Grave (; formerly ''De Graaf'') is a city and former municipality in the Dutch province of

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 t ...

. The former municipality had a population of in . Grave is a member of the Dutch Association of Fortified Cities. The former municipality included the following towns : Grave (capital), Velp, Escharen and

Gassel Gassel is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the former municipality of Grave. Since 2022 it has been part of the new municipality of Land van Cuijk. History Gassel was mentioned first in 1485 as Gassel, and mean ...

. Grave,

Boxmeer Boxmeer () is a town and former municipality in upper southeastern Netherlands. Boxmeer as a municipality incorporated the former municipality of Beugen en Rijkevoort and that of Vierlingsbeek. In Overloon is the Overloon War Museum. Boxmeer, ...

Cuijk Cuijk (; dialect: ''Kuuk'') is a town in the northeastern part of the province of North Brabant, Netherlands. It is the successor of a Roman settlement on the west bank of the Meuse, 13 km (8 mi) south of Nijmegen. Cuijk, which had a po ...

, Mill en Sint Hubert, and

Sint Anthonis Sint Anthonis () is a village and former municipality in the southern Netherlands in the Province of North Brabant. The locals refer to the town as ''Sint Tunnis''. An inhabitant is called a "Sintunnisenaar". The former municipality had a populati ...

merged into the new municipality of

Land van Cuijk Land van Cuijk is a municipality in the province of North Brabant, Netherlands, formed from the merger of Boxmeer, Cuijk, Sint Anthonis, Mill en Sint Hubert and Grave. The municipality came into existence on 1 January 2022. It belongs to the regio ...

on 1 January 2022.

History

Grave received

city rights Town privileges or borough rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium. The city law customary in Central Europe probably dates back to Italian models, which in turn were oriented towards the traditio ...

in 1233. The former municipality of Grave was formed in the Napoleonic era (1810) and coincided with the fortified Grave and immediate surroundings. The history of the town was thus linked to that of the place. This changed in 1942. Then there was a reclassification place where the municipality Grave was expanded with the previously independent municipalities Velp and Escharen. Moreover, in 1994 the neighboring municipality of

Beers Beers may refer to: * plural of beer, an alcoholic beverage * Beers (surname) * Beers, Friesland, a Dutch place in the Friesland municipality of Littenseradiel * Beers, North Brabant Beers ( Brabants: ''Bèèrs'') is a village in the former Du ...

was abolished and a part thereof, the parish

, was also added to the municipality Grave.

Popular attractions

Near to Grave lies a bridge, now called John S. Thompsonbrug, built in 1929. It is the northern connection to

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 ...

, spanning the river Maas. The bridge was one of the key strategic points in

Operation Market Garden Operation Market Garden was an Allied military operation during the Second World War fought in the Netherlands from 17 to 27 September 1944. Its objective was to create a salient into German territory with a bridgehead over the River Rhine, ...

; the city was liberated at 17 September 1944, but suffered very little damage. The bridge was named in 2004 after Lieutenant John S. Thompson who commanded the platoon of the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an airborne infantry division of the United States Army specializing in parachute assault operations into denied areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops Magazine'', 25 November 2012. Archived from tho ...

that captured the bridge. The Hampoort is the old entrance to the city, and it is still largely intact and can be visited.

Notable people

Nobility

Mary of Guelders Mary of Guelders (; c. 1434/1435 – 1 December 1463) was Queen of Scotland by marriage to King James II of Scotland. She ruled as regent of Scotland from 1460 to 1463. Background She was the daughter of Arnold, Duke of Guelders, and Cath ...

(ca.1434 in Grave – 1463), the

queen consort of Scotland The consorts of the monarchs of Scotland bore titles derived from their marriage. The Kingdom of Scotland was first unified as a state by Kenneth I of Scotland in 843, and ceased to exist as an independent kingdom after the Act of Union 1707 ...

as the wife of King

James II of Scotland James II (16 October 1430 – 3 August 1460) was King of Scots from 1437 until his death in 1460. The eldest surviving son of James I of Scotland, he succeeded to the Scottish throne at the age of six, following the assassination of his father. ...

