Old Aalten

Tag: Piet Heinstraat

  • MULO / MAVO

    MULO / MAVO

    Piet Heinstraat 4, Aalten (repurposed)

    The Christian MULO in Aalten was established in 1916 in the so-called Tackshuis and moved into a new building on Stationsstraat, known as the Breukelaarschool, in 1918. In 1967, the school merged into the Christelijke Scholengemeenschap Aalten (CSA) and eventually became part of Schaersvoorde. The building has since been converted for residential use.

    The first lessons of the MULO (Meer Uitgebreid Lager Onderwijs — Junior Secondary Education) were held in the Tackshuis on Gasthuisstraat (now Haartsestraat).

    The school’s first headteacher was Adriaan Jacobus van Oosten, who served from 1916 to 1921. When he and his family arrived in Aalten, neither a school building nor a residence was available. The family was temporarily housed in the gravedigger’s cottage near the cemetery on Varsseveldsestraat, moving shortly thereafter to the upper floor of the Tackshuis.

    The school began its first year with six classes and 36 pupils, a number that exceeded all expectations.

    New Construction on Stationsstraat

    It soon became clear that a dedicated building was necessary. A plot of land on Stationsstraat was purchased for approximately 1,400 guilders from Messrs Smits Sr. and Bulten, in an area then known as ‘Het Rot’. A new school building was erected here, with its front facing Piet Heinstraat.

    The school was named the Breukelaarschool, after Rev. Johannes Breukelaar, a pioneer of Christian education in Aalten and son of Rev. Derk Breukelaar. In June 1918, Rev. Breukelaar himself performed the official opening.

    Expansions and Changes

    In 1933, the school building was extended on the street side with two classrooms and a hall. Later, the building was completely transformed and modernised again. During this process, an upper storey was added to the main building on the street side.

    Mergers and Educational Reform

    In 1967, the MULO merged with the HBS to form the Christelijke Scholengemeenschap Aalten (CSA). A year later, in 1968, the Mammoetwet (‘Mammoth Act’) came into effect, replacing the term MULO with MAVO.

    In 1993, the CSA merged with the other secondary schools in Aalten—the Christelijke Scholengemeenschap Langenhave and the Technical School—to form Christelijk College Schaersvoorde. Around 2006, the school moved to a new building on Landbouwstraat.

    Repurposing

    By the turn of the century, the building no longer met modern standards. Along with the former LTS and domestic science school, it was decided to build a new VMBO school on Landbouwstraat.

    Following the completion of the new school—the “Stationsplein location”—around 2006, the main body of the building on Piet Heinstraat was converted into four apartments. The original section at the rear was demolished and replaced by a new rear extension. A small residential square, named Breukelaarplein, was created on the land behind the building as a tribute to the founder of Christian MULO education in Aalten.


    Archives

    Address directory 1934

    Aalten A97 > Piet Heinstraat 4

    Chr. Ulo-school

    Address directory 1967

    Piet Heinstraat 4

    Chr. U.L.O. School

    Features


    Cadastral no.K-2882
    FunctionSecondary school,
    Residential housing
    Year of construction1918
    Renovation2005
    Listedno
  • Roman Catholic Cemetery Aalten

    Roman Catholic Cemetery Aalten

    Piet Heinstraat, Aalten

    In the late 1860s, the small Roman Catholic cemetery on the corner of Varsseveldsestraatweg and Molenstraat reached its capacity. This created a need for a new cemetery for the Catholic community in Aalten.

    In 1868, Anton Driessen, a textile manufacturer in Aalten, donated a plot of land on what is now Piet Heinstraat to the church to be established as a cemetery. In addition to the land, he donated an iron Calvary cross and an iron gate, both of which still stand today. Anton also stipulated that his family be buried in a contiguous plot next to the cross. The mortuary on the cemetery grounds dates from 1888.

    Lack of space and closure

    A century later, this cemetery also became full, and there was no room for expansion. From 1960 onwards, Catholic deceased were therefore buried in the new Roman Catholic section of the Berkenhove cemetery.

    In the early 1970s, the cemetery on Piet Heinstraat was officially closed. The site was transferred to the municipality of Aalten for the symbolic amount of one guilder.

    Notable graves

    Several prominent Catholic former residents of Aalten rest in this cemetery, including various members of the Driessen textile family. This family is inextricably linked to the textile history of Aalten and had a major influence on the emancipation of the Roman Catholic population in the municipality.

    The grave of Pastor Van Rooijen, who died on January 23, 1945, during a bombardment of Dijkstraat, is also located here. Additionally, there are graves of the sisters from the former Saint Elizabeth Convent on Dijkstraat. They provided primary education at the Saint Joseph School and nursed the sick of all faiths.

    Some of the sisters buried here:


    Features


    Cadastral no.K-711
    FunctionCemetery
    Establishment1868
    ListedGemeentelijk
    monument

    View the graves, as far as they are known, on Findagrave.