Venray facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Venray
Venroj
|
|||
|---|---|---|---|
Venray city centre
|
|||
|
|||
.svg)
Location in Limburg
|
|||
| Country | Netherlands | ||
| Province | Limburg | ||
| Government | |||
| • Body | Municipal council | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 165.00 km2 (63.71 sq mi) | ||
| • Land | 163.38 km2 (63.08 sq mi) | ||
| • Water | 1.62 km2 (0.63 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 25 m (82 ft) | ||
| Population
(May 2014)
|
|||
| • Total | 43,215 | ||
| • Density | 265/km2 (690/sq mi) | ||
| Demonym(s) | Venrayenaar, Venrayer | ||
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) | ||
| Postcode |
5800–5817
|
||
| Area code | 0478 | ||
Venray is a town and a municipality in the Limburg province of the Netherlands. It is sometimes also spelled Venraij. The name is pronounced something like "ven-RYE".
The municipality of Venray covers an area of about 165 square kilometers (64 square miles). As of July 2016, around 43,494 people lived there. About 30,000 people live in the main town of Venray. The other 13,000 live in the 13 smaller towns and villages nearby.
Contents
Towns and Villages in Venray
The municipality of Venray includes several smaller places. These are:
- Beek (a small settlement)
- Blitterswijck (a village)
- Castenray (a village)
- Geijsteren
- Heide (a village)
- Leunen
- Merselo
- Oirlo
- Oostrum
- Smakt
- Venray (the main town)
- Veulen (a village)
- Vredepeel (a village with a military base)
- Wanssum (a village)
- Ysselsteyn (a village)
Healthcare and Hospitals
Venray has a long history with mental healthcare. In the early 1900s, two important hospitals were built here.
Early Mental Hospitals
The Sint Servatius mental hospital for men was built in 1905 by the Brothers of Charity. Its first patients arrived in 1907. A year later, in 1906, the Sint Anna mental hospital for women was built by the Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary. The first patients came in 1909.
These hospitals have always been very important to Venray. They have influenced the town's culture, religious life, and provided many jobs. Today, both hospitals are managed by a group called GGZ Noord- en Midden-Limburg.
Specialized Care at De Rooyse Wissel
Venray is also home to De Rooyse Wissel. This is one of only 12 special hospitals in the Netherlands. It helps people who have been sent there by a court for mental health treatment.
St. Peter in Chains Church
The St. Peter ad Vincula church in Venray is a very old and special building. It holds one of the largest collections of wooden sculptures from the late Middle Ages in the Netherlands. These sculptures survived the iconoclasm, a time when many religious artworks were destroyed during the Protestant Reformation.
The church itself was first built in the 15th century in the Gothic style. It was badly damaged during the World War II Battle of Overloon. After the war, the church was carefully rebuilt to its original beauty.
Venray During World War II
Towards the end of World War II, Venray and its surrounding areas saw many battles. These fights caused a lot of damage to the town center. One of the biggest battles was the Battle of Overloon, which took place from September 30 to October 18, 1944. This was one of the largest tank battles between the German forces and the Western Allies.
Venray town was finally freed from occupation in 1945. It is also home to the only German War Cemetery in the Netherlands. More than 31,598 German soldiers are buried there.
Economy and Industry
Venray has a strong economy with many different types of businesses.
Major Companies and Logistics
Several large companies have important operations in Venray:
- Inalfa: This company, which makes car roofs, has its main office and a factory in Venray.
- Flextronics: This company has factories and logistics centers in Venray. Logistics centers help manage the movement of goods.
- Herbalife: Venray is home to a big European logistics center for Herbalife products.
- ModusLink: This company, which helps manage supply chains, has a major location here.
- OTTO Work Force: This company, which helps people find jobs, has its main office in Venray. They often help Polish workers find jobs.
- Xerox: Venray has a factory and a European logistics center for Xerox. They make toner and other parts for printers.
In recent years, Venray has changed from a place that mostly makes things to a major center for logistics. This means many large warehouses have been built in the industrial areas.
Local Economy and Transport
Small and medium-sized businesses are also very important to Venray's economy. Healthcare, especially mental healthcare, continues to provide many jobs. Venray is also a good place for logistics because it has a harbor on the Meuse River in Wanssum and is close to the A73 motorway. These connections make it easy to transport goods.
Nature and Environment
Venray has interesting natural areas, especially in its western part.
The Peel Peat Bogs
The western part of Venray, including the villages of Vredepeel and Ysselsteyn, was once covered by the Peel peat bogs. These bogs were drained and used for farming in the early 20th century. However, some parts of the original peat bogs still remain and are now protected as a national park.
Historical Defenses and Unique Plants
This western area also has parts of the Peel-Raam Line. These were defensive structures built during World War II, including a canal and bunkers.
Near Geijsteren, Venray has a forest and sand dune area. This is one of the few places in the Netherlands where you can find the common juniper plant growing naturally.
Famous People from Venray
Many notable people have come from Venray:
- Godfrey Henschen (1601–1681) – A Belgian Jesuit who wrote about saints.
- Harry Peeters (1931–2012) – A historian, psychologist, and university professor.
- Theo van Els (1936–2015) – A professor who studied how languages are learned.
- Louis Sévèke (1964–2005) – A journalist and writer.
- Michelle Courtens (born 1981) – A singer.
- Koen Heldens (born 1986) – A mixing engineer for music.
Sports Stars
Venray has also produced several talented athletes:
- Peter Winnen (born 1957) – A cyclist who won the Alpe d'Huez race.
- Edward Linskens (born 1968) – A football (soccer) player.
- Leopold van Asten (born 1976) – An equestrian (horse rider) who competed in the 2004 Summer Olympics.
- Mark Veens (born 1978) – A freestyle swimmer.
- Joey Hanssen (born 1991) – A racing driver.
- Mike Teunissen (born 1992) – A racing cyclist.
- Pauliena Rooijakkers (born 1993) – A road cyclist.
See also
In Spanish: Venray para niños
