Gelselaar is a village in the municipality of

Berkelland Berkelland () 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. The new municipality was named after the Berkel, a sma ...

in the

Dutch Dutch commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands * Dutch people () * Dutch language () Dutch may also refer to: Places * Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States * Pennsylvania Dutch Country People E ...

province of

Gelderland Gelderland (), also known as Guelders () in English, is a province of the Netherlands, occupying the centre-east of the country. With a total area of of which is water, it is the largest province of the Netherlands by land area, and second by ...

. The village is known for its

geese A goose (plural, : geese) is a bird of any of several waterfowl species in the family (biology), family Anatidae. This group comprises the genera ''Anser (bird), Anser'' (the grey geese and white geese) and ''Branta'' (the black geese). Some o ...

. In 2013, it became a protected village site.

History

It was first mentioned in 1326 as Geldersler, and either means forest of Gelle (person) or forest of Gelre (

), because it is located near the border with

Overijssel Overijssel (, ; nds, Oaveriessel ; german: Oberyssel) is a Provinces of the Netherlands, province of the Netherlands located in the eastern part of the country. The province's name translates to "across the IJssel", from the perspective of the ...

. Gelselaar developed into an ''

esdorp __NOTOC__ An ''Angerdorf'' (plural: ''Angerdörfer'') is a type of village that is characterised by the houses and farmsteads being laid out around a central grassed area, the ''anger'' (from the Old High German ''angar'' =pasture or grassy place ...

'' with a communal pasture in the 19th century. The village is known for its

, and was mockingly called "Ganzendorp" (geese village) which is nowadays used as an honorary name. Around 1440, a chapel was built in the village. In 1517, the chapel was replaced by a church. The current church dates from 1841. In 1840, it was home to 625 people. Between 1910 and 1925, there was a train stop in Geldersler on the

Neede Neede is a former Municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality and a town in the eastern Netherlands. On 1 January 2005 the municipality of Neede merged with the municipalities of Eibergen, Borculo and Ruurlo into the municipality of Berkelland ...

–

Hellendoorn Hellendoorn (; Tweants: ''Heldern'' or ''Healndoorn'') is a municipality and town in the middle of the Dutch province of Overijssel. As of 2019, the municipality had a population of 35,808. There is an amusement park near the town of Hellendoorn ...

railway line. In 2013, Gelselaar became a protected village site, because it is in near original condition.

Events and sights

The farm Erve Brooks Niehof was built in 1538. It has been turned into a museum and

pancake house A pancake house, pancake and waffle house or waffle house is a restaurant that specializes in breakfast items such as pancakes, waffles, and omelettes, among other items. Many small, independent pancake houses, as well as large corporations a ...

, and provides an overview of the

whaling Whaling is the process of hunting of whales for their usable products such as meat and blubber, which can be turned into a type of oil that became increasingly important in the Industrial Revolution. It was practiced as an organized industry ...

and texitle industry of the region as well as archaeological finds. There is an annual geese market during which there is a competition for best goose herder. During the geese market, the geese and herders roam the streets of the village. Once a year the ''gaanzeloop'' (goose walk), a

running Running is a method of terrestrial locomotion allowing humans and other animals to move rapidly on foot. Running is a type of gait characterized by an aerial phase in which all feet are above the ground (though there are exceptions). This is ...

competition, is organised. The short competition is through the village, and the long competition is through the countryside.

Notable people

* Jan Maarten Heideman (born 1973), speed skater

Gallery

File:Gelselaar, horecagelegenheid in monumentaal pand aan de Dorpsstraat 12 RM516434 2013-04-22 10.43.jpg, Pub in Gelselaar File:Voorgevel - Gelselaar - 20334016 - RCE.jpg, Farm with water well File:Overzicht tuin met bakhuis - Gelselaar - 20334078 - RCE.jpg, Museum farm Erve Brooks Niehof File:Station Gelselaar.jpg, Former train station

References

External links

*
Official website
(in Dutch) {{Authority control Populated places in Gelderland Berkelland