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
Village
Pub in Opijnen
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
Country	Netherlands
Province	Gelderland
Municipality	West Betuwe
Area [1]
• Total	3.68 km2 (1.42 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	4 m (13 ft)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	1,195
• Density	320/km2 (840/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	4184[1]
Dialing code	0418

Opijnen was a separate municipality until 1818, when it changed its name to Est en Opijnen.[3]

History

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]

Gallery

• 
  Dutch Reformed Church
• 
  Bridges over the Waal
• 
  Dike house
• 
  House in Opijnen

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Opijnen.