View source for Venray

{{More citations needed
| date = September 2016
}}
{{Infobox settlement
<!-- See Template:Infobox settlement for additional fields and descriptions -->
<!-- Name and transliteration -->
| name                    = Venray
| native_name             = {{native name|li|Venroj|icon=no}}
| settlement_type         = [[List of municipalities of the Netherlands|Municipality]]
<!-- Images, nickname, motto -->
| image_skyline           = VenrayMarketPlace.jpg
| image_alt               = 
| image_caption           = Venray city centre
| image_flag              = Venray vlag.svg
| flag_size               = 100x67px
| flag_alt                = 
| image_shield            = Venray wapen.svg
| shield_size             = 100x80px
| shield_alt              = 
<!-- Maps, coordinates -->
| image_map               = Map - NL - Municipality code 0984 (2019).svg
| map_alt                 = Highlighted position of Venray in a municipal map of Limburg
| map_caption             = Location in Limburg
| coordinates             = {{coord|51|32|N|5|59|E|region:NL|display=inline,title}}
| coordinates_footnotes   = 
| subdivision_type        = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
| subdivision_name        = [[Netherlands]]
| subdivision_type1       = [[Provinces of the Netherlands|Province]]
| subdivision_name1       = [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]]
| government_footnotes    = <ref name="mayor_now">{{cite web 
 |url = https://www.venray.nl/burgemeester-en-wethouders
 |title = Burgemeester en wethouders
 |trans-title=Mayor and aldermen
 |language = nl
 |publisher = Gemeente Venray
 |access-date = 27 May 2024}}</ref>
| governing_body          = [[Municipal council (Netherlands)|Municipal council]]
| leader_party            = [[Democraten 66|D66]]
| leader_title            = [[Burgemeester|Mayor]]
| leader_name             = [[Michiel Uitdehaag]]
<!-- Geographic information -->
| unit_pref               = Metric
<!-- ALL fields with measurements have automatic unit conversion -->
<!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| area_footnotes          = <ref>{{Dutch municipality total area|dataref}}</ref>
<!-- square kilometers -->
| area_total_km2          = {{Dutch municipality total area|Venray}}
| area_land_km2           = {{Dutch municipality land area|Venray}}
| area_water_km2          = {{Dutch municipality water area|Venray}}
| elevation_footnotes     = <ref name="AHN">{{cite web
 |url = http://www.ahn.nl/postcodetool
 |title = Postcodetool for 5801MB
 |language = nl
 |author = <!--Staff writer(s); no by-line.-->
 |work = Actueel Hoogtebestand Nederland
 |publisher = Het Waterschapshuis
 |access-date = 3 December 2013
 |archive-date = 21 September 2013
 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130921053543/http://www.ahn.nl/postcodetool
 |url-status = dead
 }}</ref>
| elevation_m             = 25
| elevation_max_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| elevation_max_m         =
| elevation_min_footnotes = <!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->
| elevation_min_m         =
<!-- Population, demographics -->
| population_footnotes    = <ref name="pop">{{Dutch municipality population|dataref}}</ref>
| population_total        = {{Dutch municipality population|Venray}}
| population_as_of        = {{MONTHNAME|{{Dutch municipality population|popbasemonth}}}} {{Dutch municipality population|popbaseyear}}
| population_density_km2  = {{Dutch municipality population density|Venray}} <!-- For automatic calculation: auto-->
| population_demonym      = Venrayenaar, Venrayer
<!-- Other information -->
| timezone1               = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1             = +1
| timezone1_DST           = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST         = +2
| postal_code_type        = [[Postal codes in the Netherlands|Postcode]]
| postal_code             = 5800–5817
| area_code_type          = [[Telephone numbers in the Netherlands|Area code]]
| area_code               = 0478
| website                 = {{URL|1=http://www.venray.nl}}
| footnotes               =
}}
[[File:Venray, Onze Lieve Vrouw van Zeven Smarten of Paterskerk RM524009 foto11 2017-05-17 17.43.jpg|Church: de Onze Lieve Vrouw van Zeven Smarten of Paterskerk|thumb|250px]]
[[File:Venray, de Sint Petrus-Bandenkerk RM37209 foto3 2014-05-18 08.43.jpg|Church: de Sint Petrus Bandenkerk|thumb|250px|right]]
'''Venray''' or '''Venraij''' ({{IPA|nl|ʋɛnˈraːi|pron|167 Venray.ogg}}; {{langx|li|Venroj}}) is a [[Municipalities of the Netherlands|municipality]] and a [[city]] in [[Limburg (Netherlands)|Limburg]], the [[Netherlands]].

