Eersel
Encyclopedia
Eersel is a municipality
and a town in southern Netherlands
in the province of North Brabant
. Eersel is situated in the Campine
(Kempen) area.
Eersel is part of the Acht Zaligheden (Eight Delights) and known for its attractive market. This market, together with the Hint, has been declared a protected village on October 19, 1967. This has been done to guarantee the future survival of its authentic character.
. Following them in the late bronze age
the people of the Urnfield culture
continued living there as has been proved by the urn with cremating ashes that has been found in ‘Schadewijk’. Before the Romans
occupied this area, which they called Toxandria
, the Eburones
lived here. From the Roman period there are also archaeological finds. Many shards of Roman pottery
are found between the church of Eersel and the hamlet
‘Schadewijk’. The Salian Franks
that settled the area in the 4th century became known as Toxandrians. After the Roman time the region has been virtually depopulated.
The Franks
established themselves round 700 again in the region. They lived where high and lower grounds were laying close to each other. One of those high grounds was Ereslo. As from this time there is a form of government authority in this area. The Franks build their farms around a triangular square. This kind of settlement was called a domain which was the property of the high nobility of the Franks.
The oldest known written indication of Eersel is found in the manuscript Codex Aureus of Echternach
(or Liber Aureus) of the Abbey of Echternach
. In this document is a charter
included in which a certain Aengilbertus, son of late Gaobertus, with approval of his brother Verengaotus gives the property of the domain Eresloch to Saint Willibrord
.
In this registration of the year 712 the name of ‘Ereslo’ was transferred wrong to ‘Eresloch’.
Wilibrord on his behalve gave the heritage to the Abbey of Echternach in Luxembourg
.
To approximately in the year 1000 Eersel belonged to the county
of Taxandria.
Hereafter it came under the influence of earl
of Guelders
. The Earl of Leuven
extends its area to the north and in 1203 the region definitively became a part of Brabant
. Trading started to develop and Eersel became a cross point for the routes of Leuven
and 's-Hertogenbosch and of Antwerp and Turnhout. The triangular court of the village 'Hint' (now still visible), was extended in southern direction. The new oval square became ‘de Markt’ (the Market) constructed for the trade as a parking place for cart
s. Around arose the characteristic buildings for digest and boardinghouses such as taverns. But also stables for horses with the requirements like a blacksmith.
In 1325 Eersel obtained the rights of ‘freedom’ (Town privileges
) from Duke Jan III of Brabant
. On this basis the inhabitants could designate as of now their own governor. Eersel became the head of regional schepen
bank of Hapert, Hoogeloon
, Vessem
, Knegsel
, Steensel
, Bergeijk
, Westerhoven
, Dommelen
en Borkel en Schaft
.
Around the 14th century Eersel became prosperous and the monumental tower of Eersel was built, together with those of Steensel
and Duizel
. In 1464 between the market and ‘het Hint’ a chapel was built in Eersel.
After the middle ages
the region became more poorly and the villages did not grow between 1500 and 1800. This is the period of the ‘Teuten’ a traveling trading people, who were touring from village to village with artisan
and merchant
services, like coppersmith
, wig-maker, also some veterinary surgeon like horse, ram, bull and pig castrating, and trade in goods like pottery, kitchen-utensil, bed-clothes, linen, lace, silk and other textile manufactures. They were no gypsies but build their homes in a central place like Eersel and traveled to other regions and lands from there. One of the remainder of this time are the houses of the ‘Teuten’ at the market. In 1800 at the time of King Willem I
there came some improvement. The provincial road to Eindhoven and the road to Postel
was hardened and a steam tram railway was manufactured. (1897)
Since 1900 the reclaiming of cleared bush ground had taken place and the rise of the cigar industry
. During the crisis, the cigar industry ensured that unemployment was not very large, although the living then in Eersel was reasonable poverty. Eersel still enjoys a reputation as one of the largest cigar exporters of the Netherlands and takes still an important place on the world market of cigar producers. After the Second World War there was a fast increase of population from 3,700 to 12,500 inhabitants in Eersel.
The original version of the church of Eersel was a simply wooden cottage and was possibly founded by the (Catholic) abbey of Echternach . The church was mentioned for the first time in 1480. Tower dates from second half of the 14th century. The flaunting piece of the church is the monumental organ. It was entirely restored in 1972, under realm monument care. It is a combination of work of two famous organ builders: Bernard Petrus van Hirtum from Hilvarenbeek
(1838) and the Smits Brothers from Reek
(1852).
It is built in 1464 in Gothic style and is the oldest building of the market. After the Peace of Münster
it was closed for mass service and was used as Council house, as prison and repository for the fire-engine.
It was used for 300 years as a townhall up to 1948 before it was returned to the church and used as a chapel again.
