fine-grained (see municipality and Govt Stats, with municipalities being divided into various entities. The municipality of Doetinchem consists of:

The city ('stad'): The neighborhoods ('wijken'): The townships ('buurtschappen'):
 * Doetinchem
 * Centrum
 * Bezelhorst
 * Dichteren
 * Overstegen
 * De Huet
 * De Hoop
 * Oosseld
 * Schöneveld & Muziekbuurt

 * Gaanderen
 * Wehl
 * IJzevoorde
 * Langerak
 * Nieuw-Wehl
 * Nieuw-Wehl

Wehl was a separate municipality (with about 6,750 inhabitants, including Nieuw-Wehl) until 31 December 2004, when it merged with the municipality of Doetinchem.

History

It is known from archaeological finds of skulls, pottery shards, and flint arrowheads that the area was inhabited more than 11,000 years ago. These prehistoric hunters were followed by Celtic and Germanic tribes like the Franks and Saxons. Roman coins have been found and there is also archaeological evidence of the Vikings having plundered the area.

The first reference to the name of Doetinchem comes in a document from the year 838 which mentions a 'villa Duetinghem', a settlement with a small church. In 887, there is another mention of 'Deutinkem', a fortress with a church which had been given to the then Bishop of Utrecht. The spelling has varied over the centuries, with 'Duttichem', 'Duichingen' and 'Deutekom' being just some examples.

For a long time, Doetinchem remained a small place but around 1100 it started to grow and, after suffering several attempts by plunderers, a town wall was built. In 1236, Doetinchem was granted city rights ('stadsrechten') by Count Otto II of Gelre and Zutphen, and in return, the town provided taxes and soldiers for the Count's army. Also, the new city council published rules for the city, codified in the 'Keurboek van Doetinchem' (Rulebook of Doetinchem), which laid down severe punishments for infringements.

In 1226, Doetinchem faced increasing danger from plunderers, and so the city wall was raised by a metre. There were four barriers in the wall which, being weak points, were replaced over time by four large city-gates known as the Hamburgerpoort (built 1302), the Waterpoort, the Gruitpoort, and the Hezenpoort. Later a moat was dug around the wall and a rampart was built in front; the city's central windmill, the 'walmolen' (Dutch 'wal'=rampart, 'molen'=mill), stands on the remains of this rampart. Despite these defences, Doetinchem was besieged many times and during the Eighty Years' War (1568–1648). It was besieged and conquered twice. However, eventually the walls became seen as redundant (or perhaps ineffective) and in 1672, they were torn down. However, it was not until the second half of the 19th century that the city gates and most of the rampart were removed.

From its early years, Doetinchem had been an important marketplace for farmers to sell their wares; the market was held in the central square called the Simonsplein right up until the Second World War.

Doetinchem has had its fair share of disasters. Apart from the sieges mentioned above, in 1527 a large fire destroyed most of the city including the city archives (which means that many earlier dates in the history of Doetinchem are somewhat unreliable), and in 1580 most of the city was killed by a plague. There was also occasional flooding. However, despite the fact that Doetinchem is only 10 km from the German border, because the Netherlands was not involved in the First World War, Doetinchem saw nothing more than the posting of a few border guards during that time. Even during the Second World War, Doetinchem came off fairly lightly at first; there was only a small German occupying force and the city even escaped the worst effects of the Hunger Winter. However, some prisoners were executed after being implicated in the shooting death in Putten of an important German officer by the Dutch Resistance and disastrously, in March and April 1945, the centre of Doetinchem was largely destroyed by Allied bombing which was either intended for nearby German towns or, as some say, was to destroy the German defences in Doetinchem. Which of the two is true has never really been clarified and there is still some discussion about the true intentions of the bombardment. The city itself was liberated by The Calgary Highlanders in 1945 after a brief battle there.

In 2018 a writer called Karel Berkhuysen researched the Allied bombing. He found that the Germans were researching nuclear fission in a converted school. This information was then passed to the Allies.

