Old Aalten

Category: Associations

  • Public Housing Association

    Public Housing Association

    ‘Vereniging tot Verbetering der Volkshuisvesting’

    In the 19th and early 20th centuries, many Dutch people lived in appalling conditions. During the course of the 19th century, this prompted citizens and workers to establish public housing associations.

    In 1912, a committee was formed in Aalten under the leadership of Mayor Monnik to establish an association for the improvement of public housing. The establishment took place the following year.

    Celebrations at Volkshuisvesting

    In 1981, the Wisselink textile factory on the Dijkstraat moved to the industrial estate. On the vacated site, 120 homes were built, the current Driessenshof. However, before the former weaving mill was demolished, the ”Vereniging tot Verbetering der Volkshuisvesting’ (Association for the Improvement of Public Housing) organised an extensive programme of festivities there for the people of Aalten:

    1981 Celebrations at Volkshuisvesting
    3 October 1981: Pop concert in the former Wisselink Textile Factory, Dijkstraat
    Polstraat 16-18, Aalten
    Polstraat-16-18, Aalten (photo: Google Streetview)
    Volkshuisvesting Aalten - Provinciale Geldersche en Nijmeegsche Courant, 18 March 1913
    Provinciale Geldersche en Nijmeegsche Courant, 18 March 1913
    Volkshuisvesting - Aaltensche Courant, 29 October 1913
    Aaltensche Courant, 29 October 1913

    De Woonplaats

    In 1995, the associations in Aalten, Groenlo, and Winterswijk, which together owned 6,700 homes, decided to merge under the name De Woonplaats. A few years later, a merger followed with De Volkswoning in Enschede (5,100 homes). Two years later, the head office moved from Groenlo to Enschede. In 2022, De Woonplaats owned almost 17,000 homes, of which approximately 2,300 were in the municipality of Aalten.

    Sources

  • Bredevoort Marksmen’s Guild

    Bredevoort Marksmen’s Guild

    As a garrison town, Bredevoort has had a civic guard, or markmen’s guild, since the Middle Ages. At that time, civic guards were established as local militias intended to guarantee the order and safety of the citizens.

    After the civic guards were officially disbanded in 1901, voluntary markmen’s guilds emerged in many places. These had a more folkloric character and organized events such as marksmen’s festivals, the fair, and the king shoot. Many markmen’s guilds also have a brass band and/or flag wavers.

    Wilhelmina Markmen’s Guild

    Today, Bredevoort still has a markmen’s guild, namely the Wilhelmina Markmen’s Guild. The first written mention in which this markmen’s guild is referred to by name was found in the Aaltensche Courant of October 25, 1905. It is assumed that the association had already existed for some time by then. During that same period, Bredevoort appears to have had as many as two markmen’s guilds.

    The association possibly owes its founding to the year 1898, when the coronation of Queen Wilhelmina was celebrated exuberantly. In Bredevoort, a committee was established for this occasion that organized various festivities. These consisted of a fair and a procession of riders with banners. Additionally, a so-called Wilhelmina tree was planted on the Markt square in honor of Wilhelmina’s birthday. Afterward, a marksmen’s festival took place, with the king shoot as the main event. This tradition is still kept alive during the annual folk and marksmen’s festival held in June.

    Restart

    During World War II, the association was banned and the banners were destroyed by the occupiers. Immediately after the war in 1945, the Wilhelmina Markmen’s Guild Bredevoort was officially (re-)established. In 2020, the markmen’s guild celebrated its 75th anniversary.

    The banners of the Wilhelmina Markmen’s Guild feature a crow’s foot, the coat of arms of the Satink family. In the 18th century, Benjamin Satink (1704–1769) was the acting bailiff of the Lordship of Bredevoort, commissary of the national warehouses, and military auditor.

    The Wilhelmina Markmen’s Guild plays an active role in the Bredevoort community. The markmen’s guild’s flag wavers perform serenades at members’ anniversaries and organize the reveille, early in the morning, and the king shoot during the annual fair. The ‘headquarters’ is the markmen’s house on Boterstraat.

