Aarle-Rixtel is a village 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 ...

municipality of

Laarbeek Laarbeek () is a municipality located in the province of North Brabant in the south of the Netherlands. It was formed in 1997 from the former municipalities Beek en Donk, Aarle-Rixtel and Lieshout (which included the village Mariahout). Laarbeek ...

North Brabant North Brabant ( nl, Noord-Brabant ; Brabantian: ; ), also unofficially called Brabant, is a province in the south of the Netherlands. It borders the provinces of South Holland and Gelderland to the north, Limburg to the east, Zeeland to the w ...

. It lies about 4 km north of Helmond. Since the municipal reorganization of 1968 the castle Croy is part of Aarle-Rixtel.

History

Aarle was first mentioned in 1249 as Arleh, and means "open forest with

maple ''Acer'' () is a genus of trees and shrubs commonly known as maples. The genus is placed in the family Sapindaceae.Stevens, P. F. (2001 onwards). Angiosperm Phylogeny Website. Version 9, June 2008 nd more or less continuously updated since http ...

trees". Rixtel was first mentioned in 1179 as Ricstelle. The etymology is unknown. The villages developed in the Middle Ages along the Aa River. The two villages merged into a single entity. Aarle used to be a site of pilgrimage, and had a church, guesthouse, monastery and an

inn Inns are generally establishments or buildings where travelers can seek lodging, and usually, food and drink. Inns are typically located in the country or along a highway; before the advent of motorized transportation they also provided accommo ...

. The Chapel of Our Lady in the Sand is a pilgrimage site which was built around 1500. It was rebuilt in 1597. In 1846, it was converted to town hall, but became a chapel agan in 1853. In 1969, it was restored and made symmetrical again. There is a little 16th-century Mary statue inside in the chapel which allegedly has performed miracles. The Our Lady Presentation Church was built between 1844 and 1846 in neoclassic style and is one of the finest examples of a so-called , churches built by the

Rijkswaterstaat Rijkswaterstaat, founded in 1798 as the ''Bureau voor den Waterstaat'' and formerly translated to Directorate General for Public Works and Water Management, is a Directorate-General of the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management of the Net ...

(Department of Public Works). It was remodelled between 1896 and 1897 by

Joseph Cuypers Josephus Theodorus Joannes Cuypers (10 June 1861, Roermond - 20 January 1949, Meerssen) was a Dutch architect; primarily known for his Catholic churches. Life and work He was born to the architect, Pierre Cuypers, and his wife, Antoinette née ...

. Croy Castle was built in the 15th century as a summer residence. The gate with the two towers date from 1500 and were restored in 1790. The last residence was Constance van der Bruggen who left the estate to the poor of Stiphout. A retirement home was established in the castle until 1977. In 1988, it became an office building. In 1840, Aarle was home to 701 people and Rixtel was home to 154 people. The former town hall was built in 1855 and consists of three blocks: a school, the town hall and the residence for the school teacher. Until the municipal reorganization of 1997, Aarle-Rixtel was a separate municipality. In 1997, it became part of

. The spoken language is Peellands (an

East Brabantian East Brabantian ( nl, Oost Noord-Brabants or Oost Brabants) is one of the main divisions of the Brabantian dialect group recognized by the ''Woordenboek van de Brabantse dialecten''. East Brabantian dialects are mainly spoken in the eastern part o ...

dialect, which is very similar to

Standard Dutch Dutch ( ) is a West Germanic language spoken by about 25 million people as a first language and 5 million as a second language. It is the third most widely spoken Germanic language, after its close relatives German and English. ''Afrikaans'' ...

). Since many decades, the village has been an important location for textile production. Petit & Fritsen was a bell foundry that was located in Aarle-Rixtel until 2014. In that year, the company was acquired by a competitor who became thereby the last remaining Dutch bell foundry.

Gallery

File:Aarle-Rixtel, Klokkengieterij Petit & Fritsen RM46886 foto7 2016-10-16 12.29.jpg, Bell foundry Petit & Fritsen File:Kapel van Onze Lieve Vrouw in 't Zand Aarle-Rixtel Monument 6938.jpg, Chapel of Our Lady in the Sand File:Heemhuis.jpg, House in Aarle-Rixtel File:Laarbeek Cafe Dorpstraat 18 20150404.jpg, Pub in Aarle-Rixel

References

{{RefList Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 1997 Former municipalities of North Brabant Populated places in North Brabant Laarbeek