Driel

For the rural locality in Australia, see Driel, New South Wales.

Driel is a village in the municipality of Overbetuwe, approximately four kilometers southwest of Arnhem on the south bank of the Rhine, in the Netherlands.^[3]

Driel
Village
School in Driel
Driel Location in the Netherlands Show map of Gelderland Driel Driel (Netherlands) Show map of Netherlands
Coordinates: 51°58′N 5°49′E
Country	Netherlands
Province	Gelderland
Municipality	Overbetuwe
Area [1]
• Total	8.70 km2 (3.36 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	9 m (30 ft)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	4,375
• Density	500/km2 (1,300/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	6665[1]
Dialing code	026

History

On 21 September 1944, Driel was the drop zone of the Polish 1st Independent Parachute Brigade which participated in Operation Market Garden. The brigade was under the command of Major General Sosabowski. After World War II, in the 1960s, the Polish monument was placed at the 'Polish Square' (Dutch: 'Polenplein', Polish: ' Plac Polski'). A nearby plaque commemorates the ninety-four Polish soldiers who fell nearby. There are several other plaques, including one in honour of the 1st Airborne Division, along the dike between Heteren, Driel and Arnhem.

On 19 September 2009 the Dutch premier Jan Peter Balkenende and the Polish premier Donald Tusk visited Driel to commemorate the 65th anniversary of Operation Market Garden.^[4]

Gallery

• 
  Driel, reformed church
• 
  Driel, church: Maria Geboortekerk
• 
  Driel, weir
• 
  Driel, river: Rhine
• 
  Monument

Notable inhabitants

• Jacob Jan Cremer (1827–1880) – novelist
• Kenny van Hummel (born 1982) – professional cyclist^[5][6]
• Loiza Lamers (born 1995) - model