, served as regent of Scotland from 1460 to 1463 *

Adolf, Duke of Guelders Adolf of Egmond (Grave, February 12, 1438 – Tournai, June 27, 1477) was a Duke of Guelders, Count of Zutphen from 1465–1471 and in 1477. Life Adolf was the son of Arnold, Duke of Guelders and Catherine of Cleves. In the battle of succe ...

(1438 in Grave – 1477) a Duke of Guelders & Count of Zutphen 1465–1471 *

Charles II, Duke of Guelders Charles II (9 November 1467 – 30 June 1538) was a member of the House of Egmond who ruled as Duke of Guelders and Count of Zutphen from 1492 until his death. He was the son of Adolf of Egmond and Catharine of Bourbon. He had a principal role ...

(1467 in Grave – 1538) a member of the

House of Egmond The House of Egmond or Egmont ( French: ''Maison d'Egmond'', Dutch: ''Huis Egmond'') is named after the Dutch town of Egmond, province of North Holland, and played an important role in the Netherlands during the Middle Ages and the Early mod ...

who ruled as Duke of Guelders and Count of Zutphen from 1492-1538 *

Anna van Egmont Anna van Egmont (March 1533 – 24 March 1558), mainly known as Anna van Buren (or Anna van Bueren), was a Dutch heiress who became the first wife of William the Silent, Prince of Orange. Biography Anna was born in Grave, Netherlands in March ...

(1533 in Grave – 1558) a wealthy Dutch heiress, the first wife of

William the Silent William the Silent (24 April 153310 July 1584), also known as William the Taciturn (translated from nl, Willem de Zwijger), or, more commonly in the Netherlands, William of Orange ( nl, Willem van Oranje), was the main leader of the Dutch Re ...

Prince of Orange Prince of Orange (or Princess of Orange if the holder is female) is a title originally associated with the sovereign Principality of Orange, in what is now southern France and subsequently held by sovereigns in the Netherlands. The titl ...

* Louise van der Nooth (1630s in Grave – 1654) a maid of honour and favorite of

Queen Christina of Sweden Christina ( sv, Kristina, 18 December (New Style) 1626 – 19 April 1689), a member of the House of Vasa, was Monarchy of Sweden, Queen of Sweden in Queen regnant, her own right from 1632 until her abdication in 1654. She succeeded her father ...

and

Johann Weyer Johann Weyer or Johannes Wier ( la, Ioannes Wierus or '; 1515 – 24 February 1588) was a Dutch physician, occultist and demonologist, disciple and follower of Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa. He was among the first to publish agains ...

(1515 in Grave – 1588) a Dutch physician, occultist and demonologist, disciple and follower of

Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa Heinrich Cornelius Agrippa von Nettesheim (; ; 14 September 1486 – 18 February 1535) was a German polymath, physician, legal scholar, soldier, theologian, and occult writer. Agrippa's '' Three Books of Occult Philosophy'' published in 1533 dre ...

* Charles de Thierry (1793 in Grave – 1864) an adventurer in New Zealand * Jan Pieter van Suchtelen (1751 in Grave – 1836) a general in the Russian army during the Russo-Swedish War (1808–1809) * Johan Stein (1871 in Grave – 1951) a Dutch astronomer and a member of the

Society of Jesus , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...

Images

Image:2006-05-17 13.37 Grave, brug over de Maas.JPG, Bridge: John S. Thompsonbrug Image:Grave, straatzicht Brugstraat 2-10 bij Oranjehotel foto1 2010-04-10 11.02.jpg, Houses in centre Image:Grave vistrap inlaat scheepswerf.jpg,

Fish ladder A fish ladder, also known as a fishway, fish pass, fish steps, or fish cannon is a structure on or around artificial and natural barriers (such as dams, locks and waterfalls) to facilitate diadromous fishes' natural migration as well as move ...

and shipyard Image:Grave canal lock.jpg, Canal lock

References

External links

*
Official website
{{Authority control Cities in the Netherlands Populated places in North Brabant Former municipalities of North Brabant Municipalities of the Netherlands disestablished in 2022 Geography of Land van Cuijk Rivers with fish ladders