Tiel Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Tiel

Fortified dyke in Tiel

Flag	Coat of arms

Location in Gelderland

Tiel

Location in Netherlands

Tiel

Location in Europe

Government

• Body

Municipal council

Area

• Total

34.81 km² (13.44 sq mi)

• Land

32.27 km² (12.46 sq mi)

• Water

2.54 km² (0.98 sq mi)

Elevation

7 m (23 ft)

Population

(May 2014)

• Total

41,723

• Density

1,293/km² (3,350/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Tielenaar

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postcode

4000–4007, 4013–4014, 4017, 4062

Area code

0344

Dutch Topographic map of Tiel (town), as of March 2014

Tiel (Dutch pronunciation: [til]) is a municipality and a town in the middle of the Netherlands. The town is enclosed by the Waal river and the Linge river to the South and the North, and the Amsterdam-Rhine Canal to the East. Tiel comprises the population centres Kapel-Avezaath, Tiel and Wadenoijen. The city was founded in the 5th century CE.

The town of Tiel
Ancient history
Notable people
Gallery
See also

The town of Tiel

Tiel is the largest town in the Betuwe area, which is famous for being one of the centres of Dutch fruit production. Orchards in the area produce apples, pears, plums and cherries. Tiel once housed the famous jam factory De Betuwe. After production was moved to Breda in 1993, the entire complex was demolished, although a part was reconstructed later. Reminding of this industry is a jam manufacturing museum and a statue of Flipje, the raspberry-based comic figure who starred in De Betuwe's, jam factory advertisements since the 1930s.

Originally located on the Linge river Tiel became an important centre of trade in the early Middle Ages, especially after the demise of Dorestad in the 9th century. Tiel had two big churches, one of which, the St. Walburg, was a collegiate church that belonged to the Teutonic Knights and vanished after the Reformation while the other church, the St. Maarten, became Protestant. Much of the historic centre was destroyed during the Second World War.

Every year, on the third Saturday in September, a festival known as Fruitcorso is held to celebrate the fruit harvest from the Betuwe area. On this day, a parade of wagons, decorated with fruit, travels through the city. Appelpop is a free, two-day music event that is held yearly on the second Friday and Saturday of September.

Tiel has also been known for its pewter industry. The last pewter factory and museum, which mainly produced collectibles for tourists, went bankrupt in early 2004, but has since been revived.

Ancient history

Stonehenge of the Netherlands
Map of Tiel, Netherlands
Created	4000–4500 BCE
Discovered	2017
Present location	Tiel (Artifacts that were found) Multiple institutions, including the National Museum of Antiquity in Leiden and the Flipje & Streekmuseum

Roman artifacts (Rings, statues, grave stones etc) have been found in Tiel.

The "Stonehenge of the Netherlands" is an ancient site that is over 4,000 years old. The structure shows a similarity to Stonehenge in southern England; so it was dubbed "Stonehenge of the Netherlands" by the local media.

It was used as a burial mound and for religious practices. It is located in Tiel, Netherlands, and its excavation started in 2017. According to the town's website, this was the first such discovery in the Netherlands.

The mound contained remains of around 60 individuals. Three mounds were discovered; the main one is about 20 metres (65 ft) in diameter. Its passages align with the sun at equinoxes and solstices, and according to the archeologists it served as a solar calendar.

Around one million objects, dating from the Stone Age, Bronze Age, Iron Age, Roman Empire and throughout the Middle Ages, have been found. The oldest artifacts can be traced back to 2500 BCE.

One of the most interesting finds was a glass bead which is the oldest ever discovered in the Netherlands. The archeologists think it originated in Mesopotamia, modern day Iraq. The group assumes that the Bronze Age inhabitants of this area had contact with groups more than 3,000 miles away.

The archaeologists also discovered offerings like animal skeletons, human skulls and bronze spearheads.

Notable people

General D H Chassé, 1832

Public service

Joan van der Capellen tot den Pol (1741–1784) statesman, active in the Batavian Republic
David Hendrik Chassé (1765–1849) soldier who fought both for and against Napoleon
Theodoor Gerard van Lidth de Jeude (1788–1863) physician, veterinarian and zoologist
Antonie Frederik Jan Floris Jacob van Omphal (1788–1863) lieutenant-general and extraordinary aide-de-camp to William III of the Netherlands
Cornelis Pijnacker Hordijk (1847–1908) jurist and politician, Governor-General of the Dutch East Indies 1888/1893
William Hendriksen (1900–1982) New Testament scholar and writer of Bible commentaries
Marinus van IJzendoorn (born 1952) human development professor, co-leader of Generation R

Mary Dresselhuys, 1982

The arts

Annie Foore (1847–1890) writer who lived in Dutch East Indies
Mary Dresselhuys (1907–2004) stage actress
Eylem Aladogan (born 1975) installation artist and sculptor
Frans Duijts (born 1979) singer
Abdellah Dami (born 1982) journalist, presenter and writer
Corrie van Binsbergen (born 1957) jazzmusician and composer

Sport

Wilma van Velsen, 1984

Herman Claudius van Riemsdijk (born 1948) chess player
Jan van Deinsen (born 1953) football player
Nico Rienks (born 1962) rower, two-time gold medallist at the 1988 and 1996 Summer Olympics
Anton Janssen (born 1963) football player
Wilma van Velsen (born 1964) swimmer and team bronze and silver medallist in the 1980 and 1984 Summer Olympics
Dirk Jan Derksen (born 1972) football player
Bobbie Traksel (born 1981) racing cyclist
Erik Pieters (born 1988) football player
Barry Maguire (born 1989) football player
Mattijs Branderhorst (born 1993) football player