    Wilhelmina Markmen's Guild, Bredevoort
    Wilhelmina Markmen’s Guild, Bredevoort
    Fair and Marksmen's Festival Bredevoort - Aaltensche Courant, 12 October 1901
    Aaltensche Courant, 12 October 1901

    40th Anniversary

    In 1985, the Wilhelmina Markmen’s Guild in Bredevoort celebrated its 40th anniversary (after its re-establishment):

    The Wilhelmina Markmen’s Guild occupies a special place in the Bredevoort community and is an integral part of special events in the old town. On October 12, the markmen’s guild celebrates its 40th anniversary. In reality, Bredevoort has had a markmen’s guild for much longer. This is evidenced, among other things, by four old banners that are still held in honor and date from the end of the last century.

    “An outsider wouldn’t give a penny for them and would throw the whole lot with the rags. But for the members of the markmen’s guild, they are worth their weight in gold,” says the current chairman of the markmen’s guild, Hans Wensink from Boterstraat in Bredevoort. This 58-year-old resident of Bredevoort has been chairman for 30 years and also experienced the founding in 1945. “Perhaps we should speak of a re-establishment. It was after World War II, and during the war, the markmen’s guild was disbanded. However, on October 17, 1945, the markmen’s guild once again became a reality.”

    Hans Wensink remembers well that Hendrik Frenken was the first commander. A man with a magnificent commanding voice. “When he gave the command: “battalion forward,” the R’s rolled out so beautifully,” Hans Wensink recalls. He also remembers that during marksmen’s festivals, Frenken did not allow himself to be addressed simply by his name. You had to call him captain, no matter how well you knew him. “That was the atmosphere at the markmen’s guild. After the Frenken period ended, J. van Merkenstein took over command, and now it is D. Dibbets who gives the orders.”

    Core group
    The markmen’s guild has always had a core group. After the war, there were only the old banners. These were later replaced because it was a pity to continue using them. Uniforms also arrived only later. In 1959, the traditional marksmen’s festival came to an end when it was decided to collaborate with the Folk Festival to create a joint celebration.

    The markmen’s house has changed over time, but now they are back at their old base, Café Munsterbrug. The banners, however, are “maintained” by Mother Wensink. She meticulously ensures that everything is handled correctly. The 90-year-old is an enthusiastic supporter of the markmen’s guild. She can also tell stories about the markmen’s guild that was active in Bredevoort at the beginning of this century. Her husband, who passed away in 1938, was already an adjutant with the markmen’s guild in 1913 and rode on horseback with the group. In those days, ranks in the markmen’s guild were purchased. People came from far and wide to the markmen’s guild in Bredevoort. Mrs. Wensink also knows that the oldest banner dates from 1898 and was waved by Wubbels Sr., who also had three sons who were flag wavers.

    “Ma” Wensink also ensures that the marksmen receive their coffee and bread on time during the bird shoot. In the past 40 years, it has happened seven times that the title of marksman king has gone to the Wensink family. “Then it is a real marksmen’s festival; I leave everything as it is and go to the markmen’s house,” says the elderly resident of Bredevoort.

    Celebration
    The markmen’s guild has 160 members, 40 of whom are “active.” The executive board consists of: Hans Wensink, chairman; Hans Piek, secretary; Engelbert Ebbers, treasurer. On Saturday, October 12, attention will be given to the 40th anniversary.

    A reception will be held at the Munsterbrug markmen’s house from 3:00 PM to 5:00 PM, and in the evening, there will be a party for the members. “Whatever may change in the coming years, the markmen’s guild must be held in honor. This is something that was started by our ancestors. We must not tear that down. We must be careful with the traditions and customs,” says Hans Wensink.

    In 2022, a jubilee book was published, titled ‘Schutterij Wilhelmina Bredevoort’, written by Jos Wessels.

    See also: Aalten Markmen’s Guild

    Sources

  • Aalten Marksmen’s Guild

    Aalten Marksmen’s Guild

    Marksmen’s guilds, or civic guards, were established in the Middle Ages as local militias intended to guarantee the order and safety of citizens. In 1815, a law was passed stipulating that three percent of men between the ages of 18 and 50 were liable for service in the civic guard. In 1827, this was changed to two percent of men between the ages of 25 and 34.

    In 1901, the civic guards were officially disbanded and replaced by a Landwehr (reserve army), which consisted of conscripts and volunteers. Later, voluntary marksmen’s guilds were established in many places, which anyone could join.

