Wanssum

Wanssum is a village in the Dutch province of Limburg. It is located in the municipality of Venray.

Wanssum
Village
Sint Michaëlskerk Wanssum
Coat of arms
Wanssum Location in the Netherlands Show map of Netherlands Wanssum Location in the province of Limburg in the Netherlands Show map of Limburg, Netherlands
Coordinates: 51°32′9″N 6°4′31″E
Country	Netherlands
Province	Limburg
Municipality	Venray
Area [1]
• Total	7.07 km2 (2.73 sq mi)
Elevation [2]	16 m (52 ft)
Population  (2021)[1]
• Total	1,875
• Density	270/km2 (690/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+1 (CET)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code	5861[1]
Dialing code	0478

History

The village was first mentioned in 1242 as Wanzem, and means "settlement of Wando or Wanso (person)".^[3] Wanssum developed at the confluence of the Grote Molenbeek with the maas. In 1485, it became an independent parish. In 1648, it became part of Spanish Guelders. In 1713, it was part of Prussia, and in 1815, it became part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.^[4]

The St Michaels Church is a three aisled church built between 1950 and 1951 to replace the church which was destroyed in 1944.^[4]

Wanssum was home to 460 people in 1840.^[5] Most of the village was destroyed by war in 1944, and later rebuilt.^[4] Wanssum was a separate municipality until 1969, when it merged with Meerlo.^[6] In 2010, it became part of the municipality of Venray.^[5]