The church was built first in 1812, and has been rebuilt in 1861. It is a simple barge stonebuild church. The ceiling has an arbour, what gives it a very good acoustic.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
and a town in southern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
in the province of North Brabant
North Brabant
North Brabant , sometimes called Brabant, is a province of the Netherlands, located in the south of the country, bordered by Belgium in the south, the Meuse River in the north, Limburg in the east and Zeeland in the west.- History :...
. Eersel is situated in the Campine
Campine
The Campine is a natural region situated chiefly in north-eastern Belgium and parts of the south-western Netherlands which once consisted mainly of extensive moors, tracts of sandy heath, and wetlands...
(Kempen) area.
Eersel is part of the Acht Zaligheden (Eight Delights) and known for its attractive market. This market, together with the Hint, has been declared a protected village on October 19, 1967. This has been done to guarantee the future survival of its authentic character.
History
About 3,500 years ago the first inhabitants of the area of Eersel were builders of sepulchre hillocks or burial mounds of the Tumulus cultureTumulus culture
The Tumulus culture dominated Central Europe during the Middle Bronze Age .It was the descendant of the Unetice culture. Its heartland the area previously occupied by the Unetice culture besides Bavaria and Württemberg...
. Following them in the late bronze age
Bronze Age
The Bronze Age is a period characterized by the use of copper and its alloy bronze as the chief hard materials in the manufacture of some implements and weapons. Chronologically, it stands between the Stone Age and Iron Age...
the people of the Urnfield culture
Urnfield culture
The Urnfield culture was a late Bronze Age culture of central Europe. The name comes from the custom of cremating the dead and placing their ashes in urns which were then buried in fields...
continued living there as has been proved by the urn with cremating ashes that has been found in ‘Schadewijk’. Before the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
occupied this area, which they called Toxandria
Toxandria
Toxandria is the classical name for a region between the Meuse and the Scheldt rivers in the Netherlands and Belgium. The name is also spelled Taxandria...
, the Eburones
Eburones
The Eburones , were a Belgic people who lived in the northeast of Gaul, near the river Meuse and the modern provinces of Belgian and Dutch Limburg, in the period immediately before it was conquered by Rome. They played a major role in Julius Caesar's account of his "Gallic Wars", as the most...
lived here. From the Roman period there are also archaeological finds. Many shards of Roman pottery
Pottery
Pottery is the material from which the potteryware is made, of which major types include earthenware, stoneware and porcelain. The place where such wares are made is also called a pottery . Pottery also refers to the art or craft of the potter or the manufacture of pottery...
are found between the church of Eersel and the hamlet
Hamlet (place)
A hamlet is usually a rural settlement which is too small to be considered a village, though sometimes the word is used for a different sort of community. Historically, when a hamlet became large enough to justify building a church, it was then classified as a village...
‘Schadewijk’. The Salian Franks
Salian Franks
The Salian Franks or Salii were a subgroup of the early Franks who originally had been living north of the limes in the area above the Rhine. The Merovingian kings responsible for the conquest of Gaul were Salians. From the 3rd century on, the Salian Franks appear in the historical records as...
that settled the area in the 4th century became known as Toxandrians. After the Roman time the region has been virtually depopulated.
The Franks
Franks
The Franks were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as living north and east of the Lower Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a...
established themselves round 700 again in the region. They lived where high and lower grounds were laying close to each other. One of those high grounds was Ereslo. As from this time there is a form of government authority in this area. The Franks build their farms around a triangular square. This kind of settlement was called a domain which was the property of the high nobility of the Franks.
The oldest known written indication of Eersel is found in the manuscript Codex Aureus of Echternach
Codex Aureus of Echternach
The Codex Aureus of Echternach is an 11th century illuminated Gospel Book....
(or Liber Aureus) of the Abbey of Echternach
Abbey of Echternach
The Abbey of Echternach is a Benedictine monastery in the town of Echternach, in eastern Luxembourg. The Abbey was founded by St Willibrord, the patron saint of Luxembourg, in the seventh century...
. In this document is a charter
Charter
A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified...
included in which a certain Aengilbertus, son of late Gaobertus, with approval of his brother Verengaotus gives the property of the domain Eresloch to Saint Willibrord
Willibrord
__notoc__Willibrord was a Northumbrian missionary saint, known as the "Apostle to the Frisians" in the modern Netherlands...
.
In this registration of the year 712 the name of ‘Ereslo’ was transferred wrong to ‘Eresloch’.
Wilibrord on his behalve gave the heritage to the Abbey of Echternach in Luxembourg
Luxembourg
Luxembourg , officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg , is a landlocked country in western Europe, bordered by Belgium, France, and Germany. It has two principal regions: the Oesling in the North as part of the Ardennes massif, and the Gutland in the south...
.
