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Otterlo
View on WikipediaOtterlo is a village in the municipality of Ede of province of Gelderland in the Netherlands, in or near the Nationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe.
Key Information
The Kröller-Müller Museum, named after Helene Kröller-Müller, is situated nearby and has the world's second largest collection of Vincent van Gogh paintings.
Otterlo was a separate municipality until 1818, when it merged with Ede.[3]
History
[edit]Second World War
[edit]During the first four years of the war, Otterlo was relatively unharmed. The local resistance made use of a secret telephone connection from an electrician's house, which in 2021 still stands at the dorpsstraat, behind barber Prophitius, to communicate with the allies below the river Rhine (1944/1945). During the war, multiple families hid Jewish people from the Germans. One location was betrayed however, resulting in a raid in 1944 at the house 'De Lindenhof' at the Hoenderlooseweg.[4]
During the liberation of Netherlands in April 1945, Otterlo was the center of a fierce and bloody battle between German and British and Canadian soldiers. See the Battle of Otterlo.
References
[edit]- ^ a b c "Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2021". Central Bureau of Statistics. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ "Postcodetool for 6731AA". Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland (in Dutch). Het Waterschapshuis. Archived from the original on 7 January 2019. Retrieved 22 March 2022.
- ^ Ad van der Meer and Onno Boonstra, Repertorium van Nederlandse gemeenten, KNAW, 2011.
- ^ "Home | slagomotterlo.nl". slagomotterlo.nl. Retrieved 2021-05-11.
External links
[edit]
Media related to Otterlo at Wikimedia Commons- VisitOtterlo.com
- CBC Archives - CBC Radio reporting from Otterlo April 17, 1945.
- The Battle of Otterlo (documentary)
Otterlo
View on GrokipediaGeography and environment
Location and topography
Otterlo is situated in the municipality of Ede in the province of Gelderland, eastern Netherlands, at coordinates 52°6′1″N 5°46′21″E.[6] The village lies on the Veluwe plateau, a prominent elevated region formed by glacial and fluvial deposits during the Pleistocene era, rising to an average height of around 30-50 meters above sea level in this area. This positioning places Otterlo within a broader landscape of undulating terrain, distinct from the flatter lowlands typical of much of the Netherlands. The surrounding topography of Otterlo reflects the characteristic features of the Veluwe, including predominantly sandy soils derived from ancient river and wind deposits, extensive coniferous and deciduous forests, open heathlands, and areas of shifting dunes.[7] These elements create a mosaic of habitats shaped by historical land use, such as forestry and grazing, resulting in a varied elevation profile with gentle hills and low valleys. Immediately adjacent to Otterlo is Nationaal Park De Hoge Veluwe, a protected area spanning 5,400 hectares that exemplifies this regional topography through its preserved forests, heaths, and dune formations.[8] Administratively, the area encompassing Otterlo and its rural surroundings covers 103.90 km², integrating the compact village core—characterized by clustered residential and historical buildings—with expansive agricultural and natural lands.[9] This delineation highlights Otterlo's role as a gateway settlement within the larger Ede municipality, blending human habitation with the preserved plateau environment.Climate and ecology
Otterlo experiences a temperate maritime climate classified as Cfb under the Köppen-Geiger system, characterized by mild, wet conditions influenced by its proximity to the North Sea.[10][11] Average annual temperatures hover around 10.4°C, with summers (June to August) featuring daytime highs of 17–20°C and winters (December to February) seeing lows of 0–5°C, rarely dropping below -7°C.[10][12] Precipitation totals approximately 800–900 mm annually, distributed fairly evenly throughout the year, contributing to the region's lush vegetation without extreme seasonal droughts or floods.[10] The ecology of Otterlo is shaped by its position within the Veluwe region, particularly De Hoge Veluwe National Park, which encompasses diverse habitats including deciduous and coniferous forests, heathlands, wetlands, and shifting sand drifts.[7] These areas support a rich biodiversity, with notable populations of red deer that roam freely across the park's open landscapes and woodlands.