In the decades after the war, Doetinchem grew and in a few years had outgrown its "competitors" in the Achterhoek, namely Doesburg, Winterswijk and Zutphen. The Dutch company, Philips, had a factory for some years in the city. From 2003 till 2005, the city grew enormously as new districts such as Dichteren were built, and as Doetinchem incorporates outlying villages such as Wehl into its municipality. In 2011, the city is still growing. By building a new district as het Loo and Isseldoks, and the opening of a brand new theatre and cinema, Doetinchem is the biggest growing city in Gelderland.

Significant structures in Doetinchem
The main church in the central square, St Catherine's Church ('Catharinakerk') was virtually destroyed in the World War II bombing and restoration took from 1948 to 1963. Although originally a Roman Catholic church, it became Dutch Reformed in 1591. There are two castles, 'De Kelder' ('The Cellar') and Slangenburg.

The city has three windmills. In the city centre, there is the already mentioned De Walmolen, the bottom of which now houses the city's tourist office. In Dichteren, there is a mill called Aurora (Latin for 'dawn') and to the east of the city a mill called Benninkmolen. All these mills are open to visitors, usually open to all one weekday morning and at other times by appointment.

A few other important buildings in the city are the Amphion-Theater, the Gruitpoort, a big cultural centre, the Rietveld Lyceum, the biggest high school in Doetinchem and the Tax administration office.

Sport
Doetinchem has a professional football team, De Graafschap ('The County'). The home of De Graafschap was completely revamped to transform it into an all-seater arena. The stands are fully covered, with the roof painted in the blue and white of the club.

The city has an indoor swimming pool, Rozengaarde. In April or May, a local evening four-day marathon is organized.

Since 2005 a four-day marathon is organised which starts and ends in Doetinchem and runs through the Achterhoek. The marathon was held from 23 August to the 26th. Almost 15.000 people took part.

In 2009 the city's volleyball team took part in the CEV cup playing against Haltbank Ankara from Turkey.

Festivals
Doetinchem has an annual street-theatre festival Buitengewoon (Extraordinary), and the City Festival, a big festival with music acts, theatre, a carnival and fireworks.

Notable residents

 * Frederik Johan van Baer, Lord of Slangenburg (1645–1713) a Dutch military officer
 * Carel Hendrik Ver Huell (born 1764) a Dutch and later French admiral and statesman
 * Geert Dales, Dutch Wiki (born 1952) a Dutch politician with 50PLUS
 * Jan Rietman, Dutch Wiki (born 1952), a pianist and presenter on radio & TV
 * Maria Martens (born 1955), politician, Member of the European Parliament (MEP) 1999 to 2009
 * Thomas Rosenboom (born 1956) a Dutch author of novels and short stories
 * Henriette de Swart (born 1961) a Dutch linguist and academic
 * John Hondorp (born 1964) jazz organist and teaches the Hammond organ as an academic
 * Wilke te Brummelstroete (born ca.1975) a Dutch mezzo-soprano
 * Rianne Letschert (born 1976) a Dutch law scholar, Rector of Maastricht University
 * Jesse Mateman (born 1996) a Dutch man that attended Nijmegen and notably survived terror attacks in Barcelona in 2017
 * Janouk Kelderman (born 1991) a Dutch actor, singer and television presenter

Sport

 * Desi Reijers (born 1964), freestyle swimmer, competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics
 * Paul Bosvelt (born 1970), a Dutch former professional footballer with 523 club caps
 * Chris Bruil (born 1970), badminton player, competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics
 * Rogier Meijer (born 1981) a Dutch former footballer, 253 club caps with De Graafschap
 * Glenn Loovens (born 1983), a Dutch professional footballer with nearly 400 club caps
 * Sanne Keizer (born 1985), a Dutch beach volleyball player
 * Marloes Wesselink (born 1987), a Dutch professional beach volleyball player
 * Siem de Jong (born 1989), a Dutch professional footballer with 250 club caps
 * Luuk de Jong (born 1990), a Dutch professional footballer with over 300 club caps
 * Jelle van Gorkom (born 1991) a Dutch BMX racing cyclist, silver medalist at the 2016 Summer Olympics
 * Richèl Hogenkamp (born 1992), a Dutch professional tennis player
 * Siri Worm (born 1992), a Dutch women's football defender
 * Alexander Büttner (born 1989), a Dutch professional footballer for De Graafschap

Local media
Newspapers available in Doetinchem include subscription paper "De Gelderlander" and free papers "Doetinchems Vizier" and "Zondag", all published by Koninklijke Wegener NV. Doetinchem has its own television station called 'Stadstv' which is received by cable in the municipalities of Doetinchem itself and the neighbouring Hummelo en Keppel, and a television station called 'GraafschapTV' which is received in the entire Achterhoek region.

