Driel | |
Settlement Type: | Village |
Native Name Lang: | nl |
Pushpin Map: | Netherlands Gelderland#Netherlands |
Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in the Netherlands |
Subdivision Type: | Country |
Subdivision Name: | Netherlands |
Subdivision Type1: | Province |
Subdivision Name1: | Gelderland |
Subdivision Type2: | Municipality |
Subdivision Name2: | Overbetuwe |
Elevation Footnotes: | [1] |
Elevation M: | 9 |
Area Total Km2: | 8.70 |
Population Footnotes: | [2] |
Population Total: | 4,375 |
Population As Of: | 2021 |
Population Density Km2: | auto |
Timezone: | CET |
Utc Offset: | +1 |
Timezone Dst: | CEST |
Utc Offset Dst: | +2 |
Postal Code Type: | Postal code |
Postal Code: | 6665 |
Area Code Type: | Dialing code |
Area Code: | 026 |
Coordinates: | 51.9667°N 54°W |
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]
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; Flemish: '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]