Driel is a village in the municipality of

Overbetuwe Overbetuwe () is a municipality in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. It was formed on 1 January 2001 as a merger of three former municipalities: Elst, Heteren and Valburg. Overbetuwe is bordered in the north by the river Rhine and ...

, 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 The 1st (Polish) Independent Parachute Brigade was a parachute infantry brigade of the Polish Armed Forces in the West under the command of Major General Stanisław Sosabowski, created in September 1941 during the Second World War and based in ...

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 Plaque may refer to: Commemorations or awards * Commemorative plaque, a plate, usually fixed to a wall or other vertical surface, meant to mark an event, person, etc. * Memorial Plaque (medallion), issued to next-of-kin of dead British military p ...

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 Heteren is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is located in the municipality of Overbetuwe, about 12 km (7.4 mi) southwest of Arnhem on the south bank of the Rhine. Heteren was a separate municipality until 2001, when it beca ...

, 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 Jacob Jan Cremer (1 September 18375 June 1880), birth name Jacobus and also known as J. J. Cremer, was a Dutch novelist. Life Cremer was born in Arnhem and started life as a painter, but soon exchanged the brush for the pen, although he also ...

(1827–1880) – novelist *

Kenny van Hummel Kenny Robert van Hummel (born 30 September 1982) is a retired road bicycle racer from the Netherlands, who specialised in sprint finishes. He competed professionally between 2006 and 2014, with the , and teams. Career Born in Elden, Gelderl ...

(born 1982) – professional cyclistKenny van Hummel
*

Loiza Lamers Loiza Lamers (born 9 January 1995) is a Dutch model and businesswoman best known for being the winner of the eighth cycle of '' Holland's Next Top Model'', and the world's first transgender winner of the global '' Top Model'' TV-franchise. Ear ...

(born 1995) - model

References

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