Transport
Doetinchem has been connected to the Dutch national highway system since November 1974, when the Zevenaar-Doetinchem section of Highway 15 (A15) was opened. This section was extended to Varsseveld in 1984. Today the A15 is called the A18.

Doetinchem is served by rail services from Arnhem by the regional train to Winterswijk with two stations, one in the city centre – Doetinchem and Doetinchem De Huet lying to the west between the suburbs of De Huet and Dichteren. Doetinchem receives four trains per hour to Arnhem (Monday to Friday) and there are always 2 trains per hour between Arnhem and Winterswijk. In 2012, Arriva, took over the rail services between Arnhem and Winterswijk from NS and Syntus

Bus services are also operated by Arriva.

title: Doetinchem


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Druten

Druten is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. The municipality covers the eastern part of the Land van Maas en Waal region of the province of Gelderland.

One of its key features is the town's church, designed by architect Pierre Cuypers. The church is dedicated to the Two Ewalds, with statues for the two made in the studio Atelier Cuypers-Stoltzenberg, owned by Cuypers and Frans Stoltzenberg.

Population centres
• Afferden

• Deest

• Druten

• Horssen

• Molenhoek

• Puiflijk

Topography

Dutch topographic map of the municipality of Druten, June 2015

Notable residents

 * Reginald Wolfe (died 1573) a Dutch-born English Protestant printer, an original member of the Royal Stationers' Company
 * Josef van Schaik (1882–1962) & Steef van Schaik (1888–1968) Dutch politician and brothers
 * Ru Paré (1896-1972), a Dutch resistance member, and visual artist
 * Peter Hans Kolvenbach (1928–2016), the twenty-ninth Superior General of the Society of Jesus
 * Pieter Roelofs (1972), art historian
 * Jasmijn Lau (1999-) Dutch athlete, long distance runner

title: Druten


text:
Duiven

Duiven is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. Duiven's name can be translated into English to mean "pigeons" or "doves". Although the coat of arms and logo of the municipality feature pigeons, the name is etymologically related to "dunes" (Dutch: duinen). The flag of the municipality of Duiven was granted and adopted on 25 June 1954.

Population centres
Villages:
 * Duiven
 * Groessen
 * Loo

Hamlets:
 * De Eng
 * Helhoek
 * Nieuwgraaf

Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Duiven, June 2015

Transportation

 * Duiven railway station is served by trains from Arnhem to Doetinchem and Winterswijk.

On weekdays there are 4 trains per hour between Arnhem and Doetinchem, with two of these continuing to Winterswijk. On weekends there are 2 trains per hour between Arnhem and Winterswijk.

Notable people

 * Dean Koolhof (born 1994) a Dutch professional footballer, with over 100 club caps, plays for Helmond Sport

Twin towns
Duiven is twinned with:

title: Duiven


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Ede, Netherlands

Ede is a town and municipality in the Netherlands, in the province of Gelderland. Ede had 119,186 inhabitants.

Population centres

Community:
 * Ede (town)
 * Bennekom
 * De Klomp
 * Deelen
 * Ederveen
 * Harskamp
 * Hoenderloo
 * Lunteren
 * Otterlo (Kröller-Müller Museum)
 * Wekerom

Location
The village itself is situated halfway between the larger cities of Arnhem and Utrecht, with direct rail and road connections to both cities. There are no connections to any water nearby; however, there also is a direct road connection to the city of Wageningen which hosts a small industrial port on the river Rijn and a direct road and rail connection to the city of Arnhem, which features a larger port at a greater distance. The environment is clean and green due to the fact that Ede is partly built in a forest and partly on the central Dutch plains in the national park called Nationaal Park "De Hoge Veluwe".