    In 1906, the marksmen’s guild in Aalten was instrumental in the establishment of the Community Hall. In the decades that followed, we were unable to find any mentions of the Aalten marksmen’s guild in the Delpher online newspaper archive. It was not until the early 1950s that we found several mentions again, regarding the St. Helena Marksmen’s Guild.

    Aalten Marksmen’s Guild in front of the Community Hall
    Aalten Marksmen’s Guild in front of the Community Hall, early last century (photo via H. Schutte)

    However, in 1957, a report also appeared regarding the establishment of a marksmen’s guild by the NV Community Hall in Aalten, which was to be named ‘De Eendracht’. Exactly how this fits together remains unclear to us for the time being.

    In September 1973, a ‘Volksfeest Committee’ was established, formed by the merger of the Community Hall, the Marksmen’s Guild, and the Fair Committee. This later became the ‘Aalten Volksfeest Foundation’.

    This page includes several photos and newspaper articles of and about the Aalten marksmen’s guilds that we have collected over recent years. We hope to receive more information in order to write a more complete history of the Aalten marksmen’s guilds in the future.

    Newspaper reports and photos

    (click to enlarge)

    Song of the Aalten Marksmen (1830)
    Song of the Aalten Marksmen, 1830 (melody)
    26 March 1906 Marksmen's Festival, Community Hall and Volksfeest
    26 March 1906
    Marksmen’s Competition Aalten – Zutphens Dagblad, 29 April 1957
    Zutphens Dagblad, 29 April 1957
    St. Helena Marksmen’s Guild organised a successful competition in 1961
    1961
    St. Helena Marksmen’s Guild, Aalten – Zutphens Dagblad, 13 June 1952
    Zutphens Dagblad, 13 June 1952
    Markmen's Guild established – Dagblad Tubantia, 10 May 1957
    Dagblad Tubantia, 10 May 1957
    Weekblad voor Aalten, Breedevoort, enz., 17 July 1897
    Weekblad voor Aalten, Breedevoort, enz., 17 July 1897
    St. Helena Markmen's Guild, Aalten
    St. Helena Markmen’s Guild, year unknown (photo via A. Wolterink-Jansen)
    Aalten Marksmen’s Guild
    Aalten Markmen’s Guild, year unknown (photo via H. Schutte)
    Folk festival in Aalten, 1936
    Folk festival in Aalten, 1936
    St. Helena Markmen's Guild, flag waving at Markt square in Aalten
    Flag waving at Markt square, year unknown

    Read also: Bredevoort Markmen’s Guild

    Sources

  • Aaltens Belang

    Aaltens Belang

    Interest Association

    The association Aaltens Belang was founded on 14 December 1898 by a number of local dignitaries. The association’s objectives included campaigning for a better connection with Bocholt, the improvement of public transport, the installation of urinals on the Market Square and at the edges of the village, and improvements to both the postal service and housing.

    The board consisted of thirteen members, matching the number of seats on the Aalten municipal council at the time. “Why,” it was argued, “should Aaltens Belang make do with fewer?”

    The board took a broad view of its objectives. They also dedicated themselves to matters such as the operation of a commercial evening school and a tourist information office (VVV), the management of the local Loohuisbos nature reserve, and the organisation of trade fairs or the annual outing for the elderly.

    Merged into the VVV

    In its early years, the association was instrumental in establishing both the first refuse collection service and the Museum Frerikshuus. In later years, the association focused primarily on organising activities and providing information regarding tourism and recreation. When these tasks were professionalised and transferred to a new VVV (Tourist Office) organisation, the association merged into it in the mid-1980s.

    Bench, Loohuisbos, and Nannielaantje

    To mark its 25th anniversary in 1923, the Aaltens Belang association presented the local community with a stone bench. This bench can still be found today along the footpath by the Slinge stream, near the bridge on Polstraat, behind the De Slinger primary school.

    In 1928, Aaltens Belang saved the Loohuisbos (‘Loohuis Forest’)—an area of 21 hectares—by purchasing it before it could be cleared for cultivation. However, the association could not raise the necessary funds and subsequently sold the property to the Society for the Preservation of Nature Monuments (Vereniging tot Behoud van Natuurmonumenten). As a result, it was preserved as a piece of the historic Achterhoek landscape.

