Wijchen Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids

Wijchen

Wijchen castle

Flag	Coat of arms

Location in Gelderland

Government

• Body

Municipal council

Area

• Total

69.56 km² (26.86 sq mi)

• Land

66.49 km² (25.67 sq mi)

• Water

3.07 km² (1.19 sq mi)

Elevation

9 m (30 ft)

Population

(May 2014)

• Total

40,958

• Density

616/km² (1,600/sq mi)

Demonym(s)

Wijchenaar

Time zone

UTC+1 (CET)

• Summer (DST)

UTC+2 (CEST)

Postcode

6600–6606, 6613–6617, 6634

Area code

024, 0486, 0487

Dutch Topographic map of Wijchen, July 2013

Wijchen is a town and a municipality in the eastern part of the Netherlands. It is located in the province of Gelderland. A municipality is like a local government area. It includes a main town and several smaller villages around it.

Discover Wijchen's Villages
Exploring Wijchen's Neighbourhoods
Wijchen Castle: A Historic Landmark
Famous People from Wijchen
- Artists and Designers
- Sports Stars
Images for kids
See also

Discover Wijchen's Villages

The municipality of Wijchen is made up of several smaller towns and villages. Here's a look at how many people lived in each place as of December 12, 2009:

Wijchen	32,904
Alverna	2,405
Balgoij	779
Batenburg	691
Bergharen	1,779
Hernen	820
Leur	130
Niftrik	570

Source: Statistics Netherlands

The area called Woezik and the small place called Laak are counted as part of Wijchen itself.

Exploring Wijchen's Neighbourhoods

Wijchen has many different neighbourhoods. A neighbourhood is a smaller area within a town where people live. Here are some of them:

Centre: This includes Kloosterakker.
Wijchen-Oost: Here you'll find Valendries, Oosterweg, and Uilenboom.
Woezik: This area has Veenhof and Saltshof.
Wijchen-Noord.
Achterlo: This includes Homberg, Heilige Stoel, and Kraaijenberg.
Wijchen-West: Here are Blauwe Hof and Aalsburg.
Wijchen-Zuid: This is a large area with Abersland, Diepvoorde, Huissteden, Hoogmeer, De Ververt, De Geer, Elsland, De Weertjes, De Grippen, Zesakkers, Zevendreef, Sluiskamp, Oudelaan, and Kronenland.
Kerkeveld: This area includes De Gamert, De Meren, Diemenwei, De Flier, and De Lingert.
Huurlingsedam.

In many of these neighbourhoods, streets are numbered instead of having names. For example, if you live in Abersland, 11th street, house #05, your address would be Abersland 1105. This is a bit unusual for the Netherlands!

Wijchen Castle: A Historic Landmark

A room inside Wijchen Castle, used for town council meetings.

Wijchen Castle, known as Kasteel Wijchen in Dutch, is a very old building. Some parts of it were built as far back as the 1300s! The castle looks the way it does now because of changes made between 1609 and 1629. It has a moat around it, which is a deep, wide ditch filled with water.

The castle used to be the town hall, where the local government worked. Today, the main town hall is in a different building nearby. The castle is now used for important meetings and is a popular place for weddings.

Famous People from Wijchen

Many talented people have come from Wijchen. Here are a few:

Artists and Designers

Ine Lamers (born 1954): She is a photographer and an artist who creates video installations.
Ronald van der Kemp (born 1964): He is a well-known fashion designer.
Arjen Thonen (born 1992): He is a DJ and music producer, famous as SWACQ^[NL].

Sports Stars

Roy Makaay, a famous football player and manager.

SWACQ, a DJ and music producer.

Fred Rutten (born 1962): A football coach and a former player. He played in 317 games!
Ralf Elshof (born 1962): A cyclist who competed in the 1984 Summer Olympics.
Roy Makaay (born 1975): A football manager and a former player with 526 games played.
Claudia van Thiel (born 1977): A volleyball player who competed in the 1996 Summer Olympics.
Lieke Klaus (born 1989): A professional BMX racer.
Joel Piroe (born 1999): A football player who plays for Leeds United.