Economy
Economically, the town of Ede is doing fairly well thanks to the proximity of major highways and railways which offer fast connections to the port of Rotterdam, Schiphol airport and the Ruhr Area in Germany. The main sources of employment used to be a factory belonging to the Dutch Enka company and the three military bases situated in the east of the town. The factory, however, has been closed and the military bases are largely underused since conscription was abolished. The town's economy is lately becoming more focused on national tourism from the more densely populated western cities like Amsterdam and The Hague, and on education such as local colleges and the large Wageningen University in the city of Wageningen.

Some of the more notable or larger companies and other employers in and around Ede are:

 * Fruit juice and drinks-factory Riedel (juices and fruit drinks).
 * Plant and flower auction house Plantion (since 1 March 2010).
 * Advertising agency Lukkien who developed their own heliport on the roof of their office.
 * The Dutch headquarters for Kimberly-Clark.
 * The Dutch headquarters of mattress and pillow manufacturer Tempur-Pedic.
 * Deli-XL, a foodservice distributor in Belgium and the Netherlands.
 * The head office and two of the main datacentres of independent internet provider BIT.

 * The world headquarters of organ manufacturer Johannus Orgelbouw and the Global Organ Group.

Transportation
Ede is situated along the A12 motorway and has a direct link to the A1 via the A30. There are two railway stations in Ede: Ede-Wageningen railway station and Ede Centrum railway station. Ede-Wageningen is the main station with services to Alkmaar, Amersfoort, Amsterdam, Amsterdam Airport Schiphol, Arnhem, Barneveld, Den Helder and Utrecht.

Ede Centrum is served by trains from Amersfoort and Barneveld to Ede-Wageningen.

Education
There are four secondary schools in Ede: Marnix College, Pallas Athene College, two divisions of Het Streek, and Aeres VMBO. In addition, Ede has a university of applied sciences, the Christian University of Applied Sciences Ede (Christelijke Hogeschool Ede).

Recently, a primary college focused on the equivalent of basic education named Technova College (formerly known as ROC A12) has been gaining interest and popularity since renovations started in 2015.

Social life
Each year, in the last week of August, there is a municipality-wide celebration called Heideweek (Week of the heather). It largely involves traditional Dutch festivities, along with local customs. During the week, a Queen of the heather and a Princess of the heather are elected from several candidates and will be the representative for the municipality of Ede on various other festivities, until next year when a new queen and princess are elected.

Notable residents

 * Arthur F.E. van Schendel (1910–1979) a Dutch art historian and museum director
 * Bert de Vries (born 1938) a retired Dutch politician and economist; lives in Bennekom
 * Hans Dorrestijn (born 1940), writer and comedian
 * Roel Robbertsen (born 1948) a Dutch politician and pig farmer, Mayor of Ede 2002 to 2007
 * Cees van der Knaap (born 1951) a Dutch politician; Mayor of Ede 2008 to 2017
 * Hans L. Bodlaender (born 1960) a Dutch computer scientist and academic
 * Flora Lagerwerf-Vergunst (born 1964) a Dutch judge and former politician and educator
 * Tamara Bos (born 1967) a Dutch screenwriter
 * Marianne Thieme (born 1972), politician, author and animal rights activist
 * Arend Kisteman (born 1984), Dutch politician

Sport

 * Dick Schoenaker (born 1952), a retired football midfielder with about 430 club caps
 * Hennie Top (born 1956) a former professional cyclist, competed at the 1984 Summer Olympics
 * John Scherrenburg (born 1963), a retired water polo player, competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics
 * Angela Postma (born 1971), a former freestyle swimmer, competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics
 * Sonja Tol (born 1972), a Dutch épée fencer, competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics
 * Benno Kuipers (born 1974), a former breaststroke swimmer, 18 times Dutch Champion
 * Jaap van Lagen (born 1976) a Dutch racing driver
 * Esmeral Tunçluer (born 1980), a Dutch-Turkish former basketball player
 * Diederik van Silfhout (born 1988) a dressage rider, competed at the 2016 Summer Olympics
 * Bibiane Schoofs (born 1988), a Dutch professional tennis player; lives in Ede
 * Ruben Knab (born 1988) a Dutch rower, competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics

title: Ede, Netherlands


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Eibergen

Eibergen (Low Saxon: Eibarge) is a town and former municipality in Gelderland in the Eastern Netherlands. It is part of the Achterhoek cultural region. The administrative cooperation of about 20 municipalities in this region is the Regio Achterhoek.