    When the farmstead Het Smees was sold by the heirs of Slichter van Bath in 1934, Aaltens Belang entered into discussions with the buyer. There were fears that the “well-known and naturally beautiful” Nannielaantje (Nannie’s Lane) would disappear. Thanks to the efforts of Aaltens Belang, this popular lane was fortunately preserved.

    Board ‘Aaltens Belang’, 1923
    The board of ‘Aaltens Belang’ in 1923, on the occasion of its 25th anniversary. Seated L-R: J. Beernink, Jos Driessen (Chairman), H. ten Dam (Vice-Chairman), G.W. Vaags (Secretary), A.H. Bulten. Standing L-R: R. de Boer, H.J. Vreede, W. te Gussinklo, M. Ackerman, G.A. Wieland, G.J. Prinsen, A.J. Vaags, J.H. van Lochem.
    Seal of Aaltens Belang
    Seal of Aaltens Belang

    Sources

  • Klepperklumpkes van ‘t Walfort

    Klepperklumpkes van ‘t Walfort

    Folkloristic dance group

    Klepperklumpkes van 't Walfort
    Klepperklumpkes van 't Walfort

    The Klepperklumpkes van ’t Walfort was a folkloristic dance group from Aalten. The group was founded on 10 May 1954 with the objective of preserving Gelderland’s regional folklore for future generations. Members of the group were dressed in authentic Gelderland (Achterhoek) traditional costume, as it was worn around 1900.

    The dance repertoire consisted of approximately 35 traditional dances, mostly from the Achterhoek and Twente regions, which also date back to that era. The most well-known dances include the Driekesman, Pot met bonen (Pot of beans), and the Hôksebarger, performed, of course, in polished wooden clogs.

    A Welcome Guest

    The Klepperklumpkes was an active association. Over the past decades, they performed in various institutions, at street markets, and in many countries. They were a welcome guest at festivals in Belgium, Denmark, Germany, England, France, Austria, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, and Switzerland, among others. They even performed in China.

    During their peak years, the Klepperklumpkes organised a large international festival in Aalten every four years, featuring many foreign guests. These guests were hosted by local families, providing many with a unique introduction to the international dancers and their respective folklore.

    In their final years, the dance group rehearsed in the hall of café Setz.

    After nearly 70 years, the Klepperklumpkes disbanded in 2022. In their final years, the number of activities had gradually declined; many members were getting older, physical stamina was decreasing, and there was a lack of new members joining.

  • Playground Associations

    Playground Associations

    In 1955, the Bredevoort Playground Association was founded. It was the first association of its kind in the municipality of Aalten. The membership fee was thirty cents per month, and the donor fee was two guilders per year (source: Dagblad Tubantia).

    A report by the Youth Affairs Working Group provides an overview of the playground associations in Aalten in the year 1973:

    Spölheuksken, Aalten
    Photo: Playground Association ‘t Spolhuuksken, Bilderdijkstraat

    Bredevoort Playground Association:
    Location: Schoolstraat, Bredevoort. The building, owned by the municipality, is now fully completed.
    Number of members: 85 families.
    Activities: Various indoor activities. On Wednesday afternoons during the winter months, this playground association organizes various indoor activities for the youth.

    Playground Association “Robbedoes”:
    Location: Behind the houses on Saksenstraat and Berkenhovestraat.
    Number of members: 90 families and 50 donors.
    Activities: Playground open 6 days a week, participation in walking tours 3 times a year.
    In winter: bingo night once a week; film in the clubhouse twice a month; shooting night once a week; drop-in evenings twice a month; children’s party afternoon once a year.

    Playground Association “Rond de Vlag” (disbanded):
    Location: Koopmanstraat. The “Rond de Vlag” playground association has been disbanded. Consequently, activities for the youth are no longer organized.
    Number of members: 24 families were members.
    Activities: Four-day evening walk once a year, children’s party at Vultink once a year, neighborhood party at Vultink once a year.

    Playground Association “Wildebras”:
    Location: Eerste Broekdijk.
    Number of members: 40 families and 10 donors.
    Activities: Night hike twice a year, walking once a week, outing afternoon once a year, woodworking in the clubhouse once a week, recreation evening in the clubhouse once a week.