To approximately in the year 1000 Eersel belonged to the county
County
A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain modern nations. Historically in mainland Europe, the original French term, comté, and its equivalents in other languages denoted a jurisdiction under the sovereignty of a count A county is a jurisdiction of local government in certain...
of Taxandria.
Hereafter it came under the influence of earl
Earl
An earl is a member of the nobility. The title is Anglo-Saxon, akin to the Scandinavian form jarl, and meant "chieftain", particularly a chieftain set to rule a territory in a king's stead. In Scandinavia, it became obsolete in the Middle Ages and was replaced with duke...
of Guelders
Guelders
Guelders or Gueldres is the name of a historical county, later duchy of the Holy Roman Empire, located in the Low Countries.-Geography:...
. The Earl of Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
extends its area to the north and in 1203 the region definitively became a part of Brabant
Duchy of Brabant
The Duchy of Brabant was a historical region in the Low Countries. Its territory consisted essentially of the three modern-day Belgian provinces of Flemish Brabant, Walloon Brabant and Antwerp, the Brussels-Capital Region and most of the present-day Dutch province of North Brabant.The Flag of...
. Trading started to develop and Eersel became a cross point for the routes of Leuven
Leuven
Leuven is the capital of the province of Flemish Brabant in the Flemish Region, Belgium...
and 's-Hertogenbosch and of Antwerp and Turnhout. The triangular court of the village 'Hint' (now still visible), was extended in southern direction. The new oval square became ‘de Markt’ (the Market) constructed for the trade as a parking place for cart
Cart
A cart is a vehicle designed for transport, using two wheels and normally pulled by one or a pair of draught animals. A handcart is pulled or pushed by one or more people...
s. Around arose the characteristic buildings for digest and boardinghouses such as taverns. But also stables for horses with the requirements like a blacksmith.
In 1325 Eersel obtained the rights of ‘freedom’ (Town privileges
Town privileges
Town privileges or city rights were important features of European towns during most of the second millennium.Judicially, a town was distinguished from the surrounding land by means of a charter from the ruling monarch that defined its privileges and laws. Common privileges were related to trading...
) from Duke Jan III of Brabant
John III, Duke of Brabant
Jan III van Brabant , also called John III, the Triumphant , was Duke of Brabant, Lothier, and Limburg...
. On this basis the inhabitants could designate as of now their own governor. Eersel became the head of regional schepen
Schepen
A schepen is a Dutch word referring to a municipal civic office in Dutch-speaking countries. The term is still in use in Belgium, but it has been replaced by wethouder in the Netherlands. The closest English terms are alderman, member of the municipal executive, councillor and magistrate,...
bank of Hapert, Hoogeloon
Hoogeloon
Hoogeloon is a Dutch village in the commune of Bladel, in North Brabant. Hoogeloon is situated 4 km north of Hapert and is around 40 km west of Eindhoven....
, Vessem
Vessem
Vessem is a small town in the southern Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Eersel, North Brabant. Cultural attractions include the Jacobusmolen windmill and several galleries....
, Knegsel
Knegsel
Knegsel is a village in the municipality of Eersel in the province of North Brabant, the Netherlands. Knegsel is part of the Acht Zaligheden , like Eersel, Duizel, Steensel, Wintelre, Netersel, Hulsel en Reusel....
, Steensel
Steensel
Steensel is a village on the Gender stream in the municipality of Eersel, North Brabant, the Netherlands. Steensel is part of the Acht Zaligheden , along with Eersel, Knegsel, Duizel, Wintelre, Netersel, Hulsel en Reusel...
, Bergeijk
Bergeijk
Bergeijk is a municipality and town in the southern Netherlands, in the province of North Brabant. It has an area of 103 square kilometers and a population of 18,027 in 2005. Population density is 175 people per square kilometer...
, Westerhoven
Westerhoven
Westerhoven is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Bergeijk, about 15 km southwest of Eindhoven.Westerhoven was a separate municipality until 1997, when it became part of Bergeijk....
, Dommelen
Dommelen
Dommelen is a village in the southern Netherlands. It is located in the municipality of Valkenswaard, North Brabant. Dommelen derives its name from the little brook Dommel that runs through it. Having its clear water close at hand, Dommelen is mostly known for its beer brewery, Dommelsch...
en Borkel en Schaft
Borkel en Schaft
Borkel en Schaft is a former municipality in the Netherlands, consisting of the villages of Borkel and Schaft. It was a separate municipality until 1934. The area is now part of the municipality of Valkenswaard....
.
Around the 14th century Eersel became prosperous and the monumental tower of Eersel was built, together with those of Steensel
Steensel
Steensel is a village on the Gender stream in the municipality of Eersel, North Brabant, the Netherlands. Steensel is part of the Acht Zaligheden , along with Eersel, Knegsel, Duizel, Wintelre, Netersel, Hulsel en Reusel...
and Duizel
Duizel
Duizel is a village in the municipality of Eersel in the province of North Brabant, the Netherlands. Duizel is part of the Acht Zaligheden , like Eersel, Knegsel, Steensel, Wintelre, Netersel, Hulsel en Reusel. Duizel has 1.914 inhabitants ....