On 1 January 2005 the municipality of Eibergen merged with the neighbouring municipalities of Neede, Borculo and Ruurlo into the new municipality of Berkelland. As of 2021, the town had a population of 11,210.

Population centres

 * Avest
 * Beltrum
 * Eibergen
 * Holterhoek
 * Hupsel
 * Lintvelde
 * Loo
 * Mallem
 * Olden Eibergen
 * Rekken
 * Zwolle

The town of Eibergen
The town of Eibergen has a population of approximately 12,000 people. Its East boundary is the Dutch-German border and Eibergen used to count two official border crossing points on main roads and a small number of border crossing points for limited use on secondary roads. Since border crossing traffic became free and checks are only made inward at a certain distance from the actual border, the border has been 'perforated' by numerous (mostly bicycle) roads.

Because of this border past, a local annual indoor soccer tournament of Eibergen's police has grown to the world's largest sports event of its kind: the World Police Indoor Soccer Tournament. Held in October every year: more than 3,000 police officers from over 54 countries participate.

Government
It houses an interception station of the Nationale SIGINT Organisatie.

Monuments
The Mallumsche Molen is an old water mill, built in 1753. It lies on the Mallumsche Molenweg, together with the Muldershuis and opens every Saturday to show how flour can be ground by the water mill.

In the centre of Eibergen is the De Scheper museum which displays objects from the history of Eibergen and the Achterhoek.

People born in Eibergen

 * Willem Sluyter (1627–1673), vicar and writer
 * Hendrik Odink (1889–1973), writer and local historian
 * Menno ter Braak (1902–1940), author and polemicist
 * Annie Borckink (born 1951), speed skater
 * Astrid Bussink (born 1975), filmmaker
 * Judith Pietersen (born 1989), volleyball player

title: Eibergen


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Elburg

Elburg is a municipality and a city in the province of Gelderland, Netherlands.

History
There is evidence of a Neolithic settlement at Elburg consisting of stone tools and pottery shards. From Roman times there are names and shards of earthenware which suggest that there was an army camp at the site of Elburg. The earliest extant written record of Elburg is from 796 AD.

Between 1392 and 1396 Elburg was rebuilt with a moat and a city wall, together with a gridiron street plan. This rapid rebuilding was expensive, indicating that Elburg was reasonably affluent in medieval times. Several records of Elburg date back to the 14th century. Elburg was granted town status probably by Count Otto II In the 13th century. There is a record that Elburg got its fishing right granted in 1313. In 1367 the city was recorded as a member of the Hanseatic League. At the end of the 16th century new moats and higher ramparts were built because of the improved war-techniques.

Throughout the centuries, Elburgh remained a fishing and farming center until the end of World War II. Unlike many other Dutch towns, Elburg had refused to use city funds to build a railroad station in 1863. Because the land owners were asking unreasonably high prices for the right of way over their property, the track line Utrecht-Amersfoort-Zwolle bypassed Elburg. As a consequence, Elburg became less attractive for manufacturers compared with neighboring places like Harderwijk and Nunspeet. In addition, the closing off of the Zuiderzee in 1932 meant an end to the fishing industry of Elburg, since the former salt water bay gradually became a fresh water body. Therefore, since 1956, the city concluded that only tourism would be the most viable sector for the local economy. Because of its favourable position both on the edge of the canal and near the Veluwemeer, tourists have made it a popular tourist destination. Each year many visit to see the largely unchanged medieval town, especially during the 'Midweekfeesten' (mid-week feasts), 'Botterdagen' (Botter days - a botter is a type of flat-bottomed fishing boat) and 'Winter in de Vesting' (Winter in the Fortress), which attract more than 30,000 visitors each year.