The municipality of Venray consists of 14 towns over an area of {{cvt|165|km2}}, with 43,494 inhabitants as of July 2016.<ref name="pop"/> About 30,000 of those inhabitants live in the city of Venray; the other 13,000 live in one of the 13 surrounding towns.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.venray.nl/Configuratie/Ondersteunende_navigatie_header/English/Welcome_to_Venray|title=Welcome to Venray - Gemeente Venray|access-date=2016-09-17|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160601223343/https://www.venray.nl/Configuratie/Ondersteunende_navigatie_header/English/Welcome_to_Venray|archive-date=2016-06-01|url-status=dead}}</ref>

== Populated places ==
[[File:Venray-stad-2014Q1.jpg|thumb|Map of Venray (town), Dec. 2013]]
{{columns-list|colwidth=15em|
* [[Beek, Venray|Beek]] - hamlet
* [[Blitterswijck]] - village
* [[Castenray]] - village
* [[Geijsteren]]
* [[Heide, Venray|Heide]] - village
* Leunen
* [[Merselo]]
* [[Oirlo]]
* [[Oostrum Lb|Oostrum]]
* [[Smakt]]
* Venray - town
* [[Veulen]] - village
* [[Vredepeel]] - village with military base
* [[Wanssum]] - village
* [[Ysselsteyn]] - village
}}

== Mental hospitals ==
In 1905, the Sint Servatius mental hospital for men was built by the [[Brothers of Charity]]. The first patients arrived in 1907. In 1906, the Sint Anna mental hospital for women was built by the [[Sisters of Charity of Jesus and Mary]]. The first patients arrived in 1909. In 1969, management of the mental hospitals was transferred to two separate foundations. Both mental hospitals have a continuing impact on Venray from cultural, religious and employment perspectives. Nowadays, both mental hospitals are managed by GGZ Noord- en Midden-Limburg.

Venray also hosts one of 12 mental hospitals in the Netherlands, [[De Rooyse Wissel]], that houses people assigned to mental treatment as a court measure.

== St. Peter in Chains Church ==
The [[Liberation of Saint Peter|St. Peter ad Vincula]] church in Venray hosts one of the largest late medieval collections of wooden [[sculpture]]s that survived the [[iconoclasm]] of the [[protestant reformation]] in the Netherlands. The church itself was originally built in the 15th century in the [[gothic architecture|gothic]] style. It was rebuilt after extensive damage following the [[World War II]] [[Battle of Overloon]].

== World War II ==
[[File:Begraafplaats Ysselsteyn 1.jpg|thumb|German war cemetery]]
Towards the end of World War II there were several battles in and around Venray, damaging large parts of the center of Venray. These include the [[Battle of Overloon]] from 30 September to 18 October 1944,<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.oorlogsmuseum.nl/en/the-museum/history/the-battle-of-overloon/ |title=The Battle of Overloon |website=www.oorlogsmuseum.nl |access-date = 27 May 2024}}</ref> one of the largest tank battles between the Germans and western [[Allies of World War II|Allies]]. Venray town was not liberated until 1945. It has the only German War Cemetery in the Netherlands. 31,598 German soldiers are buried here.

