Grave

Geschiedenis

Grave is a municipality in the Dutch province North Brabant. The municipality had a population of in. Grave is a member of the Dutch Association of Fortified Cities.The municipality includes the following towns : Grave (capital), Velp, Escharen and Gassel.HistoryThe municipality Grave was formed in the Napoleonic era and coincided with the fortified Grave and immediate surroundings. The history of the town was thus linked to that of the place.This changed in 1942. Then there was a reclassification place where the municipality Grave was expanded with the previously independent municipalities Velp and Escharen. Moreover, in 1994 the neighboring municipality of Beers was abolished and a part thereof, the parish Gassel, was also added to the municipality Grave.Grave received city rights in 1233.Popular attractionsNear to Grave lies a bridge, now called John S. Thompsonbrug, built in 1929. It is the northern connection to Gelderland, spanning the river Maas. The bridge was one of the key strategic points in Operation Market Garden; the city was liberated at 17 September 1944, but suffered very little damage. The bridge was named in 2004 after Lieutenant John S. Thompson who commanded the platoon of the 82nd Airborne Division that captured the bridge.