Achterhoek
Encyclopedia
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Its name (meaning "rear-corner") is geographically appropriate because the area lies in the Eastern-most part of Gelderland
Gelderland
Gelderland is the largest province of the Netherlands, located in the central eastern part of the country. The capital city is Arnhem. The two other major cities, Nijmegen and Apeldoorn have more inhabitants. Other major regional centers in Gelderland are Ede, Doetinchem, Zutphen, Tiel, Wijchen,...
, and therefore of the Netherlands, protruding into Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
. The Achterhoek area lies between the rivers IJssel
IJssel
River IJssel , sometimes called Gelderse IJssel to avoid confusion with its Hollandse IJssel namesake in the west of the Netherlands, is a branch of the Rhine in the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Overijssel...
and Oude IJssel
Oude IJssel
Oude IJssel or Issel is a river in Germany and the Netherlands approximately 80 km long. It is a right tributary of the river IJssel....
, and the borders with the province of Overijssel
Overijssel
Overijssel is a province of the Netherlands in the central eastern part of the country. The region has a NUTS classification of NL21. The province's name means "Lands across river IJssel". The capital city of Overijssel is Zwolle and the largest city is Enschede...
and Germany the former region of Zutphen County
Zutphen County
Zutphen county, in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands, was formed in the eleventh century as a fief of the Bishop of Utrecht. It has been in personal union with Guelders since the 1130s. Later, it became one of the 4 quarters of Guelders...
. The region is predominantly rural, with lots of free space, forests and farms. The area around the town of Winterswijk
Winterswijk
Winterswijk is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.Winterswijk is a town with a population of some 30,000 in the Achterhoek which lies in the most eastern part of the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. It was also known as Winethereswick, Winriswic or Wenterswic...
is regarded as very beautiful. A well-known beer originates from this region: Grolsch beer was first brewed in Groenlo
Groenlo
Groenlo is a city in the municipality of Oost Gelre, situated in the eastern part of the Netherlands on the German border, a region in the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek . Groenlo was a municipality until January 1, 2005, when it merged with Lichtenvoorde. Until May 19 2006 Groenlo...
in 1615.
Language
The original language of the Achterhoek is AchterhooksAchterhooks
Achterhooks is a Dutch Low Saxon dialect....
, a variety of Low Saxon
Low German
Low German or Low Saxon is an Ingvaeonic West Germanic language spoken mainly in northern Germany and the eastern part of the Netherlands...
. The language can also differ per municipality/town, even in such a way that a person speaking the 'Grols' variant will probably not be understood by a person from Winterswijk which is merely 10km to the east. The number of inhabitants whose sole language is Achterhooks has greatly declined over the last 60 years, inhabitants are raised with the Dutch at school and the dialect is only spoken (sometimes) at home. Partly due to immigration from outside the Achterhoek region and the effects of national government, the Dutch language is having a significant impact on the dialect. Many old words have been forgotten and replaced by their Dutch-derived equivalents.
MunicipalitiesMunicipalityA municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
of Achterhoek
The largest towns in the Achterhoek are: Doetinchem, Winterswijk, and Zutphen. Doesburg and Zutphen are old HanseaticHanseatic League
The Hanseatic League was an economic alliance of trading cities and their merchant guilds that dominated trade along the coast of Northern Europe...
cities. Both have centres with well-preserved historical buildings.
- AaltenAaltenAalten is a municipality and a village in the eastern Netherlands. The former municipalities of Bredevoort and Dinxperlo have been merged with Aalten....
- BerkellandBerkellandBerkelland is a municipality in the Netherlands province of Gelderland. It was created on 1 January 2005 from the merger of the former municipalities of Borculo, Eibergen, Neede, and Ruurlo...
- BronckhorstBronckhorstBronckhorst is the name of a municipality in Gelderland, the Netherlands. The municipality is the result of a merger of the former municipalities Hengelo, Hummelo en Keppel, Steenderen, Vorden and Zelhem, on 1 January 2005...
- DoesburgDoesburgDoesburg Doesburg Doesburg (Dutch is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands in the province of Gelderland. Doesburg received city rights in 1237 and currently has 11,602 inhabitants (1 January 2007, source: CBS). The city is situated on the right bank of river IJssel, at the...
- DoetinchemDoetinchemDoetinchem is a city and municipality in the east of the Netherlands. It is situated along the Oude IJssel river in a part of the province of Gelderland called the Achterhoek . The municipality has 56,700 inhabitants and has an area of 79.66 km²...
- LochemLochemLochem is a municipality and a city in the eastern Netherlands. it is also the hebrew word for soldier or warrior. On 1 January 2005, the municipality merged with the municipality of Gorssel.- Population centres :Small hamlets are printed in italics....
- MontferlandMontferlandMontferland is a municipality in Gelderland, the Netherlands. It was created on 1 January 2005 from the former neighboring municipalities of Bergh and Didam.- Population centres :Formerly from Bergh*'s-Heerenberg*Stokkum*Zeddam*Braamt*Kilder*Lengel...
- Oost GelreOost GelreOost Gelre is a municipality in the Achterhoek, in the eastern Netherlands. On January 1, 2005, the municipalities Groenlo and Lichtenvoorde merged and formed the new municipality Oost Gelre, which was called Groenlo until May 19, 2006.- Population centres :...
- Oude IJsselstreekOude IJsselstreekOude IJsselstreek is a municipality in the eastern Netherlands. It came into existence on 1 January, 2005 through a merger of the former municipalities Gendringen and Wisch.- Geography and population centres :...
- WinterswijkWinterswijkWinterswijk is a municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands.Winterswijk is a town with a population of some 30,000 in the Achterhoek which lies in the most eastern part of the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. It was also known as Winethereswick, Winriswic or Wenterswic...
- Zutphen