| Veghel | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Municipality — | |||
| Saint Lambert Church | |||
|
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Netherlands | ||
| Province | North Brabant | ||
| Area(2006) | |||
| • Total | 78.92 km2 (30.5 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 78.18 km2 (30.2 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 0.74 km2 (0.3 sq mi) | ||
| Population (1 January 2007) | |||
| • Total | 36,679 | ||
| • Density | 469/km2 (1,214.7/sq mi) | ||
| Source: CBS, Statline. | |||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
Veghel (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈvɛɣəl] ( listen)) is a municipality and a town in the southern Netherlands.
Since 1994 Veghel and the neighbouring village of Erp have formed a single municipality.
Veghel is twinned with Goch in Germany.
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The first settlements date back to Roman times and were established near the River Aa. The municipality was officially founded in 1310 when Duke John II of Brabant granted the inhabitants the right to use common grounds. Rulers of the municipality were the Lords of Erp, residing at their castle of Frisselsteijn in Veghel.
In 1648 Veghel became part of the Republic of the Netherlands. As a former part of the Duchy of Brabant, Veghel is situated in the Meierij of 's-Hertogenbosch. As a Catholic village, Veghel (like all the other areas of Brabant and Limburg which were transferred to the Netherlands by the Peace of Westphalia) suffered economic and religious oppression from the Protestant Dutch and was counted part of the Dutch military boundary area.
It was not until the French wars of 1795 that Veghel became a free village again and received a guarantee of full common rights from the Dutch government. In 1810 Veghel became part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. From the middle of the 19th century the agrarian village began developing into an industrial village as a consequence of the opening of the Zuid-Willemsvaart Canal. The construction of large-scale buildings like the neogothic church by Pierre Cuypers and the neoclassical town hall dates from that period. Monastic orders made Veghel a regional centre of health care and education, which it remains to this day.
In 1940 Veghel was occupied by German troops. With the beginning of Operation Market Garden in 1944 Veghel was one of the dropping-places for Allied paratroops owing to its strategic location.
The period since the 1950s has seen much growth, with the development of new industries and the establishment in Veghel of several international companies. Its shopping centre and marketplace earned the town the name of "Pearl of the Meierij". Veghel is an educational centre for the surrounding district with several secondary schools, a senior secondary vocational school, and one of the oldest higher vocational schools in the area: the Pedagogic Academy, which was founded in 1872.
Every November sees the celebration of the entry of St Nicholas (Sinterklaas). Every two year in June or July The Slokdarmfestival takes place. On 1 September the harbour festival takes place. In February or March the traditional carnival is held.