[13] Conservation efforts in the national park focus on maintaining this ecological balance through active management, such as controlled grazing by deer herds to prevent overgrowth and promote habitat variety for rare plant and animal species.[14] Historically, the Veluwe faced significant environmental challenges from inland sand drift caused by deforestation and agricultural expansion in the 19th century, leading to barren areas that threatened local ecosystems.[15] Modern reforestation initiatives, including planting on nutrient-poor sandy soils, have stabilized these drifts and restored forest cover, enhancing resilience against erosion and supporting long-term biodiversity in Otterlo's surroundings.[16]History
Origins and early development
The earliest historical mention of Otterlo appears in records from 855 AD, where it is referred to as Uttarlo and Ottarloan.[17] The name Otterlo derives from the Dutch words for "otter" and "loo," indicating wooded areas associated with otters, with "loo" being an old term for forest; it was sometimes spelled Otterloo in historical documents.[18] During the medieval period, Otterlo emerged as a small agrarian settlement centered on farming and forestry, developing at the intersection of trade routes such as those connecting Ede to Apeldoorn and Arnhem to Harderwijk, and forming part of the broader Veluwe region's forested estates.[17][19] By the 13th century, Otterlo had established itself as an independent parish, known as the Kerspel Otterlo, with records from 1215 documenting a church collection for a crusade that confirms the existence of a local church and priest at that time.[20] This administrative status persisted, leading to Otterlo's brief period as a separate municipality from 1812 to 1818, when it was detached from Ede under French-influenced reforms before being reintegrated due to subsequent administrative changes; the municipality then included nearby areas like Deelen, Harskamp, and hamlets such as Eschoten.[21][17] A key early landmark is the Reformed Church of Otterlo, with origins in the medieval period; while the parish dates to at least 1215, the current structure includes a Romanesque nave from the 14th century, a late Gothic choir, and a tower constructed around 1500.[22] These foundational elements of settlement, governance, and religious life characterized Otterlo through the 18th century. This agrarian base laid the groundwork for the village's transformations in the 19th century.19th and early 20th centuries
Following the Napoleonic era, Otterlo was briefly established as an independent municipality in 1812, encompassing the villages of Deelen and Harskamp, but it was administratively absorbed back into the larger municipality of Ede on January 1, 1818, as part of broader municipal consolidations in the Netherlands.[23] This integration marked a shift toward centralized governance while preserving Otterlo's rural character, where the local economy remained centered on agriculture and small-scale forestry, typical of the Veluwe region's sandy, heathland soils suited for crop cultivation in forest clearings and timber management.[24] By the mid-19th century, the village had begun modest growth after a period of stagnation, with the population in the broader Otterlo area reaching around 600 residents by the early 1800s, though the core village housed only about 80 people amid scattered farmsteads.[17] The late 19th and early 20th centuries saw Otterlo's landscape transformed by elite cultural patronage, particularly through the influence of the Kröller-Müller family, whose industrial wealth funded extensive land acquisitions starting in 1908, when Anton Kröller purchased approximately 6,000 hectares in the Veluwe to create a private estate.[25] This acquisition was expanded over subsequent years to approximately 6,800 hectares by 1917 through purchases like the 1909 sale from the Sickesz family, shifting portions of the area from agricultural use toward managed woodlands and hunting grounds, reflecting a broader trend of affluent conservation efforts in the Netherlands.[17][26] By the end of the 19th century, Otterlo's village core still comprised just 12 houses and a church, underscoring its gradual population stability amid these changes.[27] A key architectural milestone was the construction of Jachthuis Sint Hubertus, commissioned by the Kröller-Müllers as a representative hunting lodge and country residence, designed by architect Hendrik Petrus Berlage and built between 1914 and 1920.[28] Berlage's design, submitted in 1914, drew on Arts and Crafts principles with its integration of Gothic motifs, geometric precision, and harmony with the natural surroundings, serving not only as a functional lodge for hosting guests but also as a symbol of early 20th-century progressive architecture in a rural setting.[29] Pre-World War II social developments included minor infrastructure enhancements, such as improved local roads aligned with national efforts to expand the network of paved streets in the first half of the 19th century, facilitating better access for agricultural transport and estate management without significantly altering the village's agrarian fabric.[30]Second World War
