Brakel 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 ...
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 ...
. It is a part of the municipality of
Zaltbommel, and lies about 8 km east of
Gorinchem
Gorinchem ( or ), also spelled Gorkum, is a city and municipality in the western Netherlands, in the province of South Holland. The municipality covers an area of of which is water. It had a population of in .
The municipality of Gorinchem al ...
.
Brakel was a separate municipality until 1999, when it became a part of Zaltbommel.
History
It was first mentioned in 1212 as Brakel. The etymology is unclear.
Brakel developed into an irregular ''
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 ...
''. Later it became a
linear
Linearity is the property of a mathematical relationship ('' function'') that can be graphically represented as a straight line. Linearity is closely related to '' proportionality''. Examples in physics include rectilinear motion, the linear ...
dike village. The Protestant Church dates from the 15th century and has 14th century elements. The tower was severely damaged in 1944, and restored in 1950.
Slot Brakel was a castle from the 13th century. It was destroyed in 1672 by the French.
In 1768, Huis te Brakel was built on the grounds of the former castle, and the centre still contains the ruins of the medieval castle as part of a garden.
In 1840, it was home to 1,096 people.
Gallery
File:Brakel - Marktplein 4 Nederlands Hervormde kerk 10066.JPG, Protestant church
File:Brakel - Flegelstraat 1 Hooimijt 10065.JPG, Haystack
File:Pony Marktplein Brakel.jpg, Pony statue
File:Batterij onder Brakel5.JPG, Former artillery battery
References
Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 1999
Former municipalities of Gelderland
Populated places in Gelderland
Zaltbommel
{{Gelderland-geo-stub