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 stond de schuttersvereniging te Aalten aan de wieg van het Feestgebouw. In de decennia erna konden we op online krantenarchief Delpher geen vermeldingen van de Aaltense schutterij vinden. Pas begin jaren 50 vonden we weer diverse vermeldingen, van Schutterij St. Helena.

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 werd een ‘Comité Volksfeest’ opgericht, ontstaan door samenvoeging van het Feestgebouw, de Schuttersvereniging en het Kermiscomité. Later werd dit de ‘Stichting Volksfeest Aalten‘.

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.