During the German occupation of the Netherlands starting in May 1940, Otterlo experienced a relatively peaceful initial period with minimal damage, as the village was not a primary target for early military actions. However, local resistance activities emerged, particularly after the Allied airborne landings in September 1944. A key resistance group, led by a figure known as "Karel" operating from the Jagersrust estate, established a secret telephone line hidden in a PGEM electricity substation on Dorpsstraat to relay intelligence to Allied forces across the Rhine River. This line proved crucial for coordinating during the final stages of the war, enabling the resistance to provide real-time information on German movements.[31][32] Otterlo's small Jewish community faced severe persecution, with several families going into hiding to evade deportation. Local residents sheltered individuals, such as the Siegel family in a converted chicken coop and two Jewish girls in a haystack at a farm, often with warnings from sympathetic police about impending raids. The Van Veen family—Alice Erika (39), Eddy (14), and Sandra (4)—were arrested on 5 March 1944 at the De Lindenhof farmhouse and deported to Auschwitz via Westerbork, where they were murdered on 6 March 1944.[33][32] Separately, elderly Rosenberg family members Jenny (70) and Joseph were also victims of the persecution; Jenny perished in Auschwitz on 11 February 1944 and Joseph in Dachau on 14 April 1945. A memorial stone now stands at the site inscribed "Lest We Forget." The Battle of Otterlo unfolded from 15 to 17 April 1945 as part of Operation Dutch Cleanser, a rapid advance by the 5th Canadian Armoured Division—supported by British elements—aimed at encircling German forces in the Veluwe region following the IJssel River crossing in Operation Cannonshot. On 15 April, Canadian troops entered the village from Arnhem, establishing headquarters, but faced a fierce counterattack around midnight on 16-17 April by 800 to 1,000 encircled German soldiers attempting to break out westward. Intense house-to-house fighting ensued, involving grenades, flamethrowers, and tanks, with the village serving as a critical choke point in the operation.[34][32][35] The battle resulted in approximately 100 total casualties, including 17 Canadians, 6 British soldiers, and 4 Dutch civilians killed, alongside 50 to 200 German deaths and 250 prisoners taken. Significant destruction followed, with about 68% of Otterlo's homes damaged or destroyed by fire and combat, though the village's role in trapping German units contributed to the broader liberation of the eastern Netherlands. Canadian broadcaster Charles Lynch reported live from the scene on 17 April 1945, capturing the chaos for CBC radio.[31][32][36]Demographics
Population statistics
As of January 1, 2025, Otterlo had a population of 2,380 residents within its statistical area, which encompasses the village core and surrounding rural zones in the municipality of Ede.[9] This figure reflects data compiled from Statistics Netherlands (CBS) records on neighborhood and district levels.[9] The population density stands at 23 inhabitants per square kilometer, a low figure that highlights Otterlo's predominantly rural and sparsely settled landscape across its approximately 104 square kilometers of land area.[9] Over the longer term, Otterlo's population has exhibited stable growth, rising from around 500 residents in the early 20th century—primarily in the village itself—to more than 2,000 in recent decades, with modest expansions linked to tourism-driven settlements in the surrounding areas.[17] Recent trends show minor fluctuations, including a decrease of 160 residents (about 6%) from 2,540 in 2013 to the 2025 total, indicative of gradual adjustments in a low-growth rural setting.[9]| Year | Population | Change from Previous |
|---|---|---|
| 2013 | 2,540 | - |
| 2025 | 2,380 | -6.3% |