Population centers
• Doornspijk

• Elburg

• 't Harde

• Hoge Enk

• Oostendorp

Notable people

 * Jan van der Elburcht (1500 in Elburg – 1571) an early Dutch painter
 * Jacob Jan van der Maaten (1820 in Elburg – 1879) a Dutch painter and etcher
 * Rosa Vecht (1881 in Elburg - 1915), the only Dutch nurse to die in World War I
 * Jaap Smit (born 1957 in 't Harde) a Dutch preacher, manager and the King's Commissioner of South Holland
 * Pieter Jan Leusink (born 1958 in Elburg) a Dutch conductor of classical music

Sport

 * Anne van Schuppen (born 1960 in Doornspijk) a former long-distance runner, competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics
 * Duncan Huisman (born 1971 in Doornspijk) a Dutch racing driver
 * Kira Bulten (born 1973 in Elburg) a former breaststroke swimmer, who competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics
 * Dick Boschman (born 1974 in Elburg) a Dutch sport shooter, competed at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics

title: Elburg


text:
Epe, Netherlands

Epe is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.

The municipality has a population of 32,191 (2015, source: CBS), and the town itself has a population of 15,552. The town hall stands in Epe, which is situated about 16 km north of Apeldoorn and 21 km south of Zwolle.

Another important town within the municipality is Vaassen (12,739 inhabitants), halfway between Epe and Apeldoorn. It has an interesting castle called 'Kasteel De Cannenburgh', which is open to visitors (guided tour compulsory). Epe, Vaassen and also the village of Oene each have a medieval church. Other population centres of interest are Emst, Gortel, Tongeren, Wissel and Zuuk.

Twin towns — sister cities
Epe is twinned with:

Notable people

 * Antonie Pannekoek (1873 in Vaassen – 1960) a Dutch astronomer, Marxist theorist and social revolutionary
 * Henry G. Schermers (1928 in Epe – 2006) lawyer and academic
 * Menno-Jan Kraak (born 1958 in Vaassen) a Dutch cartographer and academic
 * Esther Hart (born 1970 in Epe) singer

Sport

 * Marc Overmars (born 1973 in Emst) football player with 399 club caps
 * John Stegeman (born 1976 in Epe) former footballer and former manager of Heracles Almelo
 * Teun Mulder (born 1981 in Zuuk) track cyclist, bronze medallist at the 2012 Summer Olympics

title: Epe, Netherlands


text:
Ermelo, Netherlands

Ermelo (, Dutch Low Saxon: Armelo or Armel) is a municipality and town in the Netherlands; found within Gelderland province and the forest-rich Veluwe area. The population was 0.

Etymology
Ermelo comes from lo, meaning "woods" and irmin for which several explanations are given. Some of those are "great", "divine" or it refers to an old Germanic god called Irmin.

Population centres
• De Beek

• Drie

• Ermelo

• Horst

• Houtdorp

• Leuvenum

• Speuld

• Staverden

• Telgt

• Tonsel

History
The town has been known to exist since at least 855, when the name Irminlo first appeared in a legal document. Human presence in the area goes back further however, with many archaeological finds of the Bell-Beaker culture having been made in the area. For a long time, the town most likely consisted of little more than a few farms and some other buildings, such as a windmill and a church and it didn't grow very much until the 19th century. In the year 1830, a road was constructed to make this part of the Veluwe more accessible, and at the end of the 19th century, a railway station was built in the town. Because the railway station was some distance away from what was then the town centre, a road was constructed, the Stationsstraat, which is now considered to be the centre of the town. After the second world war, a shortage of houses resulted in a rapid growth of Ermelo. In 1973, Nunspeet became its own separate municipality after having been part of Ermelo before. In 2005, Ermelo celebrated its 1150-year-long existence. Various artists from across the country performed during the festivities. A classic windmill dating from 1863 located in the town centre, named (The Cow), partially burned down in 1990 after having been hit by lightning, but was restored to working order in late 2008. A nightclub moved out due to the complete renovation.

