Opijnen
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Village
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Pub in Opijnen
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  Opijnen Location in the Netherlands Show map of Gelderland Opijnen Opijnen (Netherlands) Show map of Netherlands | |
| Coordinates: 51°49′40″N 5°17′54″E / 51.82778°N 5.29833°E / 51.82778; 5.29833 | |
| Country | Netherlands |
| Province | Gelderland |
| Municipality | West Betuwe |
| Area | |
| • Total | 3.68 km2 (1.42 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 4 m (13 ft) |
| Population
(2021)[1]
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| • Total | 1,195 |
| • Density | 320/km2 (840/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code |
4184[1]
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| Dialing code | 0418 |
Opijnen is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of West Betuwe, and lies about 10 km southwest of Tiel.
Opijnen was a separate municipality until 1818, when it changed its name to Est en Opijnen.[3]
It was first mentioned in 1265 as Opynen, and means upstream as compared to Neerijnen.[4] The village developed parallel to the Waal as a stretched out esdorp.[5] In 1265, Opijnen became the property of Raoul de Châtillon, a French nobleman who had fled to Gelre after a dispute with the King of France. A castle was built near the village, however it disappeared in the 16th century.[5] The Dutch Reformed Church was built in 1860 and the tower dates from 1925.[5] In 1840, Opijnen was home to 333 people.[6]
Opijnen is home to the graves of eight American airmen who were shot down on 30 July 1943, and killed while returning to England from a bombing raid over Kassel, Germany. The village honoured the airmen by burying them in their cemetery. From that time and for seventy-five years afterwards, the village honoured these men annually with a formal church service and then a laying of flowers on the graves. In 2006, the village opened a housing complex with eighty-six units. The airmen were further honoured by having the streets in that housing complex named after them.[7]
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