Stevensweert 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

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 ...

. It is located in the municipality of

Maasgouw Maasgouw () is a municipality in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located on both banks of the river Meuse southwest of the city of Roermond. It was formed in a merger of the former municipalities of Heel, Maasbracht and Thorn on 1 January 200 ...

. It lies on the right bank of the river

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

, which forms the border with

Kessenich Kessenich () is a village in the Belgian province Limburg. It is a section of the municipality of Kinrooi, lying in the eastern end of the municipality. Geography Kessenich is the end of the ''Grensmaas'', the part of the Meuse who forms a natur ...

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

. There was also a ferry to this village.

History

The village was first mentioned in 1221 as in Werde, and means "land near water dedicated to

Saint Stephen Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ''Stéphanos'', meaning "wreath, crown" and by extension "reward, honor, renown, fame", often given as a title rather than as a name; c. 5 – c. 34 AD) is traditionally venerated as the protomartyr or first ...

". With Ohé en Laak, Stevensweert is situated on an island in the Meuse. The Spanish built a fortress in 1633 during the

Eighty Years War The Eighty Years' War or Dutch Revolt ( nl, Nederlandse Opstand) ( c.1566/1568–1648) was an armed conflict in the Habsburg Netherlands between disparate groups of rebels and the Spanish government. The causes of the war included the Ref ...

, this is still apparent in the street plan of the town. Stevensweert once was part of the

Duchy of Guelders The Duchy of Guelders ( nl, Gelre, french: Gueldre, german: Geldern) is a historical duchy, previously county, of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries. Geography The duchy was named after the town of Geldern (''Gelder'') in p ...

. In 1702, it was conquered by the

Dutch Republic The United Provinces of the Netherlands, also known as the (Seven) United Provinces, officially as the Republic of the Seven United Netherlands (Dutch: ''Republiek der Zeven Verenigde Nederlanden''), and commonly referred to in historiography ...

. The Catholic St Stephanus is a cruciform church built in 1781 as a replacement of the 13th century church. It was damaged in 1944 and 1945, and restored and enlarged by . The church contains a Roman baptismal font from around 1200. The Dutch Reformed church is a little aisleless church built in 1822. In 1951, the war damage was repaired. 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 ...

Hompesche Molen was built in 1722 as part of the castle complex, and is the only remaining part. The top of the sail measures making it the tallest wind mill in the province of Limburg. In October 1944, it was hit several times by British artillery from the liberated Belgian side. The wind mill was restored between 1948 and 1949. In the 1950s, the mill went out of service. Between 1975 and 1977, it was restored and returned to occasional service. The barn next to the mill contains a

brasserie In France, Flanders, and the Francophone world, a brasserie () is a type of French restaurant with a relaxed setting, which serves single dishes and other meals. The word ''brasserie'' is also French for "brewery" and, by extension, "the bre ...

. Stevensweert was home to 600 people in 1840. It was an independent municipality until 1991 when it was merged into

Maasbracht Maasbracht (; li, Brach ) is a town in the southeastern Netherlands. It was a separate municipality until 1 January 2007, when it became a part of the new municipality of Maasgouw. History The village was first mentioned in 1265 as "de Bragth ...

. In 2007, it became part of the municipality of

Gallery

File:Juli 2012 Stevensweert 098.JPG, Street view File:Jan van Steffeswertplein 14, Stevensweert.JPG, House in Stevensweert File:Jan von Steffeswert Plein.jpg, Square File:Juli 2012 Stevensweert 014.JPG, House in Stevensweert

References

{{Authority control Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands) Former municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands) Maasgouw