Overview
In the photograph at the top right we see Peperstraat in Aalten, viewed from Markt, with Stegers on the left and the Postiljon on the right. There is also a view towards Hoge Blik, with the public primary school on Herenstraat visible in the distance.
The name Peperstraat first appears in the Aalten archives in 1850. Street names in Aalten were not officially established until much later. No one knows for certain how this little street acquired its name. One theory is that pepper was once a valuable commodity and that Peperstraat was very much a trading street. Several Dutch towns have a Peperstraat in the heart of their old centre. However, there is no convincing evidence that spices were actually traded here.
Further reading
Twee eeuwen tussen Es en Slinge: de geschiedenis van de koperslagers in de Peperstraat te Aalten, E.M. Smilda
