Driel is a village in the municipality of Overbetuwe, approximately four kilometers southwest of

Arnhem Arnhem ( ; ; Central Dutch dialects, Ernems: ''Èrnem'') is a Cities of the Netherlands, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands, near the German border. It is the capita ...

on the south bank of the

Rhine The Rhine ( ) is one of the List of rivers of Europe, major rivers in Europe. The river begins in the Swiss canton of Graubünden in the southeastern Swiss Alps. It forms part of the Swiss-Liechtenstein border, then part of the Austria–Swit ...

, in the Netherlands.

History

On 21 September 1944, Driel was the

drop zone A drop zone (DZ) is a place where parachutists or parachuted supplies land. It can be an area targeted for landing by paratroopers and airborne forces, or a base from which recreational parachutists and skydivers take off in aircraft and land ...

of the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade which participated in Operation Market Garden. The brigade was under the command of Major General Sosabowski. After World War II, in the 1960s, the Polish

monument A monument is a type of structure that was explicitly created to commemorate a person or event, or which has become relevant to a social group as a part of their remembrance of historic times or cultural heritage, due to its artistic, historical ...

was placed at the 'Polish Square' (, ). A nearby plaque commemorates the ninety-four Polish soldiers who fell nearby. There are several other plaques, including one in honour of the 1st Airborne Division, along the dike between Heteren, Driel and

. On 19 September 2009 the Dutch

premier Premier is a title for the head of government in central governments, state governments and local governments of some countries. A second in command to a premier is designated as a deputy premier. A premier will normally be a head of govern ...

Jan Peter Balkenende Jan Pieter Balkenende Jr. ( ; born 7 May 1956), commonly known as Jan Peter Balkenende, is a Dutch jurist and politician of the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) who served as Prime Minister of the Netherlands from 22 July 2002 to 14 October 20 ...

and the Polish premier

Donald Tusk Donald Franciszek Tusk (born 22 April 1957) is a Polish politician and historian who has served as the prime minister of Poland since 2023, previously holding the office from 2007 to 2014. Tusk served as the president of the European Council (20 ...

visited Driel to commemorate the 65th anniversary of Operation Market Garden.

Gallery

File:Driel, NH kerk foto1 RM21980 2012-02-26 13.43.JPG, Driel, reformed church Image:2007-01-14 12.32 Driel, kerk bij Polenplein.JPG, Driel, church: Maria Geboortekerk Image:Driel, de stuw foto2 2010-03-02 10.38.JPG, Driel, weir Image:2007-03-08 16.41 Driel, zicht op de Rijn foto1.JPG, Driel, river: Rhine Monument at Plac Polski, Driel.jpg, Monument

Notable inhabitants

* Jacob Jan Cremer (1827–1880) – novelist * Kenny van Hummel (born 1982) – professional cyclistKenny van Hummel
* Loiza Lamers (born 1995) - model

References

Populated places in Gelderland Populated places on the Rhine Overbetuwe {{Gelderland-geo-stub