Geffen (Netherlands)

Geffen had been an independent town in the Netherlands until 1993, when it became a part of Maasdonk in North Brabant.

Archeological findings show that the area had been inhabited since the Stone age (2000 B.C.). The date of settlement is not known. The first time Geffen was mentioned in official documents was on the October 1, 1246. There have been many different names for Geffen, including Ghiffen and Gheneffen. Gheneffen most probably had been created as a fusion between "gen" + "effa", which means "on the water's edge". In the year 1298, Hertog Jan II of Brabant granted the town of Geffen rights for peat harvesting.

In the following centuries, Geffen became a fiefdom. The Vassal of Geffen resided in the castle of Geffen close to the border of Nuland. During a French raid in the 18th century this castle was destroyed and at this time only the ditch and its fortifications can be found.

After the Second World War

Up until the Second World War things didn't really change in Geffen; it maintained a population of roughly 1,200. In 1956 the first planned neighbourhood began construction. During this time, neighbouring [Oss] started to become a true city and many facilities moved away. Geffen itself grew in every direction except north; this is mainly because of the railway embankment which protects Geffen from flooding from the Meuse. With the creation of the A50 highway, a dig site was opened at the border of Oss, Heesch and Geffen. After the construction of the highway was completed this area was reformed into a swimming point (the Geffenseplas) and a 'forest'.

Education

There are two schools in Geffen; both are Catholic schools -- the Aloysiusschool, which can be found between town hall and the local supermarket, and the Mariaschool, which lies next to the church and has a more religious background.

Religion

Around 1450 the bell tower of the Maria Magdalena Church was built. The church survived numerous fires and floods, even the burning of Geffen by Karel of Gelder in 1487. At the end of the Second World War, the German military tried to blow up the church like they did with the churches of Nuland, Heesch and Vinkel. At the ceiling level, the marks of this are still visible.

One of the oldest Jewish cemeteries in North Brabant can be found in Geffen. As early as 1693 the archives speak of this cemetery and until 1908, 20 years after the founding of a new regional cemetery, it was in use. Many forefathers of the Van den Bergh, Hartog and Zwanenberg families can be found here. Today, more than 300 people are buried here.

Present

Geffen is a typical town of east Brabant with around 5,500 inhabitants. The biggest sportclub is "Nooit Gedacht Geffen", a soccerclub founded in 1929. Every year a farmers' market is organized under the name of 'effe noar geffe'. Every year more people visit this festival and in 2004 more than 35,000 people were welcomed. Because of mismanagement of funds, among other problems, integration into Oss or Den Bosch is a possibility.

Famous Geffenaren

* Simon van den Bergh (1819) Industrial magnate, founder of Unilever
* Ruud van Nistelrooij (1976) Soccer player, born in Oss
* Peter van Grinsven (1521) Philanthropist

Literature

* Jacob Becker: Het smouse Kerkhof te Geffen, 1693-1903, Stichting Iacobus Judeaus, Uden 1987

External links

* [http://maps.google.com/?ie=UTF8&z=14&ll=51.738298,5.465527&spn=0.02918,0.069351&t=k&om=1 Geffen from above]
* [http://www.kuijsten.de/atlas/nb/geffen.html Map of the former municipality in 1868]
* [http://members.home.nl/fhvandijk/ Pictures of Geffen]
* [http://www.effenoargeffe.nl/ Effe noar Geffe]
* [http://www.nooitgedachtgeffen.nl Nooit Gedacht Geffen]