Oude IJsselstreek
# Oude IJsselstreek

Oude IJsselstreek (Dutch pronunciation: (listen)) is a municipality in the eastern Netherlands. It was established on 1 January 2005 through a merger of the former municipalities Gendringen and Wisch.

## Geography and population centres

The municipality belongs to the transition area between the rivers in the south, coming from Germany (Rhine and Issel), and the sandy soils of the Eastern Netherlands.

It has 15 population centres. Formerly from Gendringen

* Breedenbroek, Etten, Gendringen, Megchelen, Netterden, Ulft, Varsselder, and Voorst (not to be confused with the municipality of Voorst, also in Gelderland).

Formerly from Wisch

* Bontebrug, Heelweg-Oost and Heelweg-West, Silvolde, Sinderen, Terborg, Varsseveld, and Westendorp.

Terborg is the only population centre with city rights, but the largest one is Ulft with 10,000 inhabitants. The municipality of Oude IJsselstreek is considered to be divided into three units. The centres along the river Oude IJssel (Ulft, Gendringen, Etten on the left border, Silvolde and Terborg on the right) constitute the urban belt, Varsseveld in the east of the municipality is a rural village and the other centres are the external territories. The municipality plans to make Ulft the local centre.

## Municipality council

Seats in the municipality Oude IJsselstreek since 2014:

* Lokaal Belang (Local Interests) GVS 8 seats
* Christian Democratic Appeal 5 seats
* Dutch Labour Party 3 seats
* Socialist Party (Netherlands) 3 seats
* Democrats 66 2 seats
* People's Party for Freedom and Democracy 2 seats

## Mayor

Hans Alberse was mayor of the newly established municipality Oude IJsselstreek since May 15, 2006. In 2015 he resigned and was replaced by the Commissaris van de Koning with Steven de Vreeze. Since July 2016 the new mayor is Otwin van Dijk.

## Topography

Dutch Topographic map of the municipality of Oude IJsselstreek, June 2015

## Culture

In this essentially rural municipality, there have been some places where iron ore was mined and processed. From the several enterprises the DRU (Diepenbrock en Reigers te Ulft) was the largest, it closed in Ulft in 2003. Since 2009, the former DRU factory is a cultural centre that houses the local library of Ulft, a theater, a regional centre for vocational education and other facilities. Municipal council meetings take place in its conference room.

## International affairs

Oude IJsselstreek is a member of the Ring of the European Cities of Iron Works and hosted the annual convention of 2010.

## Notable people

### Other

* Frederik van den Bergh (1559 in Ulft – 1618) a soldier in the Eighty Years' War
* William Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen (born 1649 in Terborg), aristocrat and former Count of Nassau-Siegen
* Countess Sophie Amalie of Nassau-Siegen (born 1650 in Terborg), aristocrat and later by marriage Duchess consort of Courland
* Hendrik Jan Elhorst (1861 in Wisch – 1924), Mennonite teacher and minister
* Willem Berkhoff (1863 in Varsseveld – 1953), pastry chef
* Henry Eric Maudslay (born 1921 - died 1943 near Klein-Netterden), pilot with No. 617 Squadron of the Royal Air Force (RAF)

### Sport

* Johannes van der Vegte (1892 in Gendringen – 1945), rower, competed at the 1920 Summer Olympics
* Herman Suselbeek (born 1943 in Silvolde), retired rower, silver medallist at the 1968 Summer Olympics
* Henk Overgoor (born in 1944 in Gendringen), former footballer
* Guus Hiddink (born 1946 in Varsseveld), football manager and former player with over 300 club caps
* Hans Westerhof (born 1948 in Terborg), football coach
* René Hiddink (born 1955 in Heerenveen, grew up in Varsseveld), football coach
* Mile Pajic (born 1955 in Terborg), retired motorcycle racist
* Bram Schmitz (born 1977 in Terborg), retired cyclist
* Bram Som (born 1980 in Terborg), 800 metres runner, participated in the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics
* Sjoerd Ars (born 1984 in Terborg), retired Dutch footballer with over 400 club caps
* Robert Gesink (born 1986 in Varsseveld), cyclist
* Lonneke Slöetjes (born 1990 in Varsseveld), volleyball player
* Koen Bouwman (born 1993 in Ulft), cyclist
* Jurre Vreman (born 1998 in Gendringen), footballer
* Dione Housheer (born 1999 in Gendringen), handballer
* Steven Theunissen (born 1999 in Ulft), football defender

## Gallery

* Keurhosterkerk in Sinderen.
* Witte Kerkje in Varsseveld.
* Landfort in Megchelen.
* Mill De Engel in Varsseveld.
* Church in Varssevelder
* Statue in Ulft
* Church in Etten
* Windmill in Silvolde
