Heijen is a

village A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet but smaller than a town (although the word is often used to describe both hamlets and smaller towns), with a population typically ranging from a few hundred to ...

in the south-east

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 ...

. It is located in the municipality of

Gennep Gennep () is a municipality and a city in upper southeastern Netherlands. It lies in the very northern part of the province of Limburg, 18 km south of Nijmegen. Furthermore, it lies on the right bank of the Meuse river, and south of the forest o ...

Limburg Limburg or Limbourg may refer to: Regions * Limburg (Belgium), a province since 1839 in the Flanders region of Belgium * Limburg (Netherlands), a province since 1839 in the south of the Netherlands * Diocese of Limburg, Roman Catholic Diocese in ...

History

The village was first mentioned in 1271 as "in Heiden", and means heath. Heijen is a

linear settlement A linear settlement is a (normally small to medium-sized) settlement or group of buildings that is formed in a long line. Many of these settlements are formed along a transport route, such as a road, river, or canal. Others form due to physical re ...

which developed along the

Nijmegen Nijmegen (;; Spanish and it, Nimega. Nijmeegs: ''Nimwèège'' ) is the largest city in the Dutch province of Gelderland and tenth largest of the Netherlands as a whole, located on the Waal river close to the German border. It is about 6 ...

Venlo Venlo () is a List of cities in the Netherlands by province, city and List of municipalities of the Netherlands, municipality in the southeastern Netherlands, close to the border with Germany. It is situated in the province of Limburg (Netherland ...

road. Huis Heijen started as a castle which was probably built in the 11th century. The current manor house was constructed in the 16th century. In the 18th century, several annexes and the gate were added. It was severely damaged in 1945 and restored in the 1950s. The Catholic St Dionysius is a three-aisled church with detached tower which was built between 1954 and 1955. The

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

Gerardamolen was rebuilt at his current location in 1950. In 1851, it was a ''

polder A polder () is a low-lying tract of land that forms an artificial hydrological entity, enclosed by embankments known as dikes. The three types of polder are: # Land reclaimed from a body of water, such as a lake or the seabed # Flood plains s ...

'' mill in

Aengwirden Aengwirden is a former municipality in the Dutch province of Friesland. It covered the area around the village of Tjalleberd. It existed until July 1, 1934. The area of the former municipality is now a part of the municipality of Heerenveen Hee ...

(nowadays: Heerenveen). It was in service until 1966 and bought by the municipality in 1976 who restored the wind mill. It operates on a voluntary basis. Heijen was home to 350 people in 1840. The village was severely damaged in 1945. In 1969, an industrial harbour was built to the north of Heijen.

Gallery

File:Achtkante beltmolen van opzij gefotografeerd - AMR Molenfoto - 20539916 - RCE.jpg, Windmill Gerarda File:Heijen (Gennep) kerk, façade.jpg, St Dionysius Church

References

{{Commons category, position=left Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands) Gennep