Ede (Low Saxon: Ee) is a medium-sized town in the Dutch province
of Gelderland, located on the western flank of the Veluwe and in the
southern Gelderland Valley. It is also the capital of the eponymous
municipality. Ede has 75,585 inhabitants (2020).
Ede is known
for the Battle of Arnhem. The site played an important role in the
Second World War because of the airborne landing of the Allied
forces in September 1944, as part of Operation Market Garden. Every
year, the airborne landings on the Ginkelse Heide attract thousands
of visitors to Ede.
Ede's history is closely linked to that of the Kernhem
estate. The counts of Gelre built various fortifications along the
borders with the Sticht Utrecht from the 12th to the 14th century.
Kernhem Castle was one of them. In 1426 Udo de Booze (also written
as Udo den Boese) was appointed as liege man of Kernhem by the then
Duke of Gelre Arnold van Egmont. After the fiefs became hereditary,
Kernhem came into the hands of the Van Arnhem, Van Wassenaer Obdam
and later Van Heeckeren van Wassenaer and Bentinck families. Various
administrators from Ede's past come from these families.
In
the seventeenth century, Ede was ravaged by the Spaniards led by
Hendrik van den Bergh during the Raid of the Veluwe in 1624. This
was repeated five years later, during a second raid led by Van den
Bergh and Ernesto Montecuccoli.
In 1783, about 108 people
died in a dysentery epidemic. A relatively high number, given that
Ede had only about 600 inhabitants at the time.
During the
First World War, there was a large refugee camp for Belgian refugees
on the Edese heath. It existed from 1915 to 1918. It was demolished
in 1918 and the building materials were reused for the many damaged
buildings in Belgium. Today the Belgians monument is still standing
in memory.
On August 6, 1925, an oxygen device exploded in
the ENKA factory. Three people died in this blast. At least ten
people were injured.
WWII
During the Second World War,
Allied soldiers landed on the Ginkelse Heide near Ede during
Operation Market Garden. From there they moved to Arnhem, fighting
the Germans. Every September this is commemorated by parachuting
over the heath. The paratroopers are dropped from World War II
aircraft that are still operational. This event attracts a large
audience from the surrounding area. Even veterans from Great Britain
are present. Until 2006, veterans also jumped, often at an advanced
age. Prior to the air landing, a bombing raid was placed on Ede on
17 September 1944. 69 civilians lost their lives.
Of the Jews
who lived in the municipality of Ede at the start of the war, it is
estimated that 52 of the 89 survived the war. According to the
authors of the book Ede 1940-1945, this relatively high percentage
(60 percent) can be explained because in a rural municipality it is
easier to find help and the risk of being caught was smaller
compared to the large cities. In the first year of the war the
number of Jews increased rapidly. At the time of the registration
requirement in January 1941, 125 people were registered as
(partially) Jewish. Most of them were families and singles from the
west of the country who were hoping to escape the measures directed
against them. Many of the refugees were familiar with the region and
had contacts. Bennekom in particular enjoyed a certain reputation as
a holiday destination in the decades before the war, making it a
logical place to turn to. In April 2012, a monument to the Jewish
population was unveiled at the Vosakker, bearing the names of 50
killed Jews who were born in Ede or who lived there for a long time.