Rhenen () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality ...

and a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be de ...

in the central

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

. The municipality also includes the villages of

Achterberg Achterberg is a village in the Dutch province of Utrecht. It is part of the municipality of Rhenen and it lies about 5 km west of Wageningen. The village was first mentioned in 1417 as Achterbergh, and means "(settlement) behind the hill" ...

, Remmerden, Elst and Laareind. The town lies at a geographically interesting location, namely on the southernmost part of the chain of hills known as the Utrecht Hill Ridge (Utrechtse Heuvelrug), where this meets the river

Rhine The Rhine ; french: Rhin ; nl, Rijn ; wa, Rén ; li, Rien; rm, label=Sursilvan, Rein, rm, label=Sutsilvan and Surmiran, Ragn, rm, label=Rumantsch Grischun, Vallader and Puter, Rain; it, Reno ; gsw, Rhi(n), including in Alsatian dialect, Al ...

. Because of this Rhenen has a unique character with quite some elevation through town. Directly to the east of the built-up area lies the

Grebbeberg The Grebbeberg is a 52-meter high hill located east of Rhenen, Netherlands in the province of Utrecht. It forms the southeastern tip of the Utrechtse Heuvelrug, a moraine. Due to its strategic location with a view of the Lower Rhine and the Bet ...

, a hill with a top elevation of about .

History

Before 1900

Rhenen received city rights probably between 1256 and 1258. In 1346, the bishop of Utrecht ordered the construction of a defensive wall around the city, which was important because it lay near the border with

Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in pr ...

. Although for some time the town collected toll from ships on the Rhine, it has never had a harbour. The three city gates were demolished in 1840. Small fragments of the wall remain. The town is also famous for the Cunera Church, parts of which date back to the 15th century. Containing the relics of Saint Cunera, it attracted many pilgrims. Legend has it that Cunera was buried on a nearby hill now called the Cuneraheuvel. The church's tower was built between 1492 and 1531. In 1621, a palace was constructed at Rhenen for the ousted Frederick V. It was demolished in 1812.

World War II

Part of the center of Rhenen, which was located near the defensive Grebbelinie ( Grebbe line), was destroyed during the German attack on the Netherlands in May 1940. Part of the reconstruction took place during the war. In 1945, the town was damaged again during the liberation of the country from German occupation. Many or all of the Dutch soldiers who were killed by the Germans near Rhenen lie buried at the ''Erebegraafplaats'' (Cemetery of Honor), located along the Grebbeweg (N 225) near the top of the Grebbeberg. Across the road is an important war monument with a poem by J.C. Bloem. In 2008 Rhenen celebrated its 750th

anniversary An anniversary is the date on which an event took place or an institution was founded in a previous year, and may also refer to the commemoration or celebration of that event. The word was first used for Catholic feasts to commemorate saint ...

Main sights

* Ouwehands Dierenpark, a zoo, founded in 1932. * The Cunera Church, a

late-Gothic Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It e ...

hall-church, built between 1492 and 1531. * Modern

Roman Catholic church The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...

, built between 1958 and 1959. * Building 'De Brakke' from 1787. * Ruins of the 14th century

Medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire a ...

defensive wall. * The , a round

gristmill A gristmill (also: grist mill, corn mill, flour mill, feed mill or feedmill) grinds cereal grain into flour and middlings. The term can refer to either the grinding mechanism or the building that holds it. Grist is grain that has been separated ...

from 1893. * The

estate Estate or The Estate may refer to: Law * Estate (law), a term in common law for a person's property, entitlements and obligations * Estates of the realm, a broad social category in the histories of certain countries. ** The Estates, representat ...

. * Military War Cemetery Grebbeberg, a military cemetery on the

Transport

* Rhenen railway station

Notable people

* Frederick V (1596-1632), Count Palatine and Elector of the Palatinate from 1610 to 1623 and King of Bohemia (as ''Frederick I'') from 1619 to 1620 * Giedo van der Garde (born 1985), a Dutch racing driver *

Touriya Haoud Touriya Haoud ( ar, ثريا مهاود; mk, Турија Хауд) is a Dutch actress, model, and singer. Formally based in the United States, she moved back to the Netherlands in 2021. Personal life On June 4, 2006, she married American a ...

(born 1977), a Dutch actress, model and singer who lives in Los Angeles IMDb Database
retrieved 14 December 2019 * Madelein Meppelink (born 1989), a Dutch beach volleyball player, competed in the

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

and 2016 Summer Olympics *

Jacob Nienhuys Jacob Nienhuys (born July 15, 1836 in Rhenen – died July 27, 1927 in Bloemendaal) was the founder of tobacco producer Deli Company (Deli Maatschappij) on a plantation established on a land concession from the Sultanate of Deli in Sumatra duri ...

(1836–1927), founded the tobacco producer

Deli Company Deli Company (Dutch language: ''Deli Maatschappij'') is a trading and distribution company in the timber, construction product and tobacco industries. It began as large tobacco plantation and production operation established in 1869 by the Dutch i ...

in Sumatra *

Remy Reynierse Remy Reynierse (also written as Remy Reijnierse; born 18 June 1961), is a current assistant manager at Blackburn Rovers. He is a former Dutch football manager and former player. As a player, he served EVV Eindhoven (now known as FC Eindhoven) a ...

(born 1961), is a former football player with 312 club caps, current coach at Sheffield Wednesday F.C. * Bibiane Schoofs (born 1988), a Dutch professional tennis player *

Jacobus Tollius Jacobus or Jakob Tollius (1633, in Rhenen – 1696, in Utrecht) was a Dutch classicist. Tollius was the younger half-brother of Alexander and Cornelis Tollius, who were professors at the University of Harderwijk. In Harderwijk he studied lette ...

(1633–1696), a Dutch

classicist Classics or classical studies is the study of classical antiquity. In the Western world, classics traditionally refers to the study of Classical Greek and Roman literature and their related original languages, Ancient Greek and Latin. Classics ...

* Eelco Uri (born 1973), a Dutch male former water polo player, competed in the 1966 and

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

* Lisa van Viegen (born 1978), stage name iET, a Dutch singer-songwriter and multi-instrumentalist

Gallery

File:Rhenen, Militair Ereveld Grebbeberg IMG 9161 2019-04-19 13.11.jpg, War monument: Militair Ereveld Grebbeberg File:Rhenen, de Binnenmolen RM32465 IMG 9170 2019-04-19 14.00.jpg, Windmill: the Binnenmolen File:Lovely houses in Rhenen with characteristic wooden ornaments - panoramio.jpg, Houses in Rhenen with characteristic wooden ornaments File:HavenvanRhenen2010-2.jpg, Haven van Rhenen File:View of Rhenen, Jan Van Goyen, 1656.jpg, View of Rhenen, Jan Van Goyen, 1656 File:Pandasia Ouwehands Dierenpark 2017 4.jpg, Pandasia Ouwehands Dierenpark File:Straatbeeld - Rhenen - 20398412 - RCE.jpg, Straatbeeld, Rhenen File:Gezicht op Rhenen - Rhenen - 20396586 - RCE.jpg, Gezicht op Rhenen File:Rhenen - 2011 - panoramio (25).jpg, Rhenen, panoramio File:Rhenen Frederik van de Paltshof Poort.jpg, Rhenen, Frederik van de Paltshof Poort

References

External links

* {{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Municipalities of Utrecht (province) Populated places in Utrecht (province)