Tegelen
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The municipality of Tegelen, independent until 2001 is now part of Venlo in Limburg.
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[edit] Name
The name Tegelen is derived from Latin 'Tegula', meaning roof tile. This name was already used by the Romans thanks to the high quality clay found there. This was used for baking pots and tiles.
[edit] Tiglian
The name of the glacial era of Tiglian (part of the Pleistocene) is derived from Tegelen thanks to the many fossils found there from this era in the local clay.
[edit] History
During excavations in Tegelen a lot of Roman pottery and tile ovens were found. The Sint-Martinus church is mentioned in diocesan and monasterial archives dating back to the year 800. Because of its strategic location various castles and reinforced farms were soon established. The most important of these were the Castle of Holtmühle and the Oude Munt. During the Middle Ages there were several battles in and around Tegelen, also because of the vicinity of the walled city of Venlo. Over time, a barracks was established in Venlo, and a fortification in neighbouring Blerick. As a result, from the 16th century until the 18th century Tegelen was regularly visited by plundering armies.
What is less well known is that Tegelen for centuries was part of the duchy of Jülich, whilst neighbouring Venlo belonged to Guelders. So literally, according to the people of Tegelen Venlo was 'abroad' and vice versa. This fact explains the clear differences between the local dialects of the neighbouring towns and it explains the rivalry between these parts of the city that persists to this day. The black, uncrowned lion in the flag of Tegelen (see image) can be found in the coat of arms of the Duchy of Jülich.
This separation was ended in Napoleonic times and early in the 19th century Tegelen developed into a regional centre of industry. At first, tile and pottery factories were established, and later that century, metallurgy and tobacco factories. After 1900 agriculture was added to the mix. Pottery and related industries were very successful in Tegelen from 1750 until WWII.
Economic and social life before that war was dominated by a small number of factory owning families that would scratch each other's backs. One infamous episode illustrating the way they treated their work force and how they controlled their lives occurred during WWI. The producers of clay products claimed that the embargo on Germany brought them to the brink of bankruptcy, and the only way they could survive was to drastically reduce wages. The work force went on strike but soon the strike fund was depleted. The local clergy helped negotiate a settlement allowing labourers to return to work for a salary that barely exceeded subsistence levels. It later transpired that there never was any risk of any of the producers going bankrupt, and that this drastic reduction in labour cost had allowed them to make exorbitant profit levels. This is still evident from the gigantic villas in which these families lived and of which a number are still standing.
After the war the number of factories in Tegelen steadily decreased. All smelters, including Globe, known throughout the Netherlands for providing drainage covers, disappeared. There are still three operating factories producing clay products, but all of these are now in foreign ownership. One chimney, previously owned by a stone cutter named Canoy Herfkens, is still standing as a reminder of Tegelen's industrial heyday.
In 2001 Tegelen was amalgamated into the municipality of Venlo.
[edit] Culture
The centuries old expertise in ceramics and pottery is kept alive by courses held in Keramisch Centrum de Tiendschuur [[1]]
Tegelen can boast several theater, music and choral organisations. It is internationally famous for its Passion Play De Passiespelen that are held every five years in the years that are divisible by 5, in Openluchttheater De Doolhof. These always attract many visitors. The same open air theater hosts Tegelen's Bluesrock Festival every year.
[edit] Characters
Tegelen has had its fair share of colourful characters. By far the most famous of these are "Joës en Petatte Nelke", Gustaaf Schreurs and Petronella Muller, who were so famous they had a song written about them, and a statue erected for them in the market square. You can find an image of this statue (about 1/3 down that page).
En as weej wir nao Tegele gáon,
dèn gáon weej nao Petatte-Nelke.
Dao drinke weej ’n sjöpke beer,
en hebbe weej ouch vuël plezeer !
En Joes, dae haet zô’n lollig vrouwke,
die duit t’r sôkker in, die duit t’r sôkker in.
Al in det beer, al in det beer,
die duit t’r sôkker al in det beer !
(Translation: As we go back to Tegelen
We'll go and see Petatte Nelke
Were we'll knock back a pint of beer
and have some good old fashioned cheer
And Joës's lady is a joker
She puts some sugar in, she puts some sugar in
Our pint of beer, our pint of beer
She puts some sugar in our beer)
[edit] Former Mayors
- 1798-1806 G.J.A.Thijssen (function formerly known as Agent and after that, Maire)
- 1815-1817 No mayor; Prussian
- 1818 (function now known as Schout)
- early 1800s Johannes Goossens
- 1848-1852 Gerardus Johannes de Rijck
- 1860 Louis Pierre Quillaume Hubert de Rijk
- 1906-1922 W.R. Carel van Basten Batenburg
- until 1927 M.W. Coenders
- 1961-after 1978 Mr. E.G.G.M. Rutten
- 1981-2000 Drs. Piet (P.J.M.) Visschers, final mayor !
(this list is incomplete)
[edit] Born in Tegelen
- Toine Ambaum (*1941), Teacher, compiler of Dutch-Tegels dictionary
- Carla Beurskens (*1952), Dutch athlete
- Huub Beurskens, Dutch writer
- Chantal Janzen (*1979), Musical star and actress
- Huub Stapel, Dutch actor
- Ben Verbong, Dutch film director
- André van den Heuvel, Dutch actor
- Frans Pollux, Lead Singer of Neet oet Lottum
- Theo Thurlings, Dutch politician
- Caspar Franssen, Dutch architect
- Mariet Verbong (1939-2006), Dutch writer and sister of Ben Verbong
- Sjors Verdellen, professional football player VVV-Venlo
[edit] Sources
- A.J. Welschen 2000-2005: Course Dutch Society and Culture, International School for Humanities and Social Studies ISHSS, Universiteit van Amsterdam (met toestemming)
I have done my best to translate this page from the original I found at http://nl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tegelen and http://li.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tegelen - Pino Carafa