== Economy ==
*Flextronics: Venray hosts [[manufacturing]] units and [[logistics center]]s for [[Flextronics]]
*Herbalife: Venray hosts a European [[logistics center]] for [[Herbalife]].
*ModusLink: Venray hosts a major supply chain location for ModusLink
*OTTO Work Force: Venray hosts the head-office for [[OTTO Work Force]], a [[temp agency]] that predominantly provides [[Polish people|Polish]] [[expatriate]] workers.
*Xerox: Venray hosts a [[manufacturing]] plant and European [[logistics center]] for [[Rank Xerox]], later [[Xerox]]. Nowadays, the European [[logistics center]] and a Toner and Photoconductor plant remain. In the 1990s Xerox outsourced manufacturing of copier and printers to [[Flextronics]].
*[[Royal Netherlands Air Force]]: Venray houses [[De Peel Air Base]].

In recent decades Venray has made a transition from [[manufacturing]] to a [[third-party logistics]] base. As a consequence many [[warehousing|warehouses]] have been built on [[Industrial park|industrial]] estates in recent years.

[[Small and medium enterprises]] and mental [[healthcare]] also continue to play an important role in the local economy. Venray also provides [[logistics]] through its [[Meuse (river)|Meuse]] river harbor in [[Wanssum]] and [[A73 motorway (Netherlands)|A73 motorway]].

== Nature ==
The western section of Venray, the villages Vredepeel and Ysselsteyn, was reclaimed from the [[Peel, Netherlands|Peel]] peat bogs in the early 20th century. Parts of the peat bogs remain and have been transferred to a national park. The western section of Venray is also straddled by part of the [[Peel-Raam Line]], defensive works consisting of a canal and bunkers dating to the [[World War II]] period.

Venray, near Geijsteren, also has a forest and sand dune area, that is one of the few locations in the Netherlands that is home to [[Juniperus communis|common juniper]].

== Notable residents ==
[[File:Godefrid Henschen.jpg|140px|thumb|Godefrid Henschen, 1680]]
* [[Rutgerus Sycamber]] (late 15th century) humanist, [[canon regular]] of the [[Order of Saint Augustine|Order of St. Augustine]]
* [[Godfrey Henschen]] (1601–1681) a Belgian Jesuit hagiographer, one of the first [[Bollandists]]
* [[Harry Peeters]] (1931–2012), a historian, psychologist and academic
* [[Theo van Els]] (1936–2015) a professor of applied linguistics
* [[Louis Sévèke]] (1964–2005) a Dutch radical left activist, journalist, writer and murder victim
* [[Michelle Courtens]] (born 1981), a singer
* [[Koen Heldens]] (born 1986), mixing engineer

=== Sport ===
* [[Peter Winnen]] (born 1957), a cyclist, winner of Alpe d'Huez
* [[Edward Linskens]] (born 1968), a football player
* [[Leopold van Asten]] (born 1976) a Dutch show jumping equestrian, participated at the [[2004 Summer Olympics]]
* [[Mark Veens]] (born 1978), a freestyle swimmer
* [[Joey Hanssen]] (born 1991), a racing driver
* [[Mike Teunissen]] (born 1992) a Dutch racing cyclist
* [[Pauliena Rooijakkers]] (born 1993) a road cyclist

== See also ==
*[[Battle of Venray]]
*[[Venray sheep companies]]

== References ==
{{reflist}}

==External links==
*{{commons category-inline}}
*{{Official website|http://www.venray.nl/ }}

{{Geographic location
|Centre    = Venray
|North     = [[Land van Cuijk]]{{space}}([[North Brabant|NB]])
|East      = ''[[Meuse]]'' / [[Bergen, Limburg|Bergen]]
|South     = [[Horst aan de Maas]]
|Southwest = [[Deurne, Netherlands|Deurne]]{{space}}([[North Brabant|NB]])
|West      = [[Gemert-Bakel]]{{space}}([[North Brabant|NB]])
}}
{{Dutch municipality Venray}}
{{Limburg Province (Netherlands)}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Venray| ]]
[[Category:Populated places in Limburg (Netherlands)]]
[[Category:Municipalities of Limburg (Netherlands)]]