Heusden | |
|---|---|
 Old harbour in Heusden | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
.svg) Location in North Brabant | |
| Coordinates:51°41′N5°8′E / 51.683°N 5.133°E /51.683; 5.133 | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | North Brabant |
| Government | |
| • Body | Municipal council |
| • Mayor | Willemijn van Hees (VVD) |
| Area | |
• Total | 81.22 km2 (31.36 sq mi) |
| • Land | 78.88 km2 (30.46 sq mi) |
| • Water | 2.34 km2 (0.90 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Population (January 2021)[3] | |
• Total | 45,005 |
| • Density | 571/km2 (1,480/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postcode | 5150–5154, 5250–5256 |
| Area code | 0416, 073 |
| Website | www |
Heusden (Dutch pronunciation:[ˈɦøːzdə(n)]ⓘ) is amunicipality and a city in the south of theNetherlands. It is located between the towns ofWaalwijk and's-Hertogenbosch. The municipality of Heusden, including Herpt, Heesbeen, Hedikhuizen, Doeveren, and Oudheusden, merged with Drunen and Vlijmen in 1997, giving the municipality its current form.
The middle part of national park theLoonse en Drunense Duinen is located in the municipality of Heusden.
Before 1997, Heusden was a municipality in itself, that included the communities of Herpt, Heesbeen, Hedikhuizen, Doeveren, and Oudheusden.
The settlement ofHeusden on the riverMaas (Meuse) started with the construction ofHeusden Castle, which replaced an earlier castle destroyed byHenry I,Duke of Brabant in 1202.[4] This fortification was quickly expanded with water works and adonjon (castle keep). The city of Heusden receivedcity rights in 1318. Heusden's castle had belonged to successive dukes of Brabant; in 1357 it passed into the hands of thecounts of Holland.Ramparts andmoats were constructed, bringing the castle within the city's fortifications and resulting in the loss of its function as a stronghold. The donjon was then used as a munition depot. On 24 July 1680, a terriblethunderstorm hit Heusden, andlightning struck the donjon. Sixty thousand pounds ofgunpowder and otherammunition exploded, destroying the castle. It took seven weeks to clear the rubble and debris. The castle was never fully rebuilt. However, outlines of the main features were restored in 1987.
At the beginning of theEighty Years' War (1568–1648), Heusden was occupied by the Spanish. In 1577, however, following thePacification of Ghent, the people of Heusden allied with William,Prince of Orange. William consolidated the town's strategic position near the river Meuse, and ordered fortification works to be constructed. Work started in 1579 with the digging ofmoats and the construction ofbastions, walls, andravelins, and was completed in 1597.
By the early nineteenth century, the defence works fell into disrepair and were dismantled. In 1968, however, extensive restoration works started, and fortifications were carefully rebuilt, based on and inspired by a 1649 map of the city of Heusden byJohannes Blaeu, son of the famous Dutch cartographerWillem Blaeu. In 1980, the city of Heusden received the EuropeanUrbes Nostrae restoration prize. Heusden currently draws over 350 thousand tourists every year who visit the historic town centre and walk the walls that once made it a formidable stronghold.
In October 1944, towards the end ofWorld War II, the cities ofTilburg and's-Hertogenbosch (Den Bosch) were liberated by theAllied forces. Thebridge across the riverMeuse made Heusden, then still occupied by the Germans, strategically significant. The cellars of the oldtown hall, built in 1588, were a shelter for civilians duringartillery fire. The GermanWehrmacht used the building as a communication centre and hospital.
A few weeks afterOperation Market Garden, the alliedOperation Pheasant started on 20 October 1944. TheFirst Canadian Army (advancing from Belgium) and the2nd British Army (advancing from the east) fought to liberate central and western North Brabant. On Saturday 4 November, under heavy artillery fire, two ScottishHighlanderregiments advanced, and 170 civilians sought shelter in the town hall cellars. In the early morning of 5 November, three German armyengineers detonated explosive charges they had placed earlier in the 40-metre tower. It collapsed, killing 134 people. Heusden was decimated. One tenth of the town's population died that night in the town hall cellars. Seventy-four victims, i.e. more than half of the total number, were children aged 16 or younger. Only hours later, the 5th battalion of theQueen's Own Cameron Highlanders from the51st Highland Division liberated Heusden.
Witnesses have stated[citation needed] that on 4 November German soldiers carried explosives into the town hall tower, and also into twochurches, awindmill, anddairy factory in Heusden.NCO (non-commissioned officer)Bottnick, who was probably following orders fromcommanderPfühl, amining engineer, undermined the eastern part of the tower, ensuring that it would collapse on the town hall, not on the street. Later, these events were investigated by the BritishCivil Affairs. However, this has never resulted in the trial and punishment of Pfühl, Bottnick, and their accomplices.
A new town hall was erected in 1956. Designed and built in the style of theBossche School, it has much less splendour than its late-gothic predecessor. A memorial tablet in the forecourt still remembers the lives that were lost in the night of 4 to 5 November 1944. Its inscription: "Wandelaar, waar gij staat vielen vijf november 1944 honderd vier en dertig burgers den oorlog ten offer." ("Passer-by, where you are, on five November 1944 one hundred and thirty four civilians fell victim to the war.")
Inscriptions on one of the larger bells in the tower "Nabestaanden, als ik luid, weet: Uw vele, vele doden zijn niet oorlogs droeve buit, maar aan 't Gastmaal Gods genoden." ("Relatives, when I ring, know: Your many, many decedents are not the sad spoils of war, but the guests of God's banquet."), and an epitaph "5 November 1944. Hier staat in steen geschreven geen daad of droom, geen leven, maar slechts het blijvend feit van hun afwezigheid" ("5 November 1944. Here is written in stone no act or dream, no life, but only the permanent fact of their absence") in the building itself are also dedicated to the memory of the victims.
The massacre ("Stadhuisramp") is commemorated every year.[5]
With the fusion of the municipalities of Heusden, Drunen and Vlijmen in 1997, the town hall had lost its original function. Since 2005, the building has housed a visitors centre.
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Places adjacent to Heusden | |
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