. In 1464 between the market and ‘het Hint’ a chapel was built in Eersel.
After the middle ages
Middle Ages
The Middle Ages is a periodization of European history from the 5th century to the 15th century. The Middle Ages follows the fall of the Western Roman Empire in 476 and precedes the Early Modern Era. It is the middle period of a three-period division of Western history: Classic, Medieval and Modern...
the region became more poorly and the villages did not grow between 1500 and 1800. This is the period of the ‘Teuten’ a traveling trading people, who were touring from village to village with artisan
Artisan
An artisan is a skilled manual worker who makes items that may be functional or strictly decorative, including furniture, clothing, jewellery, household items, and tools...
and merchant
Merchant
A merchant is a businessperson who trades in commodities that were produced by others, in order to earn a profit.Merchants can be one of two types:# A wholesale merchant operates in the chain between producer and retail merchant...
services, like coppersmith
Coppersmith
A coppersmith, also known as a redsmith, is a person who makes artifacts from copper. The term redsmith comes from the colour of copper....
, wig-maker, also some veterinary surgeon like horse, ram, bull and pig castrating, and trade in goods like pottery, kitchen-utensil, bed-clothes, linen, lace, silk and other textile manufactures. They were no gypsies but build their homes in a central place like Eersel and traveled to other regions and lands from there. One of the remainder of this time are the houses of the ‘Teuten’ at the market. In 1800 at the time of King Willem I
William I of the Netherlands
William I Frederick, born Willem Frederik Prins van Oranje-Nassau , was a Prince of Orange and the first King of the Netherlands and Grand Duke of Luxembourg....
there came some improvement. The provincial road to Eindhoven and the road to Postel
Postel Abbey
Postel Abbey is a Premonstratensian abbey in the Belgian municipality of Mol in the province of Antwerp.-History:In 1138 Premonstratensian canons from Floreffe Abbey founded the monastery at Postel as a dependent priory. In 1613 Postel became independent of Floreffe and in 1618 was raised to the...
was hardened and a steam tram railway was manufactured. (1897)
Since 1900 the reclaiming of cleared bush ground had taken place and the rise of the cigar industry
Cigar
A cigar is a tightly-rolled bundle of dried and fermented tobacco that is ignited so that its smoke may be drawn into the mouth. Cigar tobacco is grown in significant quantities in Brazil, Cameroon, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Honduras, Indonesia, Mexico, Nicaragua, Philippines, and the Eastern...
. During the crisis, the cigar industry ensured that unemployment was not very large, although the living then in Eersel was reasonable poverty. Eersel still enjoys a reputation as one of the largest cigar exporters of the Netherlands and takes still an important place on the world market of cigar producers. After the Second World War there was a fast increase of population from 3,700 to 12,500 inhabitants in Eersel.
Places of interest
- The church of Saint Willibrord
The original version of the church of Eersel was a simply wooden cottage and was possibly founded by the (Catholic) abbey of Echternach . The church was mentioned for the first time in 1480. Tower dates from second half of the 14th century. The flaunting piece of the church is the monumental organ. It was entirely restored in 1972, under realm monument care. It is a combination of work of two famous organ builders: Bernard Petrus van Hirtum from Hilvarenbeek
Hilvarenbeek
Hilvarenbeek is a municipality and a town in the south of the Netherlands, along the border with Belgium.- Population centres :The municipality of Hilvarenbeek also includes the following villages with their own churches: Baarschot, Biest-Houtakker, Diessen, Esbeek and Haghorst.In addition, the...
(1838) and the Smits Brothers from Reek
Reek (Netherlands)
Reek is a village in the Dutch province of North Brabant. It is located in the municipality of Landerd, about 3 km east of Schaijk.Reek was a separate municipality until 1942, when it became part of Schaijk....
(1852).
- The Chapel of Our Lady of Campina
It is built in 1464 in Gothic style and is the oldest building of the market. After the Peace of Münster
Peace of Münster
The Peace of Münster was a treaty between the Dutch Republic and Spain signed in 1648. It was a landmark treaty for the Dutch republic and one of the key events in Dutch history; with it, the United Netherlands finally became independent from the Spanish Crown...
it was closed for mass service and was used as Council house, as prison and repository for the fire-engine.
It was used for 300 years as a townhall up to 1948 before it was returned to the church and used as a chapel again.
- Protestant church
The church was built first in 1812, and has been rebuilt in 1861. It is a simple barge stonebuild church. The ceiling has an arbour, what gives it a very good acoustic.