Overview
The building that now houses the De Geste hospitality venue has a rich history. It once served as a police station, tourist information office and even as the local NSB group headquarters during the Second World War. Since 1978 it has been owned by the Stegers family, who transformed it into a well-known hospitality venue in Aalten.
Early history
In 1717 the house of Gijsbert Grevinck stood on this site. Around 1800 the property came into the hands of apothecary Willem Bernard Reigers, a wealthy man who also owned two houses in Kerkstraat, including the so-called Reigershuis. His house on the Markt was among the most expensive in Aalten. After his death in 1847 it passed to his wife, Aleida Anna Maria Meijrink. After her death in 1874, their son Franciscus Johannes Hermanus, a physician in Empel (North Brabant), inherited the property. In 1877 it was sold to merchant Isak David de Haas, who transferred it to Levi Isak de Haas in 1885. He sold it in 1905 to butcher Levie Aron van Gelder.
The 20th century
In 1923 the property was bought by schoolteacher Catherina Wilhelmina Mulder, widow of Herman Bakker. She had the building altered in 1927. At the beginning of the Second World War, Mulder sold it to blacksmith Willem Klein Hesselink from Lintelo. The building then acquired a less favourable purpose, as Klein Hesselink sold it to the foundation ‘Nationalistische beweging in Nederland’.
During the war years the building served as the group headquarters of the local branch of the NSB. After the war it came under the administration of the Council for the Restoration of Rights. In 1949 it was sold to the Municipality of Aalten, after which it served as a police station and later as a tourist information office.
Takeover by the Stegers family
In 1978 the building stood empty. Because it had a hospitality designation and the Stegers family, who ran the neighbouring café, did not want to take any risks, they bought the property. After a thorough refurbishment, Riek and Jan Stegers opened an off-licence in the building on 25 November 1981.
Two years later the building was given the name ‘De Geste’. A bar was opened at the rear, operating only at weekends, while during the week the space was hired out for parties and other functions. The bar closed after two years, but De Geste remained available for events. In June 1990 the off-licence also closed, followed by major internal alterations. The building is now fully equipped for hospitality use.
The building is a National Monument.
Residents
Population Register 1823-1838
Bernardus Josephus Averbeck (Dorsten, 31 December 1774)
Maria Catharina Ida Spiegelhoff (Wesel, 21 April 1772)
Next residents:
Jacobus Johannes Klijnpennink (Nijmegen, 22 May 1794), physician and obstetrician
married in Wierden on 8 June 1821 to
Sara van Raab van Canstein (at Oosterboer manor in Drenthe, 18 August 1794)
Next residents:
Louis Gerhard Sebastiaan du Pré (Winterswijk, 14 April 1798), French teacher
married in Aalten on 29 October 1830 to
Antonia Johanna Westerbeek Manschot (Aalten, 27 November 1805), schoolteacher
They moved to Markt 9.
Next resident:
Peternella Hendrika Ligterink (Aalten, 17 September 1773)
Population Register 1838-1850
Peternella Hendrika Ligterink (Aalten, 17 September 1773)
Next residents:
Antonius Bernardus Rudolphus Jansen (Meppen, 1 May 1823), merchant
married in Enschede on 13 September 1849 to
Anna Catharina Hendrika Hafkemeijer (Enschede, 4 May 1822)
Population Register 1850-1860
Antonius Bernardus Rudolphus Jansen (Meppen, 1 May 1823), merchant
Anna Catharina Hendrika Hafkemeijer (Enschede, 4 May 1822)
Next residents:
Joannes Bijnen (Waalre, 12 January 1793), retired surveyor
married in Aalten on 8 November 1838 to
Josephina Berendina Juliana Reijgers (Aalten, 6 April 1813)
Population Register 1860-1870
Josephina Berendina Juliana Reijgers (Aalten, 6 April 1813)
Population Register 1870-1880
Hermina Wentink (Ambt Doetinchem, 18 November 1821)
Population Register 1880-1890
Bernardus Berendsen (4 May 1817), postman
Harmina Wentink (Ambt Doetinchem, 18 November 1821)
Population Register 1890-1900
Bernardus Hengsterman (Netterden, 16 November 1815), saddler
Population Register 1900-1910
Bernardus Hengsterman (Netterden, 16 November 1815), saddler
Next residents:
Levie van Gelder (Aalten, 15 October 1873), butcher
married in Aalten on 22 November 1904 to
Jula Landau (Gemen, 24 October 1882)
Population Register 1910-1920
Gerhardus Antonius Wieland (Doetinchem, 27 December 1881), butcher / pig dealer
Wilhelmina Jacoba Harmsen (Leuvenheim, 25 July 1879)
Catharina Wilhelmina Mulder (Doesburg, 14 October 1884), schoolteacher
Address Directory 1934
Aalten D571 > Markt 4
Widow of H. Bakker
Address Directory 1967
Markt 4
State Police Office
Owners
This overview is not complete.
| Year | Plot | Owner | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1832 | I-1154 | Wilhelmus Bernardus Reijgers, apothecary | 310 m² house and yard |
| 1850 | I-1154 | Aleida Anna Maria Meijerink, widow of W.B. Reijgers | 310 m² house and yard |
| 1868 | I-1154 | Franciscus Johannes Hermanus Reijgers and spouse, physician in Empel (North Brabant) | 310 m² house and yard |
| 1877 | I-1154 | Isak David de Haas, merchant | 310 m² house and yard |
| 1885 | I-1154 | Levi Isak de Haas, merchant | 310 m² house and yard |
| 1905 | I-1154 | Levie Aäron de Haas, butcher | 310 m² house and yard |
| 1923 | I-1154 | Catharina Wilhelmina Mulder, schoolteacher | 310 m² house and yard |
| 1941 | I-1154 | Willem Klein Hesselink, blacksmith | 310 m² house and yard |
| 1942 | I-1154 | The State (Council for the Restoration of Rights division) | 310 m² house and yard |
| 1949 | I-1154 | Municipality of Aalten | 310 m² house and yard |
| 1978 | I-1154 | Johannes Franciscus Joseph Stegers, café, restaurant and guesthouse proprietor | 310 m² house and yard |
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