Drunen NL

Drunen is a town with a population of 17,783 in the municipality of Heusden in the southern Netherlands. Drunen is part of a region called the Langstraat which is historically known for its leather and shoe industry. Since 1813, Drunen has been a separate municipality, consisting of the towns Drunen, Elshout, and Giersbergen.

The center of Drunen is a plaza surrounded by the Sint-Lambertuskerk and city hall. Furthermore, there are some pubs and stores in the middle of town. Drunen was heavily shelled by British Forces in late 1944 in the days prior to liberation and its main buildings were heavily damaged or destroyed outright. In consequence, there are few historic buildings. Recently the downtown area, including the plaza, has been modernized.

On, it was incorporated along with the municipalities of Heusden and Vlijmen into the new, enlarged municipality of Heusden, containing the towns Drunen, Elshout, Giersbergen, Heesbeen, Doeveren, Hedikhuizen, Herpt, Oud-Heusden, Heusden, Vlijmen, Nieuwkuijk and Haarsteeg. Some argued that this enlarged municipality should have been called the municipality of Drunen, being the biggest of the three towns. However due to the historical importance of Heusden, and possibly to avoid ill will in the almost equally large town of Vlijmen, the municipal was named after Heusden.

History

1813: Drunen becomes a municipality in the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
1935: Elshout (previously part of the municipality Oud-Heusden) is added to Drunen.
1944: Liberation of Drunen in World War II at which the church tower and many of the historic buildings are destroyed.
1997: The municipality of Drunen is incorporated into the enlarged municipality of Heusden.
2007: The modernized centre of Drunen is officially opened.