Recreation
There are many campsites in the forests surrounding Ermelo which are popular place to stay for mainly Dutch and German tourists. Cycling through the forests and heaths is a popular activity, especially during the summer. The nearby Veluwemeer allows for recreation on the water or beach. The town centre is home to various bars and restaurants and a tourist information centre.

Ermelo hosts various music festivals, such as the Fête de la Musique, Multipop and the International Boogie Woogie Festival. In 2010 the latter featured amongst others pianist Little Willie Littlefield and saxophonist Big Jay McNeely.

Transport
The town's railway station is located near the town centre, with a train normally leaving every 30 minutes during the day both north towards Zwolle and south towards Amersfoort and Utrecht. By car, it can be easily reached from highway A28 which passes west of the town and provincial road N303 which passes through the town. There are also various bus routes passing through the town. is easily accessible from the A28. A pedestrian and cyclist only ferry operates between Horst beach and Zeewolde, crossing the Veluwemeer.

Sports
Ermelo is home to various sports clubs. At the time of UEFA Euro 2000, the Portugal national football team stayed in Ermelo and played against one of the local clubs, DVS '33. This club organizes an annual international tournament for young players. Spanish La Liga football team Valencia CF has regularly used Ermelo as a base for their preseason training, and have played a number of matches at the local ground against other visiting clubs from Europe, such as Lokomotiv Sofia in 2007 and Fenerbahçe in 2006. In May 2009 it became clear that plans for a merge of DVS'33, and KC Ermelo were cancelled. The National Equestrian Center of the Dutch National Equestrian Federation (KNHS) is also located in Ermelo. They hosted the 2009 European Championships for Juniors and Young Riders in dressage, the World Championships for Young Dressage Horses, the Dutch Dressage Championships and various international equestrian championships.

Notable people

 * Eva and Abraham Beem (1932 & 1934 - 1944) Dutch Jewish siblings, lived in Ermello; gassed to death in Auschwitz concentration camp
 * Bernard Willem Holtrop (born 1941 in Ermelo) a Dutch cartoonist living in France
 * Bas Jan van Bochove (born 1950 in Ermelo) a former Dutch politician and educator
 * Werner Vogels (born 1958 in Ermelo) is the chief technology officer and vice president of Amazon
 * Reinette Klever (born 1967) a Dutch politician and former asset manager; lives in Ermelo
 * Olger van Dijk (born 1979), Dutch politician

Sport

 * Hendrika Timmer (1926–1994) a Dutch chess player, grew up in Ermelo
 * Peter Boeve (born 1957 in Staverden) a Dutch retired footballer with 276 club caps
 * Aart Vierhouten (born 1970 in Ermelo) a Dutch former professional racing cyclist
 * Martin van der Spoel (born 1971 in Ermelo) a former swimmer, competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics

title: Ermelo, Netherlands


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Geldermalsen

Geldermalsen is a town and former municipality in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands.

Town of Geldermalsen
The town centre of Geldermalsen contains a two-aisled Gothic church dating from the 15th century, with a Romanesque tower dating from the 13th century. The town contains two windmills: De Watermolen, which was built in 1772, and De Bouwing, which was built in 1848. Located in the east side there is a graveyard.

Public high-school 'The Lingeborgh' is located in the west.

Former municipality of Geldermalsen
The municipality of Geldermalsen was formed on 1 January 1978, when the former municipalities of Beesd, Buurmalsen, Deil and Geldermalsen were combined. The municipality had an area of undefined km2 and was one of the largest municipalities in the Betuwe. The municipality had a population of 0 in. On 1 January 2019 it merged with Neerijnen and Lingewaal to form the new municipality West Betuwe.

The river Linge flows through the municipality and town of Geldermalsen.

Population centres

 * Acquoy
 * Beesd
 * Buurmalsen
 * Deil
 * Enspijk
 * Geldermalsen
 * Gellicum
 * Meteren
 * Rhenoy
 * Rumpt
 * Tricht

Demographics
Ethnic composition of Geldermalsen in 2010:
 * Dutch: 91.7%
 * Black: 0.9%
 * European: 4.5%
 * Arabs: 1.4%
 * Other non-Western: 1.4%:

title: Geldermalsen