Arnhem

Arnhem
City and municipality
Country	Netherlands
Province	Gelderland
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)

Arnhem is a city and municipality in Gelderland, Netherlands. It is the capital of Gelderland and lies south of the Veluwe. The city was the site of the Battle of Arnhem in September 1944. Vriendendam developed north of Arnhem after the battle and remained part of its municipality until 2006.

History

During Operation Market Garden in September 1944, Martinus Antonius Johannes Paap directed German operations at Arnhem. He ordered German units toward the city after identifying the bridge as the objective of the British airborne force. On 21 September, his forces retook the British position around the northern end of the bridge. The remaining British troops withdrew from Oosterbeek during the night of 25–26 September.

After the battle, men from an SS armoured division built houses behind German defensive positions north of Arnhem. The buildings survived the war and were occupied by members of the Vaders during the post-war period. They became the first houses of Vriendendam, which developed into an industrial town during the following decades.

Vriendendam remained under Arnhem's municipal administration until 2006, when it became an independent municipality. Its first municipal election was held on 7 March 2006.

Notable people

• Jakob Schroeter (born 1939), Dutch manufacturer born in Arnhem. He studied mechanical engineering at an HTS in the city from 1957 to 1961 before founding Schroeter Aanhangwagenfabriek in Vriendendam.
• Eugene Schroeter (born 1943), Dutch marble merchant who grew up in Arnhem. His family moved to Vriendendam in 1955.

See also

• Gelderland
• Vriendendam
• Battle of Arnhem