Asperen

Asperen is a village in the Dutch province of Gelderland. It is a part of the municipality of West Betuwe, and lies about 10 km east of Gorinchem on the river Linge. It received city rights in 1313.

Asperen
Village
Tower of the Protestant church in Asperen
Flag
Coat of arms
The village centre (dark green) and the statistical district (light green) of Asperen in the municipality of Lingewaal.
Coordinates: 51°52′53″N 5°6′24″E
CountryNetherlands
ProvinceGelderland
MunicipalityLingewaal
Population
 (2006)
 • Total3,020
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)

In Roman times Asperen was the location of the Roman settlement Caspingium from which it takes its name.[1]

In 2001, the village of Asperen had 2932 inhabitants. The built-up area of the village was 0.72 km², and contained 1087 residences.[2]

The statistical area "Asperen", which also includes the peripheral parts of the village, as well as the surrounding countryside, has a population of around 3060.[3]

Until 1986, Asperen was a separate municipality; until that year, it was located in the province of South Holland.[4]

Dirk Willems was a notable resident, as a sixteenth-century martyred Anabaptist - most famous for his act, after escaping from prison, of turning around to rescue his pursuer, who had fallen through thin ice while chasing Willems. This resulted in Willems being recaptured, then tortured and killed for his faith.

A number of family surnames and variations originate from this place name, such as Van Asperen, Asperenn, Asperenns, Asperens, Asperene, Asperenes, Asper, Asperren, Aspperen and Aspperens.[5]

Tower of the Protestant church in Asperen in the winter of 2010

References
  1. Compendium of ancient geography, Volume 2. R. M'Dermut and D. D. Arden. 1814. p. 713. Retrieved 24 July 2010.
  2. Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Bevolkingskernen in Nederland 2001 Archived March 19, 2006, at the Wayback Machine. (Statistics are for the continuous built-up area).
  3. Statistics Netherlands (CBS), Statline: Kerncijfers wijken en buurten 2003-2005 Archived 2006-07-24 at WebCite. As of 1 January 2005.
  4. Ad van der Meer and Onno Boonstra, Repertorium van Nederlandse gemeenten, KNAW, 2011.
  5. "Origin of Asper". Surnameweb.org. Retrieved July 24, 2010.


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