    Playground Association “Prins Willem Alexander”:
    Location: Behind the houses on Nijverheidsweg.
    Strictly speaking, this cannot be called a playground, as there is no play equipment on the site. There is also no small soccer field.
    The interests of this playground are represented by the neighborhood association “De Nijverheid”.
    Number of members: 156.
    Activities: Sports day in the playground once a year, outing once a year.

  • Zentralverband Chr. Textilarbeiter, branch Aalten

    Zentralverband Chr. Textilarbeiter, branch Aalten

    At the beginning of the 20th century, hundreds of Aalten residents crossed the border to Bocholt daily to work in the textile factories there. In all weathers, they went on foot, by bicycle, or by horse and carriage. Some took as long as three hours to cover the (roughly) ten kilometers between home and work, both morning and evening! In 1910, a tram line to Bocholt was opened, allowing them to commute much faster and more comfortably from then on.

    Aalten even had its own branch of a German textile union, the Zentralverband Christliche Textilarbeiter, Aalten Local (Ortsgruppe). They met regularly in various cafés in Aalten. We found a number of reports on this subject on Delpher:

    Aaltensche Courant, 10 December 1913:

    On Monday evening, the Aalten Local of the Zentral-Verband Christl. Textilarbeiter Deutschland held a members’ meeting, to which family members of the organized workers were also admitted. Our friends from Bocholt had brought a magic lantern for this occasion, with which various scenes from the cottage industry, which was still very prevalent in Germany, were shown.

    Seeing these things, one can understand that a cry of horror arose, especially in Germany, when these most deplorable conditions came to light a few years ago through that large exhibition of cottage industry held in Berlin.

    From all this, it became clear that there is still a great deal of good work for legislators to do to improve the deeply sad lives of thousands who are forced by low wages to lead such a miserable existence.

    Mr. Mensink, from Enschede, then spoke pithily to those present, emphasizing that only a firm and solid organizational life can ultimately put an end to these abuses. One of the board members present expressed a heartfelt word of thanks to the propagandists, with which the meeting concurred.

    Textile Workers Aalten - Aaltensche Courant, 6 December 1913
    Aaltensche Courant, 6 December 1913
    Textile Workers Bocholt - Aaltensche Courant, 20 May 1914
    Aaltensche Courant, 20 May 1914

    Aaltensche Courant, 12 September 1914:

    On Thursday morning, a well-attended meeting of the Aalten Local of the Zentralverband Christl. Textilarbeiter Deutschland was held in the café of the license holder te Linde. In his opening remarks, Mr. Ommering announced that, after much effort, the board had succeeded in establishing contact with their German colleagues and that the discussions held had led to the members of the Aalten Local also being able to count on support. This support will be paid out next Monday morning from 9:00 to 9:30 AM to members whose names begin with the letters A through M, and from 9:30 to 10:00 AM for the others; and that the support would certainly have been paid out earlier if the measures taken at the border by Dutch and German authorities had not intervened so disruptively.

    Subsequently, Mr. Mensink from Enschede explained the great benefit of being organized, which is brilliantly highlighted in these particularly difficult days for workers. The speaker explained in a very accessible discourse the difficulties workers face in these sad times, as well as those that the leaders of organizations have to struggle through, and concluded by urging that the members of the organization, also in their own interest, have a duty to support the organizational boards by remaining unconditionally loyal to the organization.

    Aaltensche Courant, 16 September 1914:

    On Monday morning, the war and emergency support was paid out to the members of the Aalten Local of the Zentralverband Christl. Textilarbeiter Deutschland. Although it had taken some time due to the closing of the borders, for many, under these circumstances, it was a significant amount that was paid out to them.

    If we are well-informed, the total payout that morning amounted to about 500 marks. We may safely assume that this payout brought a joyful mood to many a household.

    Let us hope, then, that the benefit of being organized is thoroughly recognized, that many who are still distant will join the organization later when the war has spent its fury, and that those few who had to be disappointed due to very poor contribution payments will mend their ways.

    Sources

    • Aaltensche Courant, 10 December 1913 (Delpher)
    • Aaltensche Courant, 12 September 1914 (Delpher)
    • Aaltensche Courant, 16